6, Pro-Union sentiment on the Cumberland River near the Kentucky-Tennessee border; an excerpt from a report by Lieutenant S. L. Phelps, commanding the U. S. Gunboat Conestoga
No circumstantial reports filed.
U. S. GUNBOAT CONESTOGA, Paducah, November 6, 1861.
SIR: Yesterday I succeeded in passing with this vessel...in the channel near the head of Line Island, 2 miles below the Tennessee State line...and proceeded up to within a few miles of Dover, in that State.
* * * *
We remained at anchor up the river overnight and returned here after noon to-day....I observed more manifestations of Union feeling than upon any previous occasion and met with hearty cheers upon the very line of Tennessee. After entering that State, however, we saw scarce anyone, and all the habitations along the river, except one or two in Tobacco Port, were closed and apparently deserted....
S. L. PHELPS, Lieutenant, Commanding, U. S. Navy.
Navy OR, Ser. I, Vol. 22, p. 395.
6, "The Soldier of Liberty." [see also November 19, 1862, "WOMAN'S LOVE" below]
To the soldier brave 'tis joy to hear
The musical roll of the drums,
The voice of the trumpet, stern and clear
The boom of the signal guns,
He hears the voice of Fame rejoice
Amid the dinning drums
And grasps the golden wreath she brings
To her IMMORTAL SONS!
With his dauntless breast, to bullet bare,
In the storm of battle he stands
Where the arrows of Death make dire the air,
And sword gleams, flicker and dance;
High on the breeze, entranced, He sees
His beaming banner wave,
And follows on, where it leads,
To triumph OR THE GRAVE!
O! if thus the voice of battle thrills
Fame's chivalrous votary,
What holy emotion of rapture fills
The champion of Liberty!
Who hears her voice call from the skies
To brave the Tyrant's band --
To win her cause, or conquering die
FOR GOD AND NATIVE LAND.
by William Hubner[1]
Chattanooga Daily Rebel, November 6, 1862.
6, 1862 - Confederate deserters in Chattanooga, an excerpt from the letter of Bliss Morse to his mother
….A deserter of the 4th La Reg[iment]'t. came in while our relief was out last night at 1 A. M. He came across the [Chattanooga] creek on a log. . I heard him coming as he came. Their vidette was near by and as he got across he began to cough not knowing where our vidette was, being a little deaf he was afraid our vidette would not hear him coming and he would not hear the command to halt. The vidette in front of me heard him coming – halted him with his gun at an aim. He halted, saying "friend" and came along, pleased to get away. He says there are on very short rations, corn meal, some salt, and very little meat….A private gets eleven dollar per mo. which [he] says [is] worth four dollars. A great coat is 40 dollars, a pair of shoes and other things in proportion….A large plug of tobacco cost five dollars. He says their transportation is very hard. They have to wagon it [sic] eight miles over a miry road. He thinks we need not fear Brags [sic] fighting us here. They don't like our breastworks….
Diaries of Bliss Morse
6, 1863 - A Confederate Miss Staves Off a Federal Officer's Advance in Knoxville
The conduct of the loyal women of East Tennessee is no less admirable, than that of male citizens is often reprehensible. If our paper now reached Knoxville we would not shock the modesty of one of the fairest daughters of the city by blazoning her name before the world. But she will hardly know what we have done till the story has grown older, and surely sentiments and deeds like hers will not be forgotten. Her father is a Unionist, the straightest of the sect, and is even the mayor of Knoxville. His two sons are unswerving Southerners, one we know has made many an invader of his State bite the dust. His sister is true to the land of her birth, and has, with all her modesty and elegance, borne the Federal rule with ill grace.
Not very many days ago, an externally elegant Federal officer called on Miss Luttrell, sending in his card. Miss Luttrell was passing through the hall as the negro servant girl handed her the carte de visite. At that instant, too, the Yankee officer entered. Miss Luttrell, turning to black Judy, said, in the hearing of the exquisite: "Here, Judy, this card is yours; attend to your beau!"
The officer, in blank astonishment, stared for a moment in the face of the grinning Judy, and suddenly left in intense disgust.
The cowardly villain sought to avenge himself by insulting Miss Luttrell on the street, whispering audibly as she passed, "You are a d____d she rebel." She bore it till she found the gentlemanly (?) [sic] officer in presence of the commanding general, when she stated that Captain Pike, of Iowa, was in the habit of cursing her when they met. Pike did not deny the charge, but slunk away like a whipped spaniel.
Whether Burnside has the power of disposition to punish such outrages, we are not advised. It is to be presumed that Southern ladies in the midst of Federal armies must quietly endure the visits of officers and men, and though they take negro wenches to the church and theater, it seems they will not endure them in private parlors.—[Knoxville] Register.
Memphis Appeal [Atlanta, Georgia], November 6, 1863.[2]
6, 1864 - "With what joy and enthusiasm did we look upon them as they moved forward." Improvements One Year Later in Eliza Rhea Anderson Fain's Neighborhood. An Extract from the Diary of Eliza Rhea Anderson Fain
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This day one year was a day of great deliverance,. We had been under the juggernaut of despotism for more than a month. Our homes had been one continued scene of anxiety and care to keep what we felt would be so necessary for the life of those whom God had given to us. Many, many were the indignities and insults which many wives, mothers and daughters were called to endure in this short period. They were cussed, their houses searched, long treasured relics taken, the last mouthful of provisions almost swept from them. Order to cook for such a number which if denied would only be made more rigid by redoubling or trebling the number. Husbands cursed and abused by the very off scouring of humanity. The sacred hours of the holy Sabbath broken in upon by the intrusion of ruffian looking men (some of them so ragged as to be not fit to appear in the presence of men much less women) demanding something to eat. An aged mother of Israel cursed by some. Our houses entered at night under a pretext to search for rebels while it was to steal something to eat and above every other insult was the portion of Satan's emissaries going to the house of God to entrap if possible our dear minister. But God was with him and his words were "wise as serpents and harmless as doves" so that they were not able to carry back any evil report.
On the 6th of November 1863, God our Father sent us a noble band of men (shall I say noble, I fear th is wrong for amongst the number were those who feared not to break God's commandments by taking his name in vain and taking what did not belong to them) but they appeared so to us that bright and lovely morning. With what joy and enthusiasm did we look upon them as they moved forward. Since that time we have never had a locality of Yankees for more that 24 or 30 hours. I do trust God will never let us have again he treat of one Yankee upon our premises. We have had them in sight since then 3 or 4 times, once in our house but I have never been treated insolently but by a few at any time.
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Fain Diary.
[1] Not identified.
[2] As cited in: http://www.uttyl.edu/vbetts. See also Daily Richmond Examiner, December 4, 1863 as cited in GALE GROUP.
James B. Jones, Jr.
Public Historian
Tennessee Historical Commission
2941 Lebanon Road
Nashville, TN 37214
(615)-532-1550 x115
(615)-532-1549 FAX
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