The National tribune., 1899-03-16
THE LINCOLEITE.
Seadfast Loyalty of East Tennesseeans Under Terrible
Rebel Prosecutions.


most cases at this juncture would have los
heart and joined the onslaught against IN
Government.
At this time it was strange TO note III
change from law and order to the chaos the1
rcig,.In". The iailS OF the different Counile
had runed loose the Prisoners and no on
had any protection either to person or prop
cTty. The iailS were used 10 incarcerite III
cCIricb!e Lintonites. The one ut Knox
Vile was kept full of many OF the hes
citizens. ior 10 oflense other than that the,
had been oUtSpoken against the Conledericy
j call TO mind that grand old patriot, Par
son B:owplow, while incarccrated in the lai
al Knoxville, net knowing but what at an,
nontc..t he would be taken out and shot.
rels Tally knew him and some OF his family
;iIi they were always ready, if need be, t.
s2crti their lives rather than forfeit theI
! 20, al Integrity. can safely and truthful,
>ay Tie same Tor each and every loyal citizel
81 East Tennessee. This state OF affairs con
tinued until the beginning OF 1861.
| When Union man was notified to repor
| Tor duty ut Il conscript camp he was allowed
Il short time to arrange his affairs. Ihi'
| time WAS always used IN hunting out som,
secluded place in which he could conceal
himself until he could get out of the coun
/ try with company of others IN like con
dtion. Their homes would be watched by
spies from the Confederate camps. When
ever IT was known that any such conScript
had slipped into his home i'll the night TO get
something 10 eat, or take last leave OF his
family, his home would be surrounded by a
squad of Confederate cavalry, and the hus-
land and father would be seized, taken out
into the yard, and riddled with bullets.
/ hose occurrences were not lnirequent, ana
/ the most desperate characters were Ill COM
mamd of companies 10 execute these deeds.
Ibis reign Of Terror especially existed III East
Tennessee during 1861 and the carly part OF
lSG!. \ Union man during this time dared
nj, on peril of his life, express his senti-
meats, as during all the time some unknown
enemy might hear and betray him.
Alter the battles OF Wild Cat and Mil
Springs. in eastern Kentucky, the Govern
ment established camps on Cumberland
Rn or and Camp Dick Robinson, short dis
lance south and west of Cumberland Gap
These camps at once became the refuge Tor
the consciipts in East Tennessee. To reach
them required rough and perllous journey.
They dared not travel along a public road
nor cross a stream at public crossings, for
they were guarded by the rebels; but their
friends assisted them by preparing means OF
crossing at other points. They travelled
mostly by night, and even then along by
ways. Often Il party of refugees would be
attacked by the rebels, and then would occur
a handto-h hand fight, Ill which the rebel
squad would sometimes get the worst of it.
The b lie line of the Cumberland Mountains,
standing boldly out, is the western boundary
of last Tennessee, and all the country west
of it was still i'll the United States. To
cIoss this line and get into the Businesses OF
the mountains beyond assured absolute
safety for the then dOwn-trodden loyalists,
and then they could reach the Union army.
During 1861 some 1000 Union men from
East Tennessee succeeded in making this
perilOus journey, and entered the United
States army at said camps. They formed
regiments and were well-armed and drilled
for effective service. 1t was rare case when
a loyal East Tennessean reached the Union
lines that lie did not join the army with the
determination TO lay down his life if need be
10 assist in driving the rebels out of East
Tennessee.
Thus matters progressed until the early
part of 1862. The outlook was indeed