Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-04-19
Gentlemen may cry peace, peace but there il
no esce.'-PGtrick HENRY

"GenueInen may cry peace, peace but there is
no peace.'-Pdtrick Henry.
These stirring and eloquent words were not more
appropriate, when the first gun of the revolution
was about to be fired than they are now. LNCoIN's
proclamation is actual war against the Southern
States His call upon the Governor of Tennessee for
two regiments of militia, to carry out his bloody and
tyrannical designs, is atrocious attempt to en-
broi our beloved Tennessee in war with our
brothers of the South, that would cast a stigma
upon her fair escutcheon and blight upon her
name which time could never eHace. II there be
one man who would respond to such call he is
disgrace to the name of Tennessee and his fellow
Tennesseans W i'll see that he is rendered harmless
Ne repeat IT. there can be no peace-no neutrality
The only question is, whether you are an enemy
If LINCOLN or traitor to Tennessee At a tine
when LINCOLN is preparing to march his myrmidons
along our borders and to force us either to fight
for Black Republican domination over the South
and to take up arms against our Southern brothers.
or to gloriously make common cause with the Con-
federate States and defend our institutions against
the combined assaults of the Black Republican States
he is dangerous enemy, an incendiary and trail
tor who cries out peace peace when there IS no
peace" The issue is fairly made Every man
must either take the side of LINCOLN, or join heart
and hands with our Southern brethren. When
man says that he will onsent for the armies
either of the North or the South to invade our SOIL
he is foeman, because he knows that by that means
our domain will be invaded by the armies of both
belligerents, and Tennessee will occupy the
position of common battle ground, whereby
her own will be embroiled in civil war
and Tennesseans will be compelled to shed their
own brothers blood. 1t is ingenious and hellish
device to desolate fields, array friend against
friend, father against and brother against broth
er. No such men will be trusted. Tennessee will
be united as one man to resist and repei the North
ern invader. Thank God! she is nolo united and
her chivalrous and devoted are rallyng to the
tap of the drum, ready to immediate themselves on
their eountrys altar. God bless Tennessee, she is
ralying with her chivary and marshalling her gal
liant hosts for the conflict She is yet the "Voluu>
teer State" and the South will see that her heroic
blood flows as richly in her veins as when her
sons drove back the invader from New Orleans
conquered the Creek Nation on the plains of Ala
bama, and mounted the fiery walls of Monterey.
The response of her gallant Governor to Emperor
LncoLN's insulting and absurd demand has ere this
reached the ears OF the tyrant and paled his cheek
VIII COMMUNICATED rage lear. That RESPONSE
meets with one universal hearty and enthusiastic
approval from every man, woman and child in the
State, worthy of the name of Tennessean. If there
be any who, in secret, disapprove, their coward
hearts dare not utter their discomfort and they are
recreants whose alliance would be spurned as a
Dissertation and a shame. And now we dare say
to LINCOLN and his minons of the North, we say it
in the name of the people of Tennessee who have
so long clung TO this Union, and who have made ii
the object of almost Oriental idoatry Send yoar
mercenaries TO our State, and in the glorious
and glowing language of the Irish martyr.
slightly changed I'VE will meet you on the
border with sword in one hand and torch in
the other We will meet you with all the des>
truetve furies of war. Our countrymen will i'm
moate them in their tents before they have contam
mated the soil of Tennessee and if forced to retire
before superior discipline, we will dispute every
inch of ground, burn every blade of grass and the
last intrenchment of Southern rights shall be our
graves What we cannot do ourselves we shall
Leave as last charge to our posterity to accom-
Ise for we shall feel that life, any more than death
is Improbable when country is held in Subiec-
ZION to Black Republican power