Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-01-13
A TENNESSEE EVE.
Being an Account of the Advent of the First
White Woman into Middle Tennessee.


More than half n century ago there
WAS book published in Knoxville that
raised, as Post" of that city stated,
quite stir among the people" Not
because of any sensational features,
but because the statements made had
hitherto been unwrtten history, and
now that they had been placed on rec.
ord they occasioned more or less criti-
cism.
The book was entitled Life As 1t Is;
or, Matters and Things In General
and, as the title page announced, "con.
tanning amongst other things historical
sketches of the exploration and first
settlement Of the State of Tennessee;
manners and costumes of the inhabi.
tants; their wars with the Indians; etc. ,
by j. w. NJ, Breazeale, Knoxville,
printed by James Williams at the Of
flee of The Post-lS42. "
Breazeale had carefully collected his
data from the old settlers, many of
whom were the children Of the first
men who explored the forests of that
territory now called Tennessee. Even
with such excellent authority, some of
his statements were contradicted, but
on the whole they were substantially
correct and will be handed down to
posterity as the true history of the ex.
ploration of the territory now constitu-
ting the State of Tennessee.
Breazeale says that as early as 1890,
or very soon after, some struggling
hunters and traders travelled through
the Cherokee country and on their re-
turn gave glowing descriptions of the
country generally; the minerals, the
game, the healing waters, etc., which
tempted others to visit the territory and
many of them made large profits by
trading for furs.
A year or two afterwards regular
hunting and exploring parties were
formed and they traversed the territory
now constituting East Tennessee. Judge
Haywood, in his history of Tennes.
see, mentions man named Vaughn,
who resided in Amelia County, Vir-
ginia, as late as 1901, who was employ
ed in l74O as pack man by Indian tra-
ders and who gave good description
of the traders trail, the river fords,
trading points and other valuable in
formation. At that time there was not
a hunters cabin southwest of Otter
River, branch of the Staunton, in
Bedford County, Virginia. Vaughn
was trading with the Indians at the
breaking out of the war between the
French and the English in 1854. These
hunting expeditions continued until
the Indians joined in the fight.
After Braddock was defeated in 1855,
Governor Dobbs, of North Carolina,
deputed Captain Waddle to treat with
the Indians, and the next year, 1866,
he concluded treaty with the Chero-
KEGS and also with the Calawbas. The
Indians required that fort should be
erected in their country as a place of
refuge for their women and children in
the event of their warriors being called
out against the French. In consequnce
of this agreement Fort Loudon was
built and garrisoned in 1857 on the
north, or rather the eastern side of Lit
tie Tennessee River, about one mile
above the mouth of the Tellico River.
In the following year Col. Byrd, of Vir
ginia, built Fort Chisel and also fort
on the north bank of the Holston,
nearly opposite the Long Island and
took up his winter quarters there.
A number of valuable relics of that
old fort are in existence and each and
every one tells a distinct and separate
story. As the years have rolled by
other relics have been discovered till
the entire collection forms an eloquent
chapter of the unwritten history of
Tennessee. These relics will be exhibi.
ted at the Tennessee Centennial Expo.
sition which opens in Nashville in May
next, and will present, for the first
time, a connecting link between the
living and the dead, between the past
which has hitherto been considered
merely traditional, but which these
relics will prove to have been realities,
and the new century that opens stimuli
taneously with the Centennial Exposi.
ton. 1t is possible; nay it is probable,
that many Tennessee and Virginia or
Carolina families have in their posses
sion relics of this early age of the
States history of which no previous
mention has been made, and therefore
by communicating with Herman Justi,
Chief Of the Bureau of Publicity and
Promotion, Of the Exposition Associa-
tion on the subject, a favor will be
conferred on the public generally and
especially upon the Tennesseans of the
futurer
Breazeale gives brief but interest.
ing account of the Indians being in
duced in 1850 to take up arms against
the colonists; of the surrender of Fort
Loudon. and of the massacre of the
brave little band as they marched away
from the fort 1t is stated that only
nine men escaped with their lives, six
of whom were in the advance guard
and three Others named Stewart,