Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-12-11

same being true also of the unprecedented oamPAgu
of the brave Sherman to the rescue OF hnoA' iNo
ana Rurns;aess army only the more aggfAFa1eo
,-,o.,ances and pressing necessities attending 'ne
,osrcb caused The country 10 suffer proporsionAsey
,,ro.tor losses and damages that during the siege
The army was subsisted by the country, otherwise
can5tyiation or a retreat would have been ineyita-
bic that dCring the year and half afterwards, up
tho time of the surrender Of Lee, advancing and
rotreatng forces, fighting battles or encampng and
patroliDg the whole country, and especially upper
East Tennessee, necessarily laid waste the country
and gathered Quartermaster and Commissary stores
from every district in large and small quantities,
from the poor IS well as from the rich, from the
family OF widow Of the Union soldier, rs well as
from the rebel and his family. Nor is evidence
wanting 10 establish these facts, for they are too
we'll known, and the circumstances too we'll under
Stood to admit Of doubt, or for question TO be
provoked.
That great portion of these supplies was given
up cheerfully, and the damages submitted to- by the
loyal with the full faith that the United States
Government would protect the rights of her citi-
zens, and see them remunerated-that frequently
much was taken by force, without the consent OF
the owner, be he Union or rebel-for greater part
of which all alike received neither pay receipt nor
voucher-often for good sometimes for sinister rea-
sons.
This can be best explained by giving one or two
illustrations: Union woman, whose husband is
away in the Union army, lives in the country she
has one COW which is the main support of her chill
dren soldier comes along collecting CATTLE turn the
COW out and drive her away, telling the poor wo
man 10 call at headquarters, perhaps five miles dis
tsnt or more, and she will receive voucher. How
can the wife or widow leave her children in suci
dangerous times to walk perhaps many miles
Sometimes they have braved every danger, ant
plodded over the weary miles to find at their jour
ney's end that the command had left, and their Of
forts had been in vain. Again. Union mai
owns q good farm well fenced and timbered; on
week a regiment or brigade encamps on his field
and uses line or two of fence; next week anothe
command comes along, encamps for a week or
fortnight, destroys fence and some timber, IN
til, by piece meal, all his fences and timber have
by different commands, been used up and destroyed
no receipts being given and no officer considering
himself responsible These are familiar examples
and of every day occurrence at that tme' and
was undoubtedly the case that the farmer, whethe
absent in tho army or elsewhere, or at home, re
) ceved no pay receipt or voucher for bis timber
fences, cows horses, hogs poultry sheep, &c. Iii
not intended TO speak at all invdousy Of the BRAY
soldiers who fought and suffered for the deiveranc
of our homes but to represent the circumstance
just as they are and were, and every soldier VIII
marched and fought in East Tennessee knows TO b
true and knows too that necessity justified the ex
IRENE measures often thus resorted TO- for the com
fort and success of the army.
That while the memorialists claim for East Ten
nessee high prerogative of merit, for her loyalty
perseverance, and endurance they ask for no supe
rior privileges or favors recompense for tn
performing Of that which it was her duty to do, bu
very respectfully prays that loyalty in East Tennes
see be respected, encouraged and sustained tina
since the act of July 4th, 1864, with the rulings o
the Departments, requiring the afidavis of officers
and other evidence, which it is at times impossible
TO obtain, TO substantiate caims-has not reached
and cannot reach the case, as TO remunerate Eas
Tennessee, owing to the popularity of circumstan
ces not common 20 other States; that there be ar
amendment to said act, go that the loyal men, and
loyal women Of East Tennessee, can be reimbursed
in part at least, for that which the Government re-
ceived and used, and by which Il was benefited
without even the expense of transportation That
women, children and old men, in consequence there
Of had to procure provisions afterwards at fabulous
prices and carry them on their shoulders for miles
home; and now after four years is it just that they
should be finally rejected, and denied the nominal
prices the Government at that time was paying ?
| Was not every officer and soldier an agent of the
Government and is not the Government response
bic for the of her soldiers and other agents
sea and in foreign countries Has she not been re-
sponsible and recognized herself so in Pennsylvania
and other States Are not our rulers mAgnanimous
enough to deal mpartially with her own citizens,
and IS justly with them as with distant nations2
| That since the Government has long since reim-
buTsed rebels and their sympathzers, as we'll as
loyal people, in some of the Northern States, for
produce furnished to, and damages done by, not
only the Federal but the rebel army is it not offer
ing high premium for treason, not to pay the
claims Of loyal East Tennesseeans for that which
was taken by and furnished to the Union army ?
Nothing is asked for tho losses and damages caused
by the Confederates, but in the name of justice,
right and humanity, the government owes and
ought to pay these claims Of loyal people, origina-
ted for her own benefit, use and success, many Of
which have been already fled in the respective Off
ces at Washington, well supported for loyalty and
veracty with the additional sacrifice of clerks fees
and revenue stamps, and, for reasons above stated
stand suspended or rejected.
The immediate attention of Congress is therefore
most respectfully and prayeffully solicited to the
favorable consideration 81 these claims BIZ your
memoralsts. =