The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-08-17
A Letter from y Gentleman in Middle
t4 Tennessee.

-, tennessee, august 4, 1851.
81 am native, as you know, of Tennessee,
though until the last few months this idea, preg.
nant with the dwarfed patriotism Of the times
in this section, has scarce entered my mind.
was always proud to call myself an American
native American. Travelling all over this
broad country, from Maine to the Rio Grande,
and across the Plains to the shores of the great
Pacifc--penetratiDg in my wanderibgs away to
the Copper Mines of Lake Superior, and then
down to the coast of Florida-everywhere
thought, and felt, and exclaimed, This is nv
native land l was born in this country. So
broad, and great, and free, and glorious is my
happy fathcr.land.' But now my patriotism
must dwindle down 10 the Dimensions Of a
State. an fennessean. Well, SO must
admit 7 am. -
!" But though you may well think now should
blush to own that name, tell you, No! To-
morrow, I should be proud to own myself a
Tennessean. To-day indeed, twenty-five thou
sand men claiming that name are arrayed against
the Government of this country They seek
to bayonet the bosom of the mother that gave
them birth and nurtured their feeble infancy !;
but tomorrow, mark me well, an army of Ten
nesseans will be raised up which will cause that
reproach to cease in this land The people Of
Tennessee were never in favor Of this treason
1t was forced upon them by usurpation and the
bayonet Heretofore have attempted to des.
cribe to you the exceeding intensity Of terror
which overshadowed US at the time of our cleo.
tion-to recount to you some of the hellish
outrages of tyranny which were visited upon the
timid and unprotected. And yet in the face Of
all that, forty-seven thousand freemena (that
once werel voted "No Separation" on that day
of our humiliation. That is one.third of the
legal voters of our State, Tens of thousands
were afraid to vote, but the deficiency was made
up BY The most stupendous frauds. Thousands
were forced to vote Separation to make their
peace with their prosecutors. The poor soldiers
in their camps, many Of them, earnestly desired
to vote for their cauntry-for the Union-I
kao'c they did-but they burst not do it. They
saw they had been trieked, duped, seduced into
the army Of rebellion, but the iron hand of mill.
tary discipline forbade all complaint. assure
yep the people of Tennessee are against this
most infamous rebellion.
When the day shall come, as hope it
speedily will, when the army Of, Jour Govern.
! ment shall penetrate within our borders, then
you will see the Union men of Tennessee fly to
arms against their 0ppressors Swiftly and ter.
ribly will they avenge the disbonor wherewith
the proud escutcheon of our State has been
stained. With blood will they cleanse our ban.
ner of its de6lement. We do not wish our
brethren of the North and Of Western Virginia
and Kentucky to do all our fighting for US. But
at present we cannot move. We are subiugated
bound hand and foot. We have no arms. no
ammunition. We cannot effectualiy organize.
Come and strike OF our letters, aid put arms
in our hands, and we will show the nation and
the world how loyal Tennesseans can fight for
their deliyerers aud for their liberties.n
-sil1i3isla -r----0 ri