Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-03-05

lhelr porllous way, that they might ind lib.
erty aud the flag of their country, under it's
folds aiopl TO fight, and if need, be, there
TO die, Prolonged applause
Regiments, companies and squads Of in.
'antry aud cavalry were now distributed
over tho length and breadth of the country,
for the purpose Of hunting down and shoot.
lhg tho escaped conscripis, Everywhere
they went, it!low citizens, and as they went,
they Uttered the houses the people, search.
ing for arms and ammunition, and thus the
people Of the trhole country were robbed Of
their muskets and rifles and left perfectly
dcicncccss, Prominent ci,itsn5 were ar.
rested now by armed ba.id5, frequently at
midnight in tho bosom q thoir famiiee,
without notice and carried hrfore home
Provost Marshal, or sorne ipstalt official,
tried before a military cbtnnisson, hastily
got together, CT parte, without evidence, and
with scarcely the scnblahcc of h charge,
sometimes with no charge at all, and then
hurried off TO the loathsomc dungeons of
Tuscaloosa Ala, or Madison, Ga, or Rich.
mond, or Salisbury, or Knoxville, or Nash.
vile, there TO lie in the midst of unutterable
filth and vermin, TO pine away and famish
upon their scanty and miserable fare, and
sometimes 70 dip in utter despair. ], my.
solt, have known the facts of which speak
Mon as reputable as any IN East Tennessee
nave suffered in this way ! will mention
one case. Mr. PicLops (whose name is
mentioned in the letter of tho Confederate
Secretary Of State, which has Eeen read by
my friend, the Chairman,) had bcs.i rcy,.
rescn,ative in the State Legislature; he was
q man Of heart, man OF soul, man Of in.
tolligence, man who was popular among
all our people, good citizen, and truo and
loyal to hi. country; but he has been ostra.
cised, and in compliance with the order Of
which find q copy in tho Esi,as Of thy
friend, no was seized, without charge, car
ried south and in the loathsomc dungeons
of Tuscaloosa, Ala, he paid tho forfeit OF
his life, and became martyr to the gluriou6
cause Of human liberty and the Union Of
these States Applause
Sir, such instances arc not rare in our
community. The prisons Of the South havo
been filled with tho bes. men of East Ten
neesoc and it is said by those VIZ know,
that not less than five .housand-think Of
it .hl'ow citizens NOT less than five thou.
sand OF the men Of East Tennessee because
they were truo TO tbcir country, because
they loved tho flag that emblematzcd all
they would not bow the knee to faal nor
receive upon their nccks tho yoke of tho
king Of tho South have been snatched from
their homes by tho hand OF power, and
borne away into captivity. Tho railroad
bridge near where lived was burned, and
the parties charged with burning it were
arrested, tried by drumhcad court martial,
accordingto the order which you havc heard
read, and hung and fellow citizens, speak
the truth when l toll you, that at least two
OF those gcntcmcn--ior they were gentle
men, honorable, high minded, intelligent,
moral, upright citizens Of the community
IN which they hved-tvto at least | say, Of
those who were t.us ignominiously hung,
and their bodies left dangling in the air,
knew not that they We're sentenced until
they zero brought within sight of tho gib.
bet upon which they wcrc to expiatc with
their lives that offence which ti.oy had com.
mittcd against the Southern Conicdsracy, of
being true TO thcif 6wn government
Thus affairs moved on fellow citizens, and
Terror planted her black flag over all our
Country and TO make the reign of terror
still more fearful, legion Of tawny Indians,
whose i0refathcrs had been wont, in other
times, to tomahawk and scalp the citizens of
our section Of the country, were brought
from their mountain regions. with their
painted faces and wild, Nncarthly whoops,
and put upon the track Of oar remaining
young men. But be il remembered to their
credit that these poor, half civilized Cftro.
KEGS were less savage on the fiail than their
palc-iaced companions in arms applause];
and tho people of my section of country,
after the first terror had subsidized, and they
found the kindness Of heart that existed in
the .bosoms of these people, preferred q
Thousand Cherokee Indians among their
homes to ono captains company Of rebel
Southern soldiers.
Several regiments OF citizens had now
volunteered and hundreds more had bean
compelled by coercion TO enter the rebel
limos and - serve in the rebel army and
about this time. August 1863 jeff Davis
made another call, running up to torty-hve
years Of age; and ut the same time, Gov.
Harris issued an additional call embracing
all up TO iiity-fve years Of age; so you see
that all our population from eighteen years
of age up 10 fifty five were called for by
these several authorities. But simultaneous.
~ with thotc calls came the advance of Gen.
eral Burnside gallant and glorious army
across the Cumberland Mountains great
applause for the redemption and relief Of
our suffering people The army of General
Bragg had been, just previous, compelled
TO cvacuate Chattanooga, and thus General
Rosecrans occupied that extremity of the
State; and many OF our young men at once e
sprung from their hiding ciaccs and .her
covcrts in the mountains, and rallied to the
standard of thor country, under the lead Of
these pallant and glorious champions of the
Union, and our mothers, sisters wives and
old men were left alone 10 occupy our vacant
homes. To-day, fellow citizens. more than
$4,000 Tcnnesseoans wear tho uniform and
bear the arms Of your country and my
Country. Prolonged and enthusiastic ap.
plausc While would not dispsragc any