Evansville daily journal., 1863-10-12
Deliyerance of East Tennessee:

turing eight locomotives and q large
number of cars, after which he vas or
dered on up the road, and reached
Greenville about the llth, from which
place be writes on the 10th to his wife,
as follows:
81 wish had time to prepare letter
for the friends at home on the state of
affairs in East Tennessee, and to give a
simple narrative of facts in regard to
what the Union men have suffered. Such
cruelty, such oppression and heartless
wrong has no parallel, at least on this
continent. 1t may have been equalled
by the barbarians of Europe.
No wonder that the people receive
US with tears and perfect ecstacy of re-
ioicing and unbounded enthusiasm. The
rejoicing and demonstrations have wit
messed will be probably the brightest of
my "reminiscences of the war. No won
der these people have wept tears of Joy at
the sight of the old flag, for it has
brought to them freedom from tyran-
nizing oppression. / never saw such
demonstrations at the sight of the old
flag, or such evidences of true and gen.
uine patriotism before. 1t was the hap
piest epoch of my life to first carry that
flag into Knoxville, and to bear it in the
advance along up this valley for more
than an hundredsmiles, and receive the
welcome of the loyal people. And I
hope in a few days to have the honor to
say that,we have driven the enemy en-
tirely beyond the borders of the State.
At our advance men have come to
US all bleached and weak, who have been
hiding in the rocks and caves and in pits
away from the light of day for months.
Men have been chased through the
mountains by Indians, Tin the rebel SER
vice., who were offered bounty for
their arrest or death. Women have been
driven from their homes and their
houses, and their all were burnt before
them, because their husbands were in
the Union army The scafolds were to
be seen where loyal men were hung for
suspicion of bridge burning, without any
trial whatever The tales of cruelty and
wrong which have heard, go to make
up history of tyranny which will be the
blackest record of this shareholders rebel
lion
"There is valley over the line in
North Carolina, about twenty-five miles
from this place, just under the shadow of
the Great Smoky range of mountains,
almost shut out from the world The
valley along the creek is rich, and inhab-
tied by a wild and simple race of men.
These men, partaking of the true spirit
of the mountains, were true and unal-
terably attached to the government, and
no bribes or threats could induce them
I to 90 into the Southern army. There
was but small community OF them and
they were unanimous. When the con-
scripting officers came to take them into
the army by force, and the foragers to
> carry off their horse and provisions, they
met them along the mountain sides with
their squirrel rifles and drove them back.
1t was almost worth Confederate off
GERS life to venture into the valley.
Finally they sent a large force oi
, cavalry and Indians among them and
drove the mountaineers before them
They fed to their hiding places, and
none of the men fit for military duty
could be found The rebel cavalry gath
cred up all their horses and cattle. The
women and children, old men and boys
were left at home, thinking them saf,
from conscription. The savage traitor!
actually drove the families from theil
houses and burnt everything in them
This was bad enough, but worse was t(
come. They took twenty of these gray
f haired old men and youths, of twelve ant
fourteen years, out by the wayside, mad
them kneel down, and without trial o
crime, but devotion to their government
shot them to DEATH And this was no
= all. The women and children wer
y driven out of the valley and made t
walk on foot oyer the mountain and dow
to Greenville Old and prominent cit
- zens of this place have told me that
was the most pitiable sight they ever be
= held, A stout-hearted and manly cit
zen, in talking to me about it, could nc
restrain his tears, and said that he neve
related the circumstance without tear:
because it brought the sight so vividl
before him. Women came, carrying
child in her arms, and another little on
bare-footed and almost naked, clingin
T. to her dress There were women an
is. children of all ages driven like sheep
nd nd the point Of the bayonet. There wei
ID. women in the most delicate situation
p who were made to walk with the rest
es es the suferings were the greater, the pu
es ishment was the more appropriate The
iiy were brought to the depot and kept ov,
= night, and it was the avowed determin
ar ton of Gen. (IMude0aU, in contradistin
ton to StonewalD Jackson in commar
ed, hereto send them over the Cumberlal
Mountains to Kentucky. Gov Vanc
is of North Carolina, heard of the brut
:: proceedings in time, and declared tn
tso 9f women and children should not be ba
ished from his State so long as he W
!. its Governor, and they were ordered
E. be returned. Since then, these men
the Laurel Valley have been the wild M
!, of the the mountains-their homes ha
rug been in the caves and cliffs, and wo
to the rebel soldier who comes with
UE range of their rifles. The most vigoro
measures have been taken to ferret the
ana out, but few have ever been caught; th'
Nm hiding places and their daring were
ant ant good protection. A company of the
twice attempted to break through a
.-- cross the Cumberland Mountains to Kt
lucky, but were driven back before th
could get out of East Tennessee.
G, Day before yesterdays company of oN
fifty of these brave men came over fri
nc the mountains and asked me for he
..es, D, An old man who was the spokesman q
lard the wise man of the valley, said tt
lTss, hss were a poor, ignorant, wild set
Rat cusses," who didn't know much but
sps, votion to the flag of their country a
,xes 5.,st how to shoot He asked me to give tn
lges, a little good adUice and some guns