Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-11-04
THEN AND NOW.
What an Old Soldier Sees in the Vicin.
ity of Knoxville, Tenn, Nowadays.

What an Old Soldier Sees in the Vicin-
ity Of Knoxville, Tenn, Nowadays.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, October 19.-I
am here, the first time since the war
After the battle of Missionary Ridge,
in November, 1868, the Fourth Army
Corps, of which I was then member,
wss ordered, by forced marches, to
this point to relieve Burnside, who
was besieged by Longstreet. He
Nongstreet) heard of our coming and
made desperate effort to crush
Burnside at Fort Saunders. He was
fearfully worsted in the effort, and
then started for Virginia. We en-
! tered the city the next day from
Maryville, crossing the river on pom
toons, and were right royalty greeted
by the half-starved, hard-fought
Union forces and hundreds of loyal
citizens. A very great change haa
taken place during the past eighteen
yeaes. The city has grown to at
least double it's size, and is very
prosperous. 1t has more elegant
residences than any city of its popu-
lation that 1 know of. The business
tportion is well built. The streets
are well paved and clean, but good
deal up and down. Knoxville beats
Rome for hills. The people are very
hospitable. received greater kind
ness at their hands than on the oc-
casion of my first visit. The most
attractive thing about Knoxville is
the Justly celebrated farm Of my
good host. Colonel Dickinson, it's
| the best improved farm l ever saw.
1t is two miles from town. He
| has 500 acres. There are
eight miles of graded roads upon
the farm. The Colonel's stock is
very fine, particularly his cattle. 1t
has given an inspiration to. good
farming in this country, President
Hayes and wife, while here, were the
guests aof Colonel Dickinson, and
visited "Island Home. Many of the
great men of the country have Wis
tied this farm, and it has become
famous throughout the land.
This country is rich in building
material, both wood and stone, and
mineral resources. The Tennessee
marbles are already famous. There
are marble quarries all about the
city. A popularity of the Knoxville
marble is that it chisels and hammers
white but polishes pink. Architects
agree that there is no better build
ing stone to be found anywhere. It
lies right on the surface in mex
haustible quantities. The Clides are
pushing the road that will tap
the Cincinnati Southern forty
two miles from here. When this is
done Knoxville will be only thir-
teen or fourteen hours from Indian
apoIis. The mineral resources of this
country are wonderful. Almost
all the metals are to be found here
The population is increasing rapidly,
and with the opening of the two new
railroads, one to Cincinnati, the
other to Louisville, there will be a
large influx of Northaln people into
East Tennessee. There are already
a great many here. This country has
a most promising and glorious fu-
ture. East Tennessee was Union
during the war, and proved it by he1
devotion to the government. Politi-
cally she is Republican to-day. This
city lis Repubhean- This congress
sionaI district is represented at
Washington by Republican. But
the bitterness of party strife does not
exist to the degree you would sup
pose. 1t is not as bad as in Indiana
The agricultural resources are
/ wonderful. Almost every product
known to the te .perate zone is in
digenous to East Tennessee. The
! old slave>labor system nearly ruine
the soil. Instead of subsoiling they
would scratch the surface about az
much as you would expect gang Of
enterprising old hens to, and the
rains would wash the richer surface
soil into the hollows and ravines. A
few examples like Colonel Dickinson
has given to show what can be done,
and a few thousand Hoosier and
} Pennsylvania Dutch farmers will do
wonders for this country.
One thing I missed, as every old
soldier of the East Tennessee cam
paign of the winter of 1868 "a would,
was the great number of dead horses
and mults that lined the highways
of this country. From Sweetwater
to Bulls Gap, the traveller was hardly
ever out of sight of them, General
Kneher, Colonel Parker and the men
of the old Seventy-ninth Indiana will
never forget them, especially the
thousands that lay about Strawberry
Plains. We thought they never would
disappear, but they are all gone.
Here is a good chance to moralize
about the change time is sure to
make, but [ refrain.
The dark cloud of war has passed,
and these rock ribbed valleys that
ran red with the crimson tide of war
are now kissed into fruitfulness by
the sunshine Of peace, and prosperity
smiles everywhere. God grant it
may ever be so. L.w.M.
The Christian Advocate