The Athens Post

To Our Friends in East Tennessee.

[From the Knoxville Whig.]

Prompted by an earnest desire to preserve peace among the citizens of East Tennessee and to remove, as far as possible, all causes calculated to irritate our people, the undersigned on yesterday addressed a note to Gen. Zollicoffer, now in command of this division of the State, of which the following is a copy:

KNOXVILLE, TENN.,
September 13th, 1861.

Gen. F. K. ZOLLI COFFER, Commanding the
Forces of East Tennessee.

Dear Sir: We have learned from reliable sources that there is some apprehension existing in the minds of many persons in this quarter of the State, that the people of East Tennessee are likely to break out in open rebellion against the existing authorities of the State, and inaugurate a civil war in our midst. We are surprised that any such apprehension should be for a moment cherished, unless those who entertain it have been favored with better sources of information than we can pretend to. Of course, our intercourse and conversations in reference to the present deplorable troubles in which we are all involved, have been, for the most part, with that portion of our citizens known as Union men, and any opinion we may express is founded upon our knowledge of the purposes and intentions of the people as derived from that source.

We should deplore a civil war in our midst and we believe that we but reflect the feeling of the Union party in East Tennessee in avowing that sentiment. Our counsels for some time past have been for the peace and quiet of the community, and so far as we have any knowledge, those counsels have almost invariably been responded to favorably by the people. From our knowledge of the people of this portion of the State, we have an abiding confidence that there is no purpose on the part of any respectable number of them to inaugurate civil strife, or provoke a collision between the authorities, civil or military, and themselves. At all events, so far as we have any influence with the people of this end of the State, it will be exerted for the maintenance of the quiet and peace of the community.

We feel well assured that it is not your purpose unjustly to harass or oppress any peaceable and law-abiding citizen, and it is equally ours to use whatever of weight we may have to prevent any outbreak, or disorderly conduct upon the part of our citizens.

You