Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1896-04-01

Morristown, Hamblen County, Tenn.
This is matter of such great impor-
tance to the applicants for pensions in
East Tennessee that | trust immediate
action will be taken
Very respectfully, w. P. BRowNLow.
Senator Jackson endorsed Brown,
lows letter, placed it without delay
before the proper authority at Wash
ington, and new medical board was
established at Morristown for the con.
venience of soldiers living in the lower
end of the district
But Brownlow didn't propose to rest
on his oars at this point 1t was only a
starter. His ulterior object was to es'
tablish a medical board in each county
of the district. So in 80 he approached
the Commissio of Pensions on the
subject, and was repulsed. But he is
not the kind of man who takes No for
an answer when he sets out to accom-
plish his purpose, SO he addressed the
following letter to an official higher in
authority, who has exclusive control
and jurisdiction of the pension office
JoNEsBoRo, TENN, Sept. IS, so.
Gen. Cyrus Bussey, Assistant Secretary
of the Interior.
Sir: In the interest of the soldiers of
East Tennessee, have the honor to re.
quest that Board of Examining Sur.
geons be established in each of the
counties forming the First Cougres.
sional District of Tennessee, viz: John
son, Carter, Sullivan, Washington,
Unicoi, Greene, Hawkins, Hancock,
Claiborne, Granger, Hamblen. and
Cooke, which compose a territory as
large AS the State of Connecticut. viz {:
1850 square miles, and five times as
large as the State of Rhode Island.
Their typographical aspects are rugged,
hilly and mountainous; the roads are
common dirt roads, without bridges or
turnpikes; the means of travel gener.
ally. are by horseback or on foot: and
there are no railroads, except one, with
two branches, passing through the
counties of Hamblen, Greene, Wash.
ington and Sullivan, upon the line of
which are now located two Boards, vizj
at Morrstown and johnson City.
In the adjudications of claims in the
Pension Bureau an examination by at
least two Medical Examining Boards is
asked before a claim is allowed. Hence
the great hardship to claimants in
reaching these Boards at such a dis.
tance apart.
The increase of medical boards would
give fewer men for each board to ex-
anime, therefore the examinations
would be more carefully and accurate.
y made. In my congressional district
these boards are crowded every Wed
nesday.
There were more men in the Union
army from these counties than from
any other congressional district in the
United States: the Second District of
Tennessee ranking next. by about 200
less men: ninety five per cent of whom
were white men, and served for three
years or more, and to get there under
went such innumerable hardshps and
made such sacrifices of health and
property as would sound like fiction if
here repeated.
Situated as they were. in a seeded
State, with the rebels of Middle and
West Tennessee on the west of them,
Kentucky on the North, Virginia on
the East, and North Carolina on the
south; with rebel army surrounding
them, and cOrscripting officers terror
lzing, or attempting to terrorize them.
by hanging those whom they could
catch and could not force into re-
bellion, these men, with q devotion to
their country, which has seldom been
equaled, and never exceeded, travelled
on foot by night, swimming rivers and
climbing mountains; carr ing no pro-
misunderstanding and hiding by day
IN the caves and thickets of the noun.
tains, crossing oyer to Camp Dick Rob-
inson and other points in Kentucky,
where the Union was recruiting an
army, and ranged themselves under
the flag OF our country, many of them
to die in its defense, and most of the
survivors to return to their home after
the struggle, wrecks of their former
selves.
From many of these counties there
went in this manner, and served 10y
| ally throughout the war, more men
than there were at the time voters of
all political parties in the county, thus
| showing that no man, whether below
eighteen or above forty five, felt him
self exempt from the duty he owed to
the Government which his ancestors
had won Tor him on the bloody fields
of the Revolution, and especially in
the battle of Kings Mountain-the ii
nal cast of the die in that struggle
when the fathers of these hardy men
whipped Ferguson and his British dra-
goons, and thereby brought the dawn
| OF our independence as a Nation. These
men of 81 were proud of their ancestry
| of 76 and were worthy of them.
1t was in this District at Greeneville
that when Tennessee seeded, Union
convention was held in the face of bel
threats and dangers, and a resolution
passed withdrawing East Tennessee
from the State, SO that these people
might remain loyal to the National
Government; but the subsequent in
undation of rebel troops sent to harass,
terrorize, conscript and hang all whom
they could not enlist, drove them across
the mountains, as ! have stated, and
thus their secession from secession was
never consummated.
Most of the men who then laid their
all upon the alter of their country, no
were at the time ovet the military age 4,
have since answered to the roll call on
high, but the younger and harder
ones-the boys then, the gray and de.
crepit men now-have survived to see
the country they rescued and gave so
much for, the greatest and most gen.
erous to its defenders of any on the
face of the globe. But in going to its
defense at the age they did, they de
prived themselves of the benefits of
school, aud thus lost what can never
be repaid them by any government,
however munificent; and returning
/ with hrf ken han Ia N and Shattarad n con