| From the Raleigh Progress |
| |
| November 16, 1863 |
| |
| Affairs in East Tennessee |
| A correspondent of the Atlanta
Register, writing from Dalton on the 9th, gives the following
details of the situation in East Tennessee: |
| ***** |
| Everything is being done on our part to
push up our forces and supplies. The utmost capacity of our railroad
will be put into requisition. President Wallace
{East Tennessee & Georgia RR} has increased his motive power and
the number of his cars. I saw him early last week going in a hand car
along his road patiently and carefully examining for himself the
condition of the track, the water-tanks, wood-sheds, &c., &c. His
supervisorship of the whole is keen, and his vigilance unabated. In our
Hegyra he brought off safe not only the rolling stock of the company,
but all its moveable effects from every work-shop and station on the
road. Nothing has been lost. His vigilance has been such that although
no schedule can at this time of urgent haste be invariably followed on
the main trunk and the branch, yet no collision has taken place and not
a single passenger or operator has been killed. No considerable delay
has yet occurred, although the tories along the line have, in three or
four instances, perhaps more, resorted to the policy advised in 1861 by
Johnson, Nelson and others, of injuring the railroad. Last week they
drew the spikes out of several places and left the rails lying loose in
their proper places and causing thereby the running off of the train.
They have also cut the wires and taken two miles of it away. No
vigilance of railroad officers can guard against such accidents, and the
military ought to scour the whole country near our road and capture or
kill every miscreant and tory that commits such an offence. Only Friday
night one of these offenders crept up to the house of Mr. Tucker, in
Bradley county, near the railroad, and shot him dead, wounding at the
same time one of our soldiers near him. You have already heard of the
killing of Hanley, Jr., of Blount. We may expect such occurrences while
a Federal or tory enemy remains in the country. Their speedy expulsion
or their death should be the aim of all. |
|