State of Tennessee,
Was originally a part of
North Carolina, and was claimed as a hunting-ground by the Chickasaws, Choctaws, Shawnees, and even by the Six Nations.
No tribe made it a fixed habitation excepting the Cherokees, who dwelt in the extreme southeast part.
Earl London, governor of
Virginia, sent
Andrew Lewis thither in 1756 to plant a settlement, and he built
Fort Loudon, on the
Tennessee River, about 30 miles from the site of
Knoxville.
It was besieged by Indians in 1760 and captured, the inmates being murdered or reduced to captivity.
Armed men from
Virginia and
North Carolina retook the fort in 1761, and compelled the Indians to sue for peace.
Immigrants from
North Carolina, led by
James Robinson, settled on the
Watauga River, one of the head streams of the
Tennessee, in 1768.
It was on lands of the Cherokees, from whom the settlers obtained an eight-year lease in 1771.
They there organized themselves into a body politic, and adopted a code of laws signed by each adult individual of the colony.
Others soon joined them and extended settlements down the
valley of the Holston, and over intervening ridges to the
Clinch and one or two other streams, while others penetrated
Powell Valley and began a settlement in the southwest corner of
Virginia.
These early settlers were known as the Watauga Association from 1769 to 1777.
The territory was represented in the
North Carolina legislature as the
District
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41]
of
Washington.
In 1785 the
State of Frankland (q. v.) was organized, but was reunited with
North Carolina in 1788, and the next year that State ceded the territory to the national government.
John Sevier (q. v.), first governor of
Frankland, stands out as one of the most prominent and picturesque figures in the early and formative history of
Tennessee.
He was called “the greatest of Indian fighters,” having fought against the savage
Creeks, Choctaws, and Cherokees— the bravest, most warlike, and most blood-thirsty of all the native tribes east of the
Mississippi.
The settlers were constantly menaced by them, and nothing had saved the stouthearted pioneers from total extermination except their rude log forts and the sleepless and untiring vigilance of such men as
Sevier, whose sterling honesty, captivating manners, and generous public spirit, great personal bravery, and high soldierly qualities had won for him the admiration and affection of every man, woman, and child throughout the wide expanse of the territory.
An incident which well serves to illustrate their devotion to him, as well as a typical phase of the arduous life of those times, is recorded in the story of the trial of
Sevier by the
State authorities of
North Carolina, for high treason and outlawry, and his ingenious and dramatic rescue by a party headed by one of his lieutenants,
James Cosby.
The trial was in progress at
Morganton, and many thousands had come together to witness what was deemed by them the most important political event that had occurred since the proclamation of peace with
Great Britain.
With three others—
Major Evans, and James and
John Sevier, the two sons of the general—Cosby proposed to go to the rescue, to effect by stratagem what it would have been impolitic and hazardous to undertake by open force.
They went mounted, and leading a mare of
Sevier's
which was known as the swiftest-footed animal in the territory.
The rescuers halted on the outskirts of
Morganton, and, concealing their horses in a clump of underbrush, left them there in charge of the young
Seviers.
Then
Cosby and
Evans, disguised as countrymen, entered the town.
When they arrived at the court-house,
Evans dismounted, and, throwing the bridle loosely over the neck of the animal, stood with her directly before the open door and in plain view of the interior of the building.
Then
Cosby entered the courtroom, and, elbowing his way up the crowded aisle, halted directly in front of the judge's bench, and only a few feet from where his beloved leader stood encompassed by the court officials.
Catching his eye,
Cosby, by a significant gesture, directed
Sevier's attention to his horse, that
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Warning settlers of the approach of Indians. |
stood impatiently pawing the ground at the door.
At one glance, the quick eye of
Sevier took in the situation.
Seeing that he was understood,
Cosby pressed closer to the bench, and in quick, energetic tones said to the judge: “Are you not about done with that man?”
