The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1877-08-08
Rambling Through CrOckett's
Mountain.
sunny SIDE. July %. 1877.
To the Editor Of the MOrristOwn Gazette:

give repose to tired nature. upon
this lofty peak did the gallant
Crockett chase the wild deer of this
mountain fastness. when the high
blood ran froIic through his veins,
and boyhood made him sanguine.
The boy had grown to manhood
when we see him gracing the halls
of Congress. Again. we see him
battl ing for the freedom OF Texas.
In the Alamo he spills his blood for
her cause, while heaps on heaps OF
savage Mexicans are piled around
him. 1 digress; started out in
view to picture the outlines of my
peram bulations. Roaming over this
beautiful mountain. as 1 passed from
peak to peak. viewing the surrounds
ing country. Next to grandeur OF
the mountain heights, the most at
tractiye object was the infinite
variety OF the forest trees and their
picturesque grouping at the base OF
the chain. mingling their pleasant
and raceful verdure with that of
the corn crops and orchards growing
in the quiet valley leading from
Morristown TO Messy Creek. and
nourished by the clear streams which
irrigate it, where clusters of ash.
pine and the broad leaved maple
and elm, all pointing upwards, seem
ed to have no common interest with
the earth from which they sprang.
The younger and more fragile trees
beneath them change with the chang
ing season. but these yield not
either to the summer sun or the
winter snow, like the rocks to which
they cling, they know no apparent
change; they are the very children
of this stern, dark and still noun
tain; nor must I pass over without
remarking the stately fight of the
eagle, which was seen in the dis
tance. lin my mind's-eye) rise from
its alpine eyrie, and soar majes--
ticalIy toward the sun, while close
beside Us. sheltered among the
branches OF the fruit and forest
trees, a myriad of singing birds
were pouring fourth their sweet
notes, making the air vocal and the
forest glad.
But my enthusiasm has caused
me to anticipate, although our
pilgrimage was not "palmy," you,
nevertheless, expect some account of
it, such as it was. If You can pic
t1re to yourself what the world
might have been when first called
out of chaos, ere the Almighty had
reduced it to order. you will have
a mental glimpse OF this mighty
mountain. clothed with pines and
girdled midway with clouds, thun-
dering torrents, fed by thousand
rushing cataracts, roaring and bel
lowing through their governed chan
nels. The distant growl of the bear
from her mountain-fastness; the
howl OF the fox from the impene-
trable ..forest." Is not this, my dear
friend. fitting sketch for Salvador
Rosa. No tattered mendicant raises
his hat to you; no wailing tone OF
misery falls upon your ear. While
thus standing upon the most elevat-
ed peak, imagined / could discern
the deer with his antlers and white
tail erect skiming around the monn-
tain brow as the gifted Sullins SO
describes while painting
the beauty and grandeur of nature
10 this locality. We hasten our
descent into the reyine on the south
side; we come to halt at the EPSON
Spring on the land of the Rev. w.
C. Graves. and here partook Of a
cooling from fountain head which
give fresh impetus to our incen-
tive. In the saddle again, we pass
a cluster of houses where the gentle
man just named resides; you turn
an abrupt angle south, and to your
left, little from the road, you see
a new, modest looking church, with
few cottages grouped about it; above
it towers mountain. while torrent,
weary of tumbling over its stony
bed, here separates in small narrow
aud sparkling streamIets. washing
the low wall OF the church yard, a
few trees tumbling over lettered and
unlettered graves. At this church,
some time by-gone. we heard the
Rev. Sul:ins display his fine classic
culture. l was impressed on that
occasion that he inherited the mas
sive intellect aud versatile powers
of the gifted Bascom; he scattered
his gems like the stivers of the rain
bow. Taylor was not far behind in
forensic eloquence and logic but he
holding the lever that raises the
world, money" Il made him labor
like an OK. We road on In the
of your city as the moon
began to ride high In heaven, and
by her light we could trace the out
lines Of the eternal rocks. which
form the boundary OF the mountain.
The night wind was singing over the