The Portland daily press., 1864-04-08
Letter from East Tennessee.

Letter from East Tennessee.
A short time since, VIM. l.. Southland, Esq,
OF this city, sent copy of Col Taylor's APP
peal in behalf of the sufferers in East Tennes-
see, to Capt. w. w. Deane, on Gen. Tilson's
staff at Knoxville, with request that he
should write informing him (Mr. Southard)
whether the picture of the distress there was
overdrawn; not that Mr.. S. dstrusted Col.
Taylor's statements, but he wished the peo-
pie OF Portland and of Maine, to understand
the imperative nature of the demands of these
loyal people upon the kindness and aid of
their fellow-citizens Of the North. In reply
to Mr.. Southard's letter the following has
been received, and though it was written with
out the slightest expectation that it would be
published, it is believed the public good will
be subseryed by such publication. Mr.. Deane
is well known in this city, and. his word will
be taken without discount. Mr.. ID. refers to
Rev. Mr.. Hume, in the closing part of his
letter. Mr.. Southland has heard from Mr.. H.,
and his story only serves to show that the pic
ture Of the sufEerings Of that loyal people, can
NOT easily De overdraWn:
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, March II, 1854
w. L. Southland, Esq.
DearSir:-Your favor of March Sd, enclosing
appeal in behalf of the Sufferers in East Ten
nessee," and asking information about the con-
dition of the people of this section, is just re-
csived.
The only fault find with the Appeal" is
that 1t don't say enough-does not do justice
to the facts in the case. l am not so capable
a. one who has not been in the field or be-
come used TO the destruction of property by
an army in an active campaign, to tell you of
the sutferings and destitution that obtain
here. This war has made most of its partici-
pators unused to the quiet peace and prosperi-
ty of other days.
For these reasons it is with much delicacy
that venture to judge and speak of the sui-
ferings of the people of East Tennessee; but
will tell you what have seen, and of what
have heard from reliable, intelligent gentle
men, army officers and others.
In all that limited section of this State
through which have been, and through all
those portions where the two armies have been,
there is literally nothing to eat or wear; no
fences to protect their crops should they at
tempt to plant any; no men to till the ground
II there were fences. The men are all in the
army; there is no seed to plant their land with,
no cattle or horses to do their ordinary work.
There is only strong, earnest, ardent love for
the Union without an 'if' or shut" This is
the present actual condition of the people and
Of East Tennessee. The garden of the whole
section, "The Valley OF the Halston," has been
occupied by Longstreet's army which has de-
stroyed, or eaten, or carried away the COM
paratively small amount of cattle and corn
there was left when they went into the Val
ley in December last. This whole section is
in the same condition Westbrook, would be in
If all the fences and barns and three quarters
Of the houses were destroyed, and all the
males of the population dead or in the army,
and nothing in the remaining habitatons but
little corn, with now and then cow and
here and there chicken to eat. This city,
the commercial center, would be represented
by Portland II twelve fifteenths of the popu-
lation OF that place had disappeared, two thirds
OF the buildings In the city were burned down
and destroyed for fre-wood, all the fences
gone, the remaining business houses and ho-
tel buildings used for Government purposes,
with thousands OF dead horses and mules COW
ering the ground in the outskirts of the city
and but little to eat In the city. This picture
Is not oyerdrawn.
Ga the 31st of Dec, the day arrived here,
matters were much worse. The streets were
filled with dead animals, there were no med
ical stores, hundreds of cases of smallpox in
the city aud the disease increasing, quarter
eSsA~Ao AoSuCA W VIC cuiutcIc,- tuOoc Ullly
OF corn meal and meat, the former frequently
ground with the cob-and no clothes for the
men, many Of them half naked through all
that bitter, biting cold; and If this was the
case with the army you can imagine the stu-
alton of the people of the country. With all
this suffering Il am not speaking of the army
nowl there has been but one expression ev-
erywhere, that of loyalty to the Union.
have heard some of the greatest sufferers say,
" have Sparaalu anVthipn loft hat
Government needs 1t they can have it so the
rebellion be put down. / know Of one in
stance, only few miles from here, which Is
only q triting one, of the devotion Of tina
people and of their suffering.
An old man some sixty odd years of age, was
required by party of men from Longstreet's
army, TO tell the whereabouts of his son, that
he might be put in the rebel army. The old
man refused and he was hung for not telling,
three times, being cut down each time before
LIE was extinct; but he remained firm. In
stances multiply of this kind. One of the
chief miscreants and most supple tools of the
Confederacy was man, originally from
Maine, named Leadbetter, whose crimes are
90 many and SO horrible that will not wea-
ny you with their recital.
The Appeal is not the whole truth. The
outline OF the restitution here is there Is
nothing in East Tennessee to eat or wear
The story Of what the people have undergone
In devotion TO their country would I'LL a vol
ume and would read more like a romance
than the truth. The story would require
time TO write it. The result of the sufferings
exists to-day, and / think you will one day
esteem 1t the proudest day of your life, the
one when you entered heart and soul upon
the duty assigned you by your fellow-citizens,
OF soliciting aid for the people OF East Ten
nessee.
Pardon me the desultory nature of this
communication. II you will do me the honor
to visit me during the spring, viii show you
more plainly than can be written, the eviden-
ces Of what this people have suffered, and
how much good you have been the means of
doing among the suffering people of this
section.
have asked the Rev. Mr.. Hume, rector of
the Episcopal church here a gentleman
OF unaffected piety and truth, to write you,
and he will tell you more feelingly and more
connectedly than / can, some phases of the
rebellion and suffering here in East Tennes-
see. Truly yours,
w. w. ID.
~.