The question, and the tone and manner of the speaker, drew all eyes upon him in amazement.
For a few moments—as
Cosby had intended—all was confusion.
Taking instant advantage of this,
Sevier sprang from among the officers, and, the crowd parting to the right and left, with two bounds he was upon the back of his horse and in two hours far away in the mountains.
He was, followed
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by the cheers of the crowd, and by a posse of State officials, but the mare outstripped them and bore her brave rider in safety to his home on the Nolichucky.
As the news of
Sevier's escape flew from hamlet to hamlet, the whole territory broke out into a blaze of bonfires and illuminations, and soon the people elected him—branded rebel and outlaw as he was—to the Senate of North Carolina, and within twelve months
Washington gave him the rank of general, with the supreme military command of the district now comprised in
east Tennessee.
In 1790 it was organized, together with
Kentucky, as “The
Territory South of the
Ohio.”
A distinct territorial government was granted to
Tennessee in 1794, and in 1796 (June 1) it entered the
Union as a State.
The constitution then framed was amended in 1835, and again in 1853.
The seat of government was migratory, having been at
Knoxville,
Kingston,
Nashville, and
Murfreesboro until 1826, when it was permanently fixed at
Nashville.
Tennessee took an active part in the
War of 1812-15, especially in the operations in the
Gulf region.
Tidings of the declaration of war reached
Andrew Jackson at the Hermitage, near
Nashville, a week after that event, and on the same day (June 26) he authorized
Governor Blount to tender to the
President of the
United States the services of himself and 2,500 men of his division (he was a major-general of
Tennessee militia) as volunteers for the war.
Madison received
Jackson's generous offer with gratitude, and accepted it “with peculiar satisfaction.”
The
Secretary of
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War wrote (July 11) a cordial letter of acceptance to
Governor Blount, and that official publicly thanked
Jackson and his volunteers for the honor they had done the
State of Tennessee by their patriotic movement.
Everything seemed so quiet below the
Tennessee River that it was past midautumn before the Tennessee volunteers were called upon.
On Oct. 21
Governor Blount was asked for 1,500 volunteers to be sent to New Orleans to reinforce
Wilkinson, and he made a requisition upon
Jackson for that number.
The latter immediately entered upon that military career which rendered his name famous.
On Dec. 10, when the weather in
Tennessee was intensely cold and deep snow lay upon the ground, about 2,000 troops assembled at
Nashville, bearing clothes for both cold and warm weather.
When organized, these consisted of two regiments of infantry of 700 men each, commanded respectively by
Cols. William Hall and
Thomas H. Benton, and a corps of cavalry, 670 in number, under the command of
Col. John Coffee.
These troops were composed of the best physical and social materials of the
State.
On Jan. 7, 1813, the little army went down the
Cumberland River in boats, excepting the mounted men, whom Coffee led across the country to join the others at
Natchez, on the
Mississippi.
In a letter to the
Secretary of War,
General Jackson, alluding to the conduct of some
Pennsylvania and New York troops on the
Niagara frontier who had constitutional objections to going into a foreign country by invading
Canada, said: “I am now at the head of 2,070 volunteers—the choicest of our citizens—who go at the call of their country to execute the will of the government, ‘who have no constitutional scruples,’ and, if the government orders, will rejoice at the opportunity of placing the
American eagle on the ramparts of
Mobile,
Pensacola, and Fort Augustine, effectually banishing from the
Southern coasts all British influence.”
Jackson was then forty-six years of age. The troops, after many hardships, reached
Natchez and disembarked, when they met an order from
Wilkinson to halt there and await further orders, as he had no instructions concerning their employment; nor had he quarters for their accommodation.
There
Jackson and his men waited until March 1, when he wrote to the
Secretary of War, saying he saw little chance for the employment of his small army in the
South, and suggested that they might be used in the
North.
Day after day he waited anxiously for an answer.
At length one came from
John Armstrong, the new
Secretary of War, who wrote simply that the causes of calling out the Tennessee volunteers to march to New Orleans had ceased to exist, and that on the receipt of that letter they would be dismissed from public service.
He was directed to turn over to
General Wilkinson all public property that may have been put into his hands.
The letter concluded with the tender of cold and formal thanks of the
President to
Jackson and his troops.
The hero's anger was fiercely kindled because of this cruel letter, which dismissed his army 500 miles from their homes, without pay, without sufficient clothing, without provisions, or means of transportation through a wilderness in which Indians only roamed.
He wrote fiery letters to the
President,
Secretary of War, and
Governor Blount, and took the responsibility of disobeying his orders and taking the troops back to
Nashville before he would dismiss them.
The
Secretary apologized, saying he did not know that
Jackson had moved far from
Nashville when he wrote the letter.
Late in March he began his homeward movement.
It was full of peril and fatigue, and it took a month to accomplish it, moving 18 miles a day. The general shared the privations of his soldiers, who admired his wonderful endurance.
They said he was as “tough as hickory,” and he received the nickname, which he bore through life, of “Old Hickory.”
Drawn up in the public square at
Nashville, the Tennessee volunteers were presented with an elegant stand of colors from the ladies of
Knoxville, and were there disbanded, May 22, 1813.
The people of
Tennessee—the daughter of
North Carolina—like those of the parent State, loved the
Union supremely; but their governor,
Isham G. Harris (q. v.), had been for months in confidential correspondence with the
Confederates in the
Gulf States and in
South Carolina and
Virginia.
To further this cause he labored incessantly to bring about the secession of
Tennessee.
He
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called a special session of the legislature at
Nashville, Jan. 7, 1861, and in his message he recited a long list of so-called grievances which the people of the
State had suffered under the rule of the national government.
He appealed to their passions and prejudices, and recommended amendments to the national Constitution favorable to the perpetuation and protection of the slave system.
The legislature provided for a convention, but decreed that when the people should elect the delegates they should vote for “Convention”
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Interior of a Mountaineer's home in Tennessee. |
or “No convention” ; also, that any ordinance adopted by the convention concerning “Federal relations” should not be valid until submitted to the people for ratification or rejection.
The election was held Feb. 9, 1861, and the
Union candidates were elected by an aggregate majority of about 65,000; and, by a majority of nearly 12,000, decided not to have a convention.
The loyal people were gratified, and believed the secession movements in the
State would cease.
Governor Harris called the legislature to meet on April 25, 1861, and in a message to them he strongly urged the immediate secession of the
State.
He urged that there was no propriety in wasting time in submitting the question to the people, for a revolution was imminent.
A few days afterwards
Henry W. Hilliard, a commissioner of the
Confederate States of America, clothed with authority to negotiate a treaty of alliance with
Tennessee, appeared (April 30) and was allowed to address the legislature.
He expressed his belief that there was not a true-hearted man in the
South who would not spurn submission to the “Abolition North,” and considered the system of government founded on slavery which had just been established as the only form of government that could be maintained in
America.
The legislature, in which was a majority of Confederate sympathizers, authorized (May 1) the governor to enter into a military league with the
Confederate States, by which the whole military rule of the commonwealth was to be subjected to the will of
Jefferson Davis.
It
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46]
was done on May 7.
The eighteen members from
East Tennessee (which section remained loyal) did not vote.
The legislature passed an act to submit to a vote of the people of
Tennessee a
declaration of independence and an ordinance of secession; also an ordinance for the adoption of the constitution of the
Confederate States of America.
The governor was empowered to raise 50,000 volunteers “for the defence of the
State,” and, if necessary, to call out the whole available military strength of the commonweath, to be under the absolute immediate control of the governor.
He was also authorized to issue bonds of the
State for $5,000,000, to bear an annual interest of 8 per cent.
Pursuant to the act of the legislature authorizing the governor to take measures to annex that State to the
Confederacy, the governor appointed
Gustavus A. Henry,
Archibald O. W. Totten, and
Washington Barrow, commissioners for the purpose.
They negotiated a treaty with the agent of the
Confederate States,
Henry W. Hilliard, and on the 7th a copy of the treaty was submitted to the legislature.
By the treaty the authorities of
Tennessee were to “turn over” to the
Confederate States “all the public property, naval stores, and munitions of war of which she might then be in possession, acquired from the
United States, on the same terms and in the same manner as the other States of the
Confederacy.”
Already
Governor Harris had ordered (April 29, 1861) the seizure of
Tennessee bonds to the amount of $66,000 and $5,000 in cash belonging to the
United States in the hands of the collector at
Nashville.
At about that time
Jefferson Davis, disgusted with the timidity of
Governor Magoffin, of
Kentucky, recommended the Kentuckians “true to the
South” to go into
Tennessee and there “rally and organize.”
East Tennessee, where loyalty to the
Union was strongly predominant, was kept in submission to the
Confederacy by the strong arm of military power.
The people longed for deliverance, which seemed near at hand when, in January, 1862, the energetic
General Mitchel made an effort to seize
Chattanooga.
His force was too small to effect it, for
E. Kirby Smith was watching that region with a strong Confederate force.
Mitchel asked
Buell for reinforcements, but was denied.
Finally
General Negley, after a successful attack upon Confederates near
Jasper, having made his way over the rugged ranges of the
Cumberland Mountains, suddenly appeared opposite
Chattanooga (June 7).
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Towards evening he had heavy guns in position, and for two hours he cannonaded the town and the
Confederate works near.
The inhabitants and Confederates fled from the town.
With a few more regiments
Negley might have captured and held the place, and
Mitchel could have marched into
east Tennessee.
But
Buell would not allow it. The Confederates had already evacuated
Cumberland Gap voluntarily, and the inhabitants of
east Tennessee were jubilant with hope of deliverance.
But they were again disappointed and compelled to wait.
The cautious
Buell and the fiery
Mitchel did not work well together, and the latter was soon assigned to the command of the Department of the South.
In August, 1863,
General Burnside was assigned to the command of the Army of the Ohio, and was ordered to take active co-operation with the Army of the Cumberland.
He had gathered 20,000 men near
Richmond, Ky., well disciplined and equipped.
They left camp Aug. 21, climbed over the
Cumberland Mountains, and entered the magnificent valley of
east Tennessee, their baggage and stores carried, in many places, by pack-mules.
On his entering the valley 20,000 Confederates, commanded by
Gen. Simon B. Buckner (q. v.), fled to
Georgia and joined
Bragg.
General Burnside had been joined by
General Hartsuff and his command.
Their numbers were swelled by junction with other troops.
At the mouth of the
Clinch River they first had communication with
Colonel Minty's cavalry, on
Rosecrans's extreme left.
At Loudon bridge
General Shackelford had a skirmish with Confederates, and drove them across the stream, they burning the magnificent structure, 2,000 feet long.
Early in September a force of Confederates, under
General Frazer, holding
Cumberland Gap, surrendered to the Nationals, and the great valley between the
Cumberland and Alleghany Mountains (of which
Knoxville was the metropolis), extending from
Cleveland to
Bristol, seemed to be permanently rid of armed Confederates.
The loyal inhabitants of that region
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received the
National troops with open arms.
After the
battle of Stone River, or
Murfreesboro, the armies of
Rosecrans and
Bragg lay confronting each other, the former at the scene of the battle and the latter below the
Duck River.
Bragg's main base of supplies was at
Chattanooga.
In that relative position the two armies continued from January until June, 1863.
Meanwhile detached parties were very active in various parts of
Tennessee.
At the beginning of February (1863),
General Wheeler,
Bragg's chief of artillery, with 4,500 mounted men, with
Brigadier-Generals Forrest and
Wharton, attempted to recapture
Fort Donelson.
The chief object of the
Confederates there was to interrupt the navigation of the
Cumberland River, and thus interfere with the transportation of supplies for
Rosecrans's army.
The Confederates failed in their project, for the fort was well defended by a little garrison of 600 men under
Col. A. C. Harding, assisted by gunboats.
There was a severe engagement (Feb. 3), and at 8 P. M. the
Confederates fled with a loss of nearly 600 men.
Harding lost 156, of whom fifty were made prisoners.
Late in January,
Gen. J. C. Davis swept over a considerable space in thirteen days, and captured 141 of
Wheeler's men. Later,
Gen. Earl Van Dorn, with a large mounted force, was hovering near
Franklin, below
Nashville.
Sheridan, at
Murfreesboro, and
Colonel Colburn, at
Franklin, marched simultaneously to confront him.
Van Dorn was accompanied by
Forrest.
Colburn, with 2,700 men, moved against
Van Dorn at
Spring Hill, but failed to form a junction with
Sheridan.
After a sharp encounter he was forced to surrender (March 5) about 1,300 of his infantry.
The remainder, with the cavalry, escaped.
Sheridan, with about 1,800 cavalry, skirmished in several places with the
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Confederates, and finally at
Thompson's Station, after a sharp engagement, captured some of his antagonists and drove
Van Dorn beyond the
Duck River.
He returned to
Murfreesboro with nearly 100 prisoners, with a loss of ten men killed and wounded.
On March 18,
Col. A. S. Hall with 1,400 men was attacked by
Morgan, the guerilla, and 2,000 men at
Milton, 12 miles from
Murfreesboro.
With the aid of
Harris's battery, in a three hours struggle
Hall repulsed
Morgan, who lost 300 or 400 men killed and wounded.
Early in April,
Gen. Gordon Granger was in command at
Franklin, building a fort near.
He had about 5,000 troops.
Van Dorn attacked him there (April 10) with 9,000 Confederates.
The latter intended if successful to push on and seize
Nashville, but he was repulsed with a loss of about 300 men.
Rosecrans sent
Col. Abdel D. Streight (q. v.) on an extensive raid in
Alabama and
Georgia in April and May, which resulted in the capture of the leader and his men.
Late in November, 1863,
Gen. Sherman (q. v.) arrived in the neighborhood of
Chattanooga.
It was imperative that he should get his army over the river without being discovered.
To draw the attention of the
Confederates to another quarter,
Hooker was ordered to engage them on the northern side of
Lookout Mountain.
His entire force consisted of approximately 10,000 men. The main Confederate force was encamped in a hollow half-way up the mountain, the summit of which was held by several brigades.
Hooker began the attack on the morning of November 24.
Geary, supported by
Cruft, proceeded to Wauhatchie, crossing
Lookout Creek there, the rest of the troops crossing in front of
 |
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Battle of Lookout Mountain. |
[
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the
Confederates on temporary bridges.
Geary crossed at eight o'clock, and, seizing a picket-guard of forty men, extended his line to the base of the mountain.
By eleven o'clock
Hooker was striving to drive the
Confederates from the mountain; all his guns opened at once upon the breastworks and rifle-pits along the steep wooded acclivity, and
Gross's and
T. J. Wood's brigades, sweeping everything before them, captured the rifle-pits.
At the same time the troops scaled the heights, driving the
Confederates from the hollow to a plateau well up towards the crest and around towards the
Chattanooga Valley.
At considerably past noon the plateau was cleared, and the
Confederates were retreating in confusion towards the
Chattanooga Valley.
Hooker established his line on the easterly face of the mountain; so that, by an enfilading fire, he completely commanded the
Confederate defences, stretching across the valley to
Missionary Ridge.
See
Chattanooga campaign, the;
Lookout Mountain, battle on;
Missionary Ridge, battle of.
General Burnside, with the Army of the Ohio, had occupied
Knoxville, Sept. 23, 1863.
The Confederate
General Buckner, upon his advance, evacuated
east Tennessee and joined
Bragg at
Chattanooga.
Early in November,
General Livingstone, with 16,000 men, advanced against
Knoxville.
On the 14th he crossed the
Tennessee.
Burnside repulsed him on the 16th at
Campbell's Station, thereby gaining time to concentrate his army in
Knoxville.
Longstreet advanced, laid siege to the town, and assaulted it twice (Nov. 18 and 29), but was repulsed.
Meantime
Grant had defeated
Bragg at
Chattanooga, and
Sherman, with 25,000 men, was on the way to leave
Knoxville.
Livingstone, compelled to raise the siege, therefore, retired up the
Holston River, but did not entirely abandon
eastern Tennessee until the next spring, when he again joined
Lee in
Virginia.
On Jan. 9, 1865, a State convention assembled at
Nashville and proposed amendments to the constitution abolishing slavery and prohibiting the legislative recognition of property in man. The military league with the
Confederacy, the ordinance of secession, and all acts of the
Confederate States government were annulled, and the payment of any debts contracted by that government was prohibited.
These proceedings were ratified by the people, and
William G. Brownlow (q. v.) was chosen governor.
In April the legislature ratified the Thirteenth Amendment to the national Constitution, reorganized the
State government, and elected
Senators to Congress.
The Fourteenth Amendment to the national Constitution having been ratified by the
State in 1866, it was soon afterwards admitted to representation in Congress.
The constitution of the
State was revised early in 1870.
Population in 1890, 1,767,518; in 1900, 2,020,616.
See
United States, Tennessee, in this volume.
Territorial Governor.
| William Blount, appointed governor of the territory southwest of the Ohio | Aug. 7, 1790 |
State governors.
| John Sevier | Assumes office | March 30, 1796 |
| Archibald Roane | Assumes office | Sept., 1801 |
| John Sevier | Assumes office | Sept., 1803 |
| William Blount | Assumes office | Sept., 1809 |
| Joseph McMinn | Assumes office | Sept., 1815 |
| William Carroll | Assumes office | Sept., 1821 |
| Samuel Houston | Assumes office | Sept., 1827 |
| William Carroll | Assumes office | Sept., 1829 |
| Newton Cannon | Assumes office | Oct., 1835 |
| James K. Polk | Assumes office | Oct., 1839 |
| James C. Jones | Assumes office | Oct., 1841 |
| Aaron V. Brown | Assumes office | Oct., 1845 |
| Neil S. Brown | Assumes office | Oct., 1847 |
| William Trousdale | Assumes office | Oct., 1849 |
| William B. Campbell | Assumes office | Oct., 1851 |
| Andrew Johnson | Assumes office | Oct., 1853 |
| Isham G. Harris | Assumes office | Oct., 1857 |
| Andrew Johnson | Assumes office | prov.
March 12, 1861 |
| W. G. Brownlow | Assumes office | April, 1865 |
| DeWitt C. Senter | Assumes office | Oct., 1869 |
| John C. Brown | Assumes office | Oct., 1871 |
| James D. Porter, Jr | Assumes office | Jan., 1875 |
| Albert S. Marks | Assumes office | Jan., 1879 |
| Alvin Hawkins | Assumes office | Jan., 1881 |
| William B. Bate | Assumes office | Jan., 1883 |
| Robert L. Taylor | Assumes office | Jan., 1887 |
| John P. Buchanan | Assumes office | Jan., 1891 |
| Peter Turney | Assumes office | Jan., 1893 |
| H. Clay Evans | Assumes office | Jan., 1895 |
| Robert L. Taylor | Assumes office | Jan., 1897 |
| Benton McMillin | Assumes office | Jan., 1899 |
| Benton McMillin | Assumes office | Jan., 1901 |
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