The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-02-13
JOHN BROWNS CLAIM,
Thirteen Year Old Boy Who
Got Throgh the Lines
And Brought Dispatches From Gen
Grant to Gen. Burnside-BIll
Introduced for His Relief.

10Y 80 ~ ". oo6
Gibson has introduced a private
bill for the relief of John 7. Brown,
of Ebenezer, Knox county. 1t pro-
vides that he be given $4,000 for
services in carving dispatches"
And thereby hangs tale!
In a general way everybody in
East Tennessee knows something
about the affairs in that section at
the time of and just preceding the
siege OF Knoxville. The confederate
lines practically stretched from the
Cumberland to the Smokey noun
tains for each pass and point of
vantage were guarded by troopers
of the enemy.
General Burnsides cooped up in
Knoxville with rapidly depicting
supplies was a matter Of great anx-
iety to the president and war Office
here in Washington and to Gen,
Grant in the field. There was u
sentimental side to their anxiety
which it even more poignant.
Time went on. Burnside's men
began to eat wheat-bran bread
Bragg had been whipped about
Chattanooga. Grant was consumed
with desire to get dispatches tt
Burnside. Five couriers were start
ed with duplicate advices thai
Sherman with 80, 900 men was on
his way to Knoxville. O
these some were turned back, a
least one was captured, and one go
safely through the picket lines in
to Knoxville, having been breugh
from Chattanooga to Kingston by
a courier and from Kingston tt
Louisville, (Tenn.,) by Miss Mary
Love, who, in 1873, was given $1,000
for her services.
Miss Love got to Louisville, blu
on account Of exhaustion was un
able to 60 any further. A hurried
consultation Of loyalists in tina
I little village, once a rival of Knox
vile in commercial Importance
was held, and it was decided tina
the dispatch must goxthrough les
Burnside surrender before Sher
man could reach him. Finally tn
mother OF John T. Brown, then
boy of 10, born in Canada, and VIII
boy-like, was fraternizing with tn
1rebel cavalry to the extent Q
riding their horses to water, etc
said that Johnnie" could &
through the lines and that no othe
person could.
From this point your correspor
dent does not think the story coul
be better told than by John
Brown himself, AS he tells it In
swarm statement filed with Judg
Gibso,'s bill. He says:
"During the seige of Knoxville, G
at the time following Incident OF
Cured, was 10 years old al
lived at Louisville, Tennessee
Th ere was stationed at Louisvill
Gen. WheeIer's cavalry and on
day a boy came to me and told m
that my mother wanted me.
"On going to my mother she tol
me that she had dispatch frol
Gen. Grant to be taken to Generi
Burnside, at Knoxville, the di
patch having been brought t
Louisville by Miss Mary Love, {
Kingston, Tenn, and mother sal
there was no one else who could /
found to take it through the reb'
line.
IL said | would take it throug
Mother then sewed it up in til
lining of my little round-a-bol
jacket.
"Mother and l started to e,
through the rebel lines late in I'll
evening, AL Wheeler had his picl
cts stationed out on the warrior
roads leading to Louisville. M
!. mother and myself went up Il
Tennessee river to avoid the reb
pickets, to old Uncle Ike Pyerly
B where my mother left me.
81 then continued the journt
alone on up the Tennessee rive
until | came to the Louisville
Knoxville road. | followed tn,
road until / came to Badgett
( Ford on little river. Not beir
I able to get over on account OF the
s being no boat or horse, and 1t beir
s late at night, | went to old Mr.. l.
3 bows and stayed there the balan'
s of the night.
s "Starting at daylight next NOR
; ing came to Badgett's ford aga
5 and hallooed to get over. 1t so ha
s pened that a rebel soldier on Il
& other side wanting to come Ov
: heard me and went and got one
: Badgetts horses and for;ied hi