684 



TENNESSEE. 



Meanwhile, soldiers from East Tennessee 

 found their way to the camps in Kentucky. 

 The first regiment which came was composed 

 of men who had been driven from their homes 

 for their Union sentiments. They were de- 

 scribed in the following terms : 



" A very large proportion of them are men 

 of religious instinct and habits, and not a night 

 passes without the voice of morning and even- 

 ing prayer being heard in the Tennessee camps. 

 These earnest and devoted men, far from 

 their families and homes, which are left to be 

 desolated by ruthless hands, are yet firm and 

 undaunted amid the calamity which has over- 

 taken them. Their trust is in God and their 

 own strong arms. A large proportion are 

 young, unmarried men ; but there are many 

 heads of families and representatives of large 

 landed estates. Some of the privates in the 

 ranks, who have abandoned all they possessed 

 rather than submit, are worth from $30,000 to 

 $40,000 each. Some of the young men are 

 willing to remain and assist in defending Ken- 

 tucky, or serving anywhere that the Govern- 

 ment may call them. But the great majority 

 have set their hearts upon going back fully 

 armed for the redemption of East Tennessee." 



The act, forbidding payment to be made by 

 citizens of Tennessee to Northern creditors, did 

 not operate so favorably for the debtors as they 

 had anticipated. They were ordered to pay the 

 amount of their indebtedness into the Treasury 

 of the Confederate States. In Nashville the 

 merchants asked of the Government the privi- 

 lege of paying these amounts in good paper of 

 their " country customers." 



The military efforts of the State were de- 

 scribed by the Governor, in a Message to the 

 Legislature, with much detail. 



Tennessee had no military organization, and 

 was almost destitute of arms. Her Executive 

 had no authority to raise troops or procure 

 arms until the act of the 6th of May, and yet, 

 within less than two months from the passage 

 of this act, the Governor says thirty thousand 

 volunteers were organized and thrown into the 

 field. He also stated that he had been com- 

 pelled to decline the services of a large number 

 tendered in excess of the demand. 



In addition to the provisional army of the 

 State, a number of regiments were raised for 

 Confederate service, making in the aggregate 

 thirty-eight infantry regiments, seven cavalry 

 battalions, and sixteen artillery companies, 

 which Tennessee had sent to sustain the Con- 

 federacy. To overcome the want of arms and 

 ammunition cut off by the blockade and lack 

 of access to Northern markets, an armory was 

 established at Nashville, and the State had for 

 some time been receiving about two hundred 

 and fifty army guns per week. Cannon, also, 

 were cast in the State, and one percussion cap 

 factory in Tennessee had already furnished 

 more than twelve millions of caps, and produced 

 over a quarter of a million per day. The State 

 had also made liberal advances to manufacturers 



of powder, to enable them to increase their 

 machinery to the highest degree of efficiency. 



All this had been accomplished within six 

 months from the first of May by Tennessee, and 

 while the State was far from being a unit in 

 support of the Confederacy. The facts might 

 be taken as an evidence of what the Confederate 

 States had done to sever the Union by force of 

 arms. 



At this session of the Legislature an act was 

 passed to authorize tax collectors and other 

 revenue officers to receive treasury notes of 

 the Confederate States in payment of taxes; 

 also, an act to abolish the Courts of Chancery. 



As the year approached its close, the storm 

 was rapidly gathering which was soon to burst 

 over the State, and no one was more quick to 

 foresee its coming than Governor Harris. On 

 the 12th of November he issued the following 

 proclamation : 



NASHVILLE, November 12, 1861. 



The State must, and to the full extent of its resources 

 shall, be defended. Threatened with invasion, a!5 good 

 citizens will regard it as a patriotic duty to make any 

 reasonable sacrifice to repel the invaders. Regiments 

 are now in camp and organized, while others are ready 

 to organize, but for want of arms are not prepared to 

 take the field. 



Prompted by the noblest impulses of patriotism, 

 these men are ready to take the field to defend your 

 homes, and to prevent the theatre of this cruel and vin- 

 dictive war being brought within our borders. They 

 appeal to you, who quietly remain at home, to place 

 arms in their hands, that they may give you protection 

 and security. 



If you fail to respond to this appeal, I shall be com- 

 pellecl by the sternest convictions of duty, charged as 

 I am with the responsibility of seeing that the State is 

 defended, to disband these regiments of brave soldiers, 

 and call you who have arms into the service as 

 militia. 



I earnestly entreat that the people will bring forward 

 and deliver to the clerk of the county court of their re- 

 spective counties, or to such other agents as I may 

 send to the various counties, every effective double 

 barrel shot-gun and sporting rifle which they may have, 

 to be immediately shipped to the arsenal at Nashville, 

 Knoxville, or Memphis, where the same will be valued 

 by a competent ordnance officer, and the value paid to 

 the owner by the Confederate Government. 



I urge you to give me your aid in the important 

 work of arming our troops, with which we can repel 

 the invaders; but if you refuse, prepare to take the 

 field, for I am resolved to exhaust all resources, be- 

 fore the foot of the invader shall pollute the soil of 

 Tennessee. Respectfully, 



ISHAM G. HARRIS. 



At this time, the Confederate Government, 

 through Gen. A. S. Johnston, made a requisi- 

 tion upon the State for thirty thousand troops 

 for immediate active service. The Governor 

 accordingly issued a proclamation calling for 

 that number of troops. He urged upon all who 

 might be able to do so to supply themselves 

 with the most effective arms the country 

 afforded, such as the Tennessee rifle, the double 

 and single shot-gun. These arms would be re- 

 placed by furnishing the troops with the regu- 

 lar army gun at the earliest practicable period. 



The following is the proclamation issued by 

 the Governor : 



