at the last session of Congress, do hereby declare their intention to maintain the said settlement inviolate, and to resist all attempts to repeal or alter the acts aforesaid, unless by the general consent of the friends of the measure, and to remedy such evils, if any, as time and experience may develop. 'And for the purpose of making this resolution effective, they further declare that they will not support for office of President or Vice-President, or of Senator or of Representative in Congress, or as member of a State Legislature, any man, of whatever party, who is not known to be opposed to the disturbance of the settlement aforesaid, and to the renewal, in any form, of agitation upon the subject of slavery. "Henry Clay, H. A. Bullard, John R. Thurman, My Last Interview with John Bell. It will be seen from the foregoing speech that I was the zealous advocate of the Bell-and-Everett ticket in the late Presidential election. As the United States were then classed with England, France, and Russia as one of the four leading Powers of the age, so these two men were particularly referred to, on all occasions, and in all these countries, as ranking among the most illustrious and orthodox of American statesmen. There had scarcely been a debate in the American Congress, for thirty years, on any of the great and exciting topics of the day, in reference to which the country did not feel anxious to know where these two illustrious men stood. For Colonel Bell I had battled faithfully for a quarter of a century, and adhered to his fortunes through evil and good report. Nay, I called a son after him, who is now in his twenty-second year. Imagine, then, my pair. and mortification on being separated from Colonel Bell, who deserted the mild sway of the Federal Union he had so long and so ably defended, leaving the noble Everett and my humble self to battle on beneath the folds of the Star-Spangled Banner; as the only sacred shield of a common nationality! After Colonel Bell went over to his old enemies and the enemies of his country, he performed a pilgrimage to Knoxville, with a view to cause the Union scales to fall from the eyes of his old friends. He got out a poster announcing a speech in the court-house. He sought an interview with a dozen of us, and he obtained that interview in Colonel Temple's law-office. He there made his weak argument, intended to convince us all of the error of our ways. It fell to my lot to make the Union reply; and I performed the task with great pain, but with great plainness of speech and fixedness of purpose. I told him that we would not only refuse to turn Secessionists, but that we must decline going to hear any man advocate the iniquitous cause of Secession, or who would associate with the vile men we found him in the company of, and who were prompting him to convert us from the error of our ways. We parted in tears, and have never met since. And if we never meet again to renew old friendships until we meet upon a Secession platform, we shall fix the period of our meeting to a period "Which kings and prophets waited for, 18* CHAPTER XV. EAST TENNESSEE-POPULATION-FACE OF THE COUNTRY-CLIMATE, SOIL, AND PRODUCTIONS-RIVERS AND MINERALS-KNOXVILLE, deSCRIPTION THEREOF THE "REGISTER" NEWSPAPER AND ITS DEGRADED EDITOR-RAILROADS AND APPROACHES TO EAST TENNESSEE -DESCRIPTION OF CUMBERLAND GAP-VOTING OUT OF THE UNIONEAST TENNESSEE LOYAL TO THE LAST! EAST TENNESSEE-as loyal to this Government as any State in the Union-is composed of thirty large counties, and is really as separate and distinct from Middle and West Tennessee as any of the adjoining States are. It is a valley three hundred miles in length, and varying in width from fifty to seventy-five miles. It is separated from Kentucky, on the north, by the range of mountains known as Cumberland Mountains, extending westward and southwestward, and lying between the great valley of East Tennessee and the Cumberland River, one of the largest affluents-the Tennessee excepted-of the Ohio, rising among the mountains in the southeast portion of Kentucky. The Cumberland range of mountains belongs to the Appalachian chain, and extends the whole length of the great valley of East Tennessee. Over this range of mountains, through its dense groves and interminable laurel-thickets, the persecuted and oppressed Union men of East Tennessee have forced their way, travelling after night and lying up in daytime, with a view of joining the Federal army, until they are now (May, 1862) organizing the Sixth Tennessee Regiment, determined to fight back to their homes and families. On the south, East Tennessee is separated from North Carolina and Georgia by the Chilhowee and Iron Mountains, and by the Alleghany Mountains, extending in a continuous chain from Virginia to Georgia and Alabama. This range of mountains forms a dividing-line between Eastern and Western Virginia, and makes East Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia one country, identical in interest, as they are one in soil, climate, and productions. The population of East Tennessee partakes of the same parentage as that of Kentucky, the original settlers having been mostly from North Carolina and Virginia; and they are second to no people for manly frankness of character, courage, and loyalty to the Federal Government. There are fewer slaves in East Tennessee than in any other portion of the State of equal extent; and, as a general thing, the people are very much upon an equality as to their possessions. The face of the country in East Tennessee is very agreeably diversified with mountain, hill, and plain, containing within its limits much fertility of soil, great beauty of scenery, and a delightfully temperate climate. The hills are wooded to their tops with every variety of timber, whilst on all the small rivers and large creeks |