Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1862-12-18
A Georgian in Search of Salf-He
visits tse LiacelniteS in East Ten


Hessee.
The Columbus ga Times pub
lis0s the, following letter from a
gentleman in Georgia to his, son
in the service on the coast, giving
some amusing incidents in his re-
cent experience:
DEAR SoN:-Here I am at home
with whole skin-reached here
Yesterday morning. shall not at
tempt to give you detailed histo-
ry of my trip after writing you at
knoxville, but viii reserve some
incidents until | see you, When
| wrote you l expected to 60 to
Goose Creek or Blue Lick in Ken
tucky. : | fist went to Saltville in
virginia, and found plenty of Salt
and also found Governor Letcher
with sledge hammer i'll one hand
and a bottle of whiskey in the
other, swearing that no Georgian
or any one else out of the old Do
minion shold have or move a tea
spoonful of salt out Of the limits
of said State. After walking round
and cursing Virginia and Governor
Letcher in particular, | left as |
thought, for Kentucky. Well, |
reached Tazewell, within ten miles
of Cumberland Gap, and bought
ten mules and two road wagons,
and one two horse wagon. |
thought then | was ready to cross
the mountains. Just about that
time there were two men brought
in-one dead and the other nearly
so-both shot by bushwhackers
right on the route [ was to travel.
Well, | did not say much, but |
tell you | did not fancy that roadi
no sir, I did not. But as there
were several wagons just in the
act of starting, | Concluded to risk
it, and started with twelve other
wagons about sunrise. We went
about three miles, and met three
men, who informed us that the
gentlemen whackers had just shot
and killed DIR. Hillard and wotind-
ed three others. | Itold the boys
as we were at "a good place
for water, we had better stop and
feed. We did SO, and kept feed
ing all day and night, and fed late
the next morning, that is until a.
bout twelve o'clock. We then got
two bottles of old Peach, and af-
ter handing the aforesaid bottles
around until the juice disappeared,
weielt very courageous, and thought
we could face any number of bush
whaeIkers or any ether whackers.
So we pnt off and went about three
miles; met an cid man who lived
hear the Gap; he advised us not to
60 another step in that direction;
said we would never live to get
through. / then proposed anoth-
er feed which proposition was u
unanimously accepted. After rest
ing two hours L found [ could get
no more Peach, and as that L had
in me was all dying out, l. began
to feel that it took tro kinds Of
spirits to enable a man to pass
through the mouptains, and as |
had neither. one at hand, | slowly
came to the conclusion that was
not in any great want of salt am
way-in fact did not want it at all
and as | had some urgent basl
ness down aboutknoXville,I i turned
my teams and moved slowly
Southward. Late IN the evening
| made up my mind that | had no
use for wagons and mules, and
sold out, and did well, as | made q
few hundred. by that operation.
! Then went over to. Sewer coun-
tv, bog hunting, right into the hot
test bed of the Llncolnites in East
Tennessee. There are, at least fiji
teen hundred in the county
Several persons advised me not
to venture among them, but L felt
sure | could manage to get along
finely with them, as some OF them
knew mes We'll, ,iIwillscot,attempt
to tell you all that passed, l VIII
only say if jeff Davis knew ali l
said and what | said wilie there
he would have me hung IN, forty
eight hours. There was no differ
enoe of opinion between the men
of Sewer county and myseli-ne
not the slightest lshadc-eScePt ID