The Bridge Burnings
In Greene County

In October, 1861, William Carter, with the personal blessing's of Abraham Lincoln and General George McClellen (at a meeting at the White House on September 12th), had a plan to destroy the Confederate railroad supply route from Atlanta to Richmond and points west, via East Tennessee.

On his return trip to Knoxville, Carter stopped to inform General George Thomas, training a Federal army in Lexington, Kentucky, of his plans, and Captain David Fry, 2nd East Tennessee (U.S.) Volunteers, then training in Kentucky, was assigned to assist him.

From their base in Knoxville, the two men began to raise a pro-Union Home Guard unit to accomplish the mission, and on November 8th, the unit was divided into 8 groups, each group assigned to destroy a certain railroad bridge, and on November 13th, Carter reported to General Thomas, back in Kentucky, that 6 to 8 bridges had been destroyed. (Only five had actually been destroyed.)

Unfortunately for the Unionists, despite the pleadings of Carter, General Thomas refused to move troops to support East Tennessee, although the support would have probably been too late for the raiders.

Maine-born Confederate Colonel David Leadbetter received word that the "Unionists" were gathered near Newport, Tennessee, and, splitting his command, managed to surround the Union men, capturing nearly 400, which included Senator Andrew Johnson's son-in-law (Judge David T. Patterson), as well as several members of the State Legislature.

At the personal orders of Judah P. Benjamin, Confederate Secretary of War, the five leaders were to be hanged, their bodies to be left hanging near the railroad tracks to impress other "would-be" Unionists, but Captain Fry escaped, and the four that were hanged were buried within 18 hours, as the heatwave made long term display unpleasant.

Two days later, the pro-Union Knoxville Whig publisher William "Parson" Brownlow was arrested and jailed in Knoxville on charges of inciting "the rebellious actions of November 8th". (A month later, Brownlow was escorted to Union lines, and released, where he continued to speak out against the South's secession.)

While in jail, Brownlow was informed that "some 400 men captured at Newport" were being sent under a strong guard to the prison in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, "to remain until the hostilities between the Union and the Confederates cease".

Thirteen months later, those remaining in prison were exchanged for a like number of Confederate prisoners, and the Unionists made their way through East Tennessee to Kentucky, to form the 4th East Tennessee (U.S,) Volunteer Infantry Regiment in an army commanded by General George Morgan. (The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd East Tennessee regiments and several East Tennessee Cavalry units were already organized into that army.)

By March of 1863, the 4th was already actively working as part of the occupying force in the Cumberland Gap, even though the regiment was not officially mustered into the Union army until June of 1863, and officially dropping the "East" from their name, as the State of East Tennessee was no longer a possibility. (West Virginia had an ample supply of Union forces in her boundaries to be able to support her separation from the state of Virginia, but by the time enough troops were in Tennessee, the separation was no longer necessary.)

The 4th was also one of several regiments that weren't being paid, as Paymaster General Mansfield could not send pay until the regiments were at full strength, and without pay, recruiting was extremely difficult.

Sources:

• The O.R. (Washington, 1901)
  
  
• The Papers of Andrew Johnson (Vol. IV and V)
  
  
• The Papers of Abraham Lincoln (Vol. III)
  
  
• The Knoxville Whig newspaper, dated November (?), 1861
  
  
• The East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville, Tennessee
  
  
• The Greene County Historical Trust, Greeneville Tennessee
  
  
• University of Tennessee Knoxville
  
  
• Department of History, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tenn
  
  
• Knox County Library System (McClung Historical Collection), Knoxville

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