The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1863-09-18
Knoxville and East Tennessee.
From the St. LOUIS Republican. -

The recovery of tho East Tennessee re-
gion recalls some of the incidents in the
history Of that section since the secession
movement began. The vote in East Ten
nessee on the ordinance of separation was
~ 7sO for, and 80, 1923 against. On the
18th OF June, 1861, large Union Con-
vention was held at Greenville, in which
all the counties except .Rhea were repre-
sented. A declaration of grievances was
there adopted, which stated facts showing
that the right of free suffrage had been OBJ
structed by disunion government; that
the people had been subjected to insults,
their flags fired upon and torn down, their
houses rudely entered, their families
affrOnted, their women and children shot
down by merciless soldiery, and their
citizens robbed and assassinated and that,
in view Of these facts, they resolved that
the action of the State Legislature, in pass
ing declaration of independence, and in
forming a military league with the South
ern COnfederacy, was unconstitutional, and
not binding on loyal citizens. The great
est tyranny was exercised by the COnfed-
crate soldiery toward all who clung to the
Union, and particularly after the Conven-
ton of the 18th of June. Many citizens
were arrested upon bare suspicion, insulted,
abused and carried into camps, to be dis
posed of as the mob thought proper. Cav
airy and infantry squads secured over the
country, offering the inhabitants, both
male and female, every indignity of which
ruffian bands are capable, destroying crops
and subsistence in sheer wantoEness, pas
turing their horses in cornfelds, wasting
hay-stacks, and taking provisions of every
description, without even asking the price.
On the day of the election of jeff Davis,
President of the Contederacy under the
permanent constitution, a very small vote
was pOlled in East Tennessee. In Knox
county, for instance, the Confederate can
dldate for Congress, received eighty votes,
where the Union men numbered over
three thousand. When the Federal troops
were concentrating at Cairo, the people of
East Tennessee, who were preparing to
organize for military service for the Union,
were encouraged to show some active re-
sistance to the expressions which had been
visited upon them. Col. W. B. Wood, a
rebel officer in command of the East Ten
nessee District, with headquarters at Knox
vile, reported to Richmond, in November,
1861, that he had broken up the "camps ~
of the "tories " in Sweet and Hamilton
counties, and taken large number of
prisoners, whom he had confined in Jail
He said it was ga mere farce to arrest
them and turn them over to the courts, ~
and that they "really deserved the gal
lows" and "ought speedily to receive
their deserts" 1t was in answer to this
communication that Secretary Benjamin
wrote bis notorious letter of instructions,
ordering those identified as having been
engaged in BRIDGE burning to be tried sum-
marily by drumhead court martial, and, if
found guilty, executed on the spot by
hanging" He added "it would be well
to leave their bodies hanging in the vicin-
ity of the burnt bridges
April, 1862, jeff. Davis proclaimed mar
tial law in East Tennessee, then under
command of Major General E. Kirby
Smith, and suspended all civil jurisdiction
with certain exceptions, together with the
writ of habeos corpus. The effect of
this was to make the people amenable for
offences committed under the rules and
articles of war, and Kirby Smith pointed
out that any one speaking disrespectfully
of the President, Vice President, Con
gress, or Chief Magistrate of the State,
should be punished as a court martial
might decide; that relieving the enemy
with money, or victuals, or holding COM
munication with him, should subject the
offender to the penalty of death.
These are some of the means used by
tie rebel government to crush out the
loyal spirit of the people of East Tennes-
see. We might refer to very many others
of similar and far worse character. But
the day of Confederate tyranny is nearly
over now in that section, and every pa
triot should rejoice