682 



TENNESSEE. 



States ; it also raises a formidable army for the 

 express purpose of joining the Confederate 

 States in a war against the United States, 

 when, in case of war, the President of the 

 United States is commander of the army and 

 of the militia of the States. Such was the cli- 

 max of usurpation and violence which the se- 

 cession movement attained in Tennessee, and it 

 is too plain to need a statement, that if the 

 people of the United States ever come to sub- 

 mit to like pretensions on the part of the peo- 

 ple of a single State, or of any number of 

 States, there is an end of any real liberty or 

 government in this country. 



The Legislature also passed resolutions re- 

 commending a congress of the officers of banks 

 in the Southern States. 



On the 16th of May the Governor issued a 

 proclamation requiring all volunteer organiza- 

 tions in the State, who had heretofore drawn 

 arms, and did not hold themselves in readiness 

 for immediate service, to return them to the 

 State arsenal in Nashville. The object was to 

 disarm all organizations friendly to the Union. 



An act to stop the collection of debts by citi- 

 zens of Northern States was also passed, of 

 which the f oh 1 owing were sections : 



SEC. 1. That no person in any non-slaveholding 

 State, or their agents or attorneys in this State, shall 

 hare power to sue or collect any moneys owing to or 

 any property claimed by the citizens of any such State 

 in Tennessee during hostilities between Tennessee and 

 tke Federal Government 



SEC. 2. That it may and shall be lawful for such 

 debtors to pay such moneys into the treasury of the 

 State, which sums shall be receipted for by the treas- 

 urer, and shall be refunded with interest upon cessation 

 of hostilities. 



Meantime Union meetings of the most de- 

 cided character were held in East Tennessee, 

 and resolutions adopted, denouncing the action 

 of the Legislature. 



The progress of military affairs in the west- 

 ern part of the State had been such that at this 

 time there were established on the Mississippi 

 Kiver five or six batteries of heavy guns, in- 

 cluding mortars, columbiads, and 32 and 24- 

 pounders, commanding the river from Memphis 

 to the Kentucky line. About fifteen thousand 

 troops were concentrated in "West Tennessee 

 under Major-General G. J. Pillow, as command- 

 er-in-chief, with Brigadier-Generals Cheatham 

 and Sneed. Eight thousand troops of all arms 

 from Mississippi had passed up the Mobile 

 and Ohio Kailroad, at Corinth, and at Grand 

 Junction, on the Mississippi Central Kailroad, 

 on their way to a rendezvous near the Kentucky 

 line, to act under Major-General Clark, of Mis- 

 sissippi, in concert with Major-General Pillow, 

 of Tennessee. With these troops were some 

 cavalry and two light batteries. At least sev- 

 enty-five or one hundred heavy guns had been 

 placed in battery, and other large guns were in 

 the State ready for use. A corps d'armee, un- 

 der command of Brigadier-General Foster, had 

 assembled in Camp Cheatham. General Wil- 

 liam B. Caswell had assembled, and armed, and 



equipped a corps cParmee of some thousand 

 men, in East Tennessee, ready to repel any at- 

 tack in that division of the State. 



In East Tennessee the attachment of the 

 people to the Union continued very strong. 

 On the 30th and 31st of May a Union conven- 

 tion was held at Knoxville, which manifested a 

 determined spirit. This was shared by a large 

 portion of the people in that part of the State. 

 Their vote on the separation or secession ordi- 

 nance was almost, entirely in opposition. In 

 several of the central and western counties a 

 Union majority was given ; but throughout the 

 State only a portion of the vote was cast. 



The Governor made an agreement with the 

 Governor of Kentucky at tnis time, that no 

 troops should cross the Tennessee line for any 

 purpose, unless upon the invitation or permis- 

 sion of the latter. This proved worthless when 

 the Confederate Government deemed it neces- 

 sary to move a force into Kentucky. The rights 

 of the State of Tennessee as a sovereign were 

 not taken into account. 



An adjourned session, and the fourth of the 

 Legislature, was held about June 20, at which 

 the Governor, in his address, brought to their 

 notice the financial condition of the State. He 

 said: 



Under the provisions of the act of 1852 the principal 

 and interest of the internal improvement State bonds 

 are made payable in the city of New York. It will be 

 impossible to p_ay the interest accruing at that point 

 during the continuance of the war. I recommend that 

 you so amend the laws referred to as to require the 

 payment at the Bank of Tennessee, at Nashville, or at 

 Charleston or New Orleans, of all sums which may be. 

 come due from the State to the people of all Govern- 

 ments which are on terms of peace and friendship with 

 us, who are and were previous to the commencement 

 of the war bona fide owners of our bonds, and that you 

 adopt such policy towards the owners and holders of 

 pur bonds who are citizens of States at war with us as 

 is recognized and justified by the law of nations regu- 

 lating their intercourse as belligerents. 



The ordeal through which the country is now pass- 

 ing necessarily prostrates the trade and commerce of 

 the country, and deranges the currency to a greater or 

 less extent. Such legislation as will tend to secure a 

 uniform currency throughout the Confederate States 

 is of the highest importance. I therefore submit the 

 question to your consideration for such action as, in 

 your opinion, the general welfare demands. 



By the section of the act of the 6th May, 1861, 



it is made the duty of the Governor to issue bonds of 

 the State for the purpose of raising a fund with which 

 to defray the expenses of the provisional army of the 

 State. In view of the scarcity of a circulating medium, 

 and the probable difficulty of converting any consider- 

 able amount of bonds into money in times like the 

 present, I respectfully recommend that you so modify 

 that act as to authorize the issuance of treasury notes 

 to the extent of three-fifths of the amount of said 

 bonds ; and that the same, when issued, be made re- 

 ceivable by the State in payment of all taxes or gov- 

 ernment dues. 



Bills were introduced to suspend the civil 

 courts and the sale of property under execu- 

 tion ; to prevent any one from holding any 

 Federal office ; to transfer the Hermitage to 

 the Confederate States as the site of a military 

 institution ; to send representatives to the 

 Montgomery Congress ; to clothe the Governor 



