, 1863-07-25
FROM EAST TENNESSEE.
Ills Demands, Openings, aspects.
4 Bold and Admirable Statement


EDS PHEss-1t is supposed by some that,
p, .1baps, some Important movements will
81, IN be made upon the great military chess
boa, I'd, looking 70 the occupancy Of East Teu-
not G oncur: My hopes and wishes in that re-
snect have been b1asted SO often that I will
lot en-, serta1n expectations In advance ofactuai
demons tratlons going to effect the object We
hare in >!lew;;, The occupation of Chat
.tanooga in the shortest possible time,
portance il the. Government, tor several rea-
cons: First, because now Is perhaps the most
favorable ol 'portunity we may ever have-a
portion Of Br ags's forces having gone down
10 Mississippi, portion to Atlanta, Georgia;
and Charleston, and the remainder being d.
vided in small parcels in different parts Of
East Tennessee, protecting the railsoads and
the mountain passes: Before they can again
concentrate, it Is Of the utmost importance
that few strategic points should be seized
adyance Of q force sufficient to occupy and
: defend the whole country. Asa lin by IN curly
and vigorous advance of our forces We can
sscure the present wheat crop ut East Ten
ns ssee, which will be sufficient, IL ,m what we
1ea1n, to support an army Of 100, 20 0 neu.
Secondly BY taking ERst Tenn essee, our
pests can be SO arranged that ha1I the num-
be. or troops can protect fa1ks and rear bet
Ter Than our Hhole force can now protect Its
present ltno OF operations. This may sound
strange to those not acquainted with the
county, but = is susceptible Of pe pe,:fsc. dem
onstraaian. b takiDg Chattanooga We can
haze the Tennessee River to add III bringing
up snnp1ief, rs Tell Us use it a. q barrier
made arerf.:ct har1ier By the removal af the
boats
Having possession Of Chattanooga, the riv-
or Efli'he . perfect protection to our right
hank, q small force being stationed NJ Deca-
tur, -Ala1mn,nr and Bridgeport, to prevent tic
fIta - ha.L
remains to be protected an open country cf
only thirty-a7t miles, to the chain eft noun
tains On thc's2st, which are fifty times more
6t9icult. 10 cross than our present line; the
Cumberland Mountains To my recollection,
there are not more than three piaccs from the
Georgia State line to the Virginia line that an
army NTH artillery aud sufficient transportA-
tfon could PASS from the South into East Ten
Eessee, to Wit: Down the Ocoee River, ID
Polk county, down the French Broad Rirer,
BY Warm Springs, and the route from Jetf4r-
eor, North Chfulina, to Euzabethtown, iu
JohLson county, Tennessee. Either of these
routes, however,, can be defended by one |
thousand n,cn so efftctually that fifty thou,
These are stubborn facts, not imaginary |
statements.
Then, to sum VI, tho statement in tanyI- |
b1e form, ne may ssfe1y set down that force |
Ut goo men at Decatur, and 4 like number |
At Bridgeport. with the proper artillery force,
Of m enemy, and if the river shonld be kept |
clear Of fer1y-boats and transportation, viii !
Iertcct]y protect TINT entire line. From t
Chattanooga to the Frog Mountain, thirty |
tive miles, there Is 4 succession Of ridges and |
strong positions IN u high, healthy ana beau
tiful country, which being possessed By onr
forces, can be defended aguinst an ADVANCE Of |
Ten times our number. 20.000 men with ar
tille.y can defend that entire line ag.inst al
nnost any force that can be brought against il.
- nm Y1nra1. ~ ofn{n
PASSES before referred to. make, In all, 2, 900
ineI to guard d line Of defense extending |
from Decatur, Ala to the Virginia line
The oily question remaining !. the very |
e,als unfortunately are eternnlly !ooklug
back to Uncle Sam for. When c,<2mined By |
the light of facts and figures, this Is no ques-
lion at all. Take the first Two counties, for |
instance, on the Gcorgia line, Bradley and |
Hamilton, 4; NJ d Each OF them can and will grow
Bradley llas been known to sill 500 COO bash. !
els In one year, aud Hamilton has exceeded !
that. 1histy'onc counties OF East Ten /
1oo,0 GOO bushels Of wheat ia ordinary times,
but making proper deductions for the absence |
mate that thes viii produce for sale 5o, 900 !
bushels to ~ the county. Thus VIC have the |
corn crop will greatly excel that amount; %
That for bread we need hare no fears. As to
the supplies Of meats, We cannot state with
any degree OF assurance, and cannot promise
at present that VIC will tind the necessary snp-
plies there, although scouts assure us that
considerable quantities Of best cattle are
grazing In the Cumberland and Frog Noun.
taiIs. Enough, however, may be had, beyond
all doubt, to support an army sufficient to de-
fend the country. until its supplies can be
brought from Kentucky. We may safely set
down, as 4 fact which cannot be denied, that
those thi1ty-one counties OF East Tennessee
have supported 2o0, GOO Of the rebel army du-
ring the whole war, and without It they can-
rot keep an army Of LOO, 600 men In the field.
wheat crop Of East Tennessee to the South.
and have It ground mp at Atlanta and Augus.
ta and Cleveland mills, and thereby obtain
substance for another year. Whereas, If that
eplendid WHEAT crops for our army, the rebels
Will be compelled to disband their army for
want Of supplies.
In this .etatement I hare not spoken OF
the great satisfaction and extreme delight 1t
would afford the CSC, COO loyal men. and NO
are looking and expecting our advent With
faith and devotion which no circumstances
can shake or alter.
No; nor hive / spoken Of the great joy it
would afford the thousands of East Tenncs-
ZEE soldiers now in this army whose hearts
back to their fatherland. These things are
not mentioned Us an argument, for the rea
son that they hare been too often urged aud
dlsregarded, and, it may be, properly disre-
garded. For am not one Of those who blame
The Government with all the ills that aftlict
us. There may have existed good reasons
heretofore, for not going to East Tennessee,
but those reasons do not exist now. The
question Of supplies should not be entertain
ed by our Generals, When the people are beg
ging us to come and take their wheat crop
for nothing, rather than sell 1t to the rebel
army
am satisfied perfectly that If East Ten
ressee can and does support rebel army Of
200, 600 men, 1t can and Will support Union
army Of a like amount.
But the great fact that desire to cal1 at
teDtion to is, that bY occupying East Tennes-
eec, we actually diminish the number Of &C.
cessible points to our rear, and consequently
smaller amount Of troops will be required to
guard cur Tanks, and increase the cnemy's
chances for supplies and augment our own
strength By additions from East Tennessee
aud North Carolina, and also supply ourselves
and protect the loyal people Of East Tennes-
see from further depredations.
These reasons hastily thrown together,