Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-11-13
Letter from MyrOm.
MONTGOMERY, Morgan County, Te
Octoher 3lst. Ie6


very name Of that frigd month will give an extri
} chill 10 the breezes Of sunrise and sunset.
When the iron horse snorts and neighs through
all the valleys and ridges of Cumberland mountain
it will doubtless be hard 10 believe that we enc,
were contented with the flesh and blood animal thai
needs his ribs stuffed with corn and roughness,
and finds the roughness of the roads neoessate th,
blacksmith shop and the MONDAY rest
AT present, however, the traveller who is fortunate
enough 10 bestride fine piece Of horsheeh snS
boast well filed pair of saddle bags, feels sens.
Of Independence hardly equalled by that Of a arsI
class passenger in passage car and if the speed b
somewhat less than thirty miles an hour, there il
more than fifteen minutes time allowed for meals
and no danger Of losing baggage OF missing con-
nection.
Two days ago I left the metropolis of Anderson
county for trip TO the mountain fastnesses of Nor
gan. The journey lies for many miles along the
classic Clnch, as yet unimmortslized in cong and
story though the scene of many a hair breadth
escape during the rebellion, aud smiling now with
broad meadows and waving corn fields. 1t isavie
hiander, however, on beautiful river 10 say that
II obtains its name from the exclamation of The
lrshman who crossing the river ON a raft in early
times, fell into the stream and shouted, " Clineb
me" 10 his comrades. The historian who invsnted
this atrOcOus fabrication was evidently a man If
sordld taste, and entirely nsonsbe to the power Of
the beautiful in nature.
AT kobertsvie, ten miles from Clinton, had
noped TO be joined by another solitary horseman
your enterprising fellow citizen Seymour. of Nun
son q seymour, of real estate renown having prom
ised to meet me at that point. Not content with
the general knowledge we all possess that our
mountains TEEN with coal and iron and copper that
our valleys smile with verdure, our rivers are bor
oeFed by lnexhsustibe lumber forests and the eat
tie upon thousand hills find endless pastures in
our ridges he pushes his acquaintance to personal
intimacy with valley and hilltop, plain and noun
tain side, lumber forest and coal bed Leaving for
time the duties of his Knoxville Office, he spends
intervals varying from days TO weeks in campipp
out in the mountains and experimenting actual
surveys of the lands which he buys and sells in the
Knoxville and New York markets or in grubbing
deep among the musty records of Chancery Courts
and Registers Offices till be has acquired Thorough
knowledge, both theoretical and practical, Of the
natural features Of our country such as but few of
your citizens can boast However like Aaron Jones
in his famous collision with McCoore, he failed TO
come TO time, and ] pushed on without him.
just before reaching Robertsville l witnessed
sight which would prove anything but comforting
TO those gentlemen who spend 50 much time and
srudtion in striving TO prove our newly enlran-
chised coored citizens incapable of intellectual ad
vancement, and unwilling 70 make proper efforts TO
improve their condition A silver-hared old white
man, haiiDg, strange TO say from the State of Vr-
ginia, was presiding over cOlored school in a
school house by the roadside Little woolly headed
pieanninies were diligently coming their a-b-abs
with proud consciousness Of their new privileges
but the most interesting feature Of the school was
the considerable proportion Of grown scholars.
Men and women grown, and some advanced toward
middle life, were busily engaged in endeavoring to
make up for the years Of slavery when they had
not the privilege OF acquiring That education hich
Is 50 important an element Of all true national pro-
gres.
This earnest desire for those advantages SO long
denied them, is certainly most cheering sign on
the part Of negro population. And the example
of the old Virginian, who laid aside old time preu
dices to engage in his useful labor, is most graft
flying one. Were the f. f. VS. imbued generally
with a similar spirit, We might prophecy a most
happy future for the Old Dominion.
II is gratifying to see such spirit as led these
poor people, lately chatels, to devote portion
OF their scanty earnings 10 the cause of education
but it is also gratifying fact to know that hava
reason 20 believe that soon every child in our State,
white black, rich or poor, will be provided at tho
public expense With the means Of obtaining an edu
cation
Not the least Of the admirable works of the last
Legislature was the now Common School Law. |
Though needing amendment in a few particulars,
which viii doubtless receive tho attention of the
present Legislature it nevertheless, if faithfully
carried out, will exert a most potent beneficial in
fuence on the future welfare Of our State.
The ensrgy and fidelity with which Gen. Eaton
has entered his arduous duties State Superin-
tendent, promise well for the success of the new
law and it is 70 be hoped that friends Of education
throughout the State will lend the movement every
aid in their power.
The sun taking his last glimpse of the oak
and pine crests as l neared Winters Gap. Should
equal facilities for transportation by rail be ever
afforded Coal Creek will find in the Knoxville
market formidable rival in the coal business in
the neighborhood of the Gap. divers Springs,
too, already attract occasional invalids by the me-
dcinal property of their waters, and may perhaps
in time develop into an infant Saratoga or rival
their nearer neighbor of Montvale. Three coun-
ties Morgan, Roano and Anderson, corner hero.
But as the shades of night we're falling fast and
had no ambition, like LongfellOw's hero, to begin
mountain climbing at such unreasonable hour,
gladly accepted the invitation Of a young e1-Fed-
eral Captain living just in the corner of Roane TO
dsmount for the night.
While enjoying greatly the genial warmth aud
Gickering blaze of bright coal fire. my delinquent
friend Seymour suddenly made his appearance,
having been delayed later than he expected in
Knoxville, and made a rapid force march, pushing
his little sOrrel to speed almost too hard for horse
Hesh
Next morning We began The ascent Of Cumber-
land Mountain, which begins short distance from
the Gap. Our road up the side and along the top
Of the bread plateau now lay through Morgan
county.
Perhaps the most unique and interesting settle
ment in this county is Wartburg, mile distant from
the county seat at Montgomery. The little hamlet
takes its name from the castle in which Martin Lu-
ther underwent the scclusion 10 which iorcibe ab-
duction al The hands Of his enemies consigned him.
TO avoid the violence Of his enemies 1t was settled
years ago by a colony from Germany, which stin
retains most Of the traits Of Faderlsnd and has
mingled 10 only very small extent with the sur
rounding Anglo Saxon population. The old pas
tor, man Of rare social ana intellectual attain
rnents, who came with them, and for many years
devoted his life 10 the care ol his little flock in the
mountains, has at length accepted pro5essorship
in some Collegiate institution in Pennsylvania
Much Of their attention has been turned 90 grape
culture, and their vnyards on the hilIsides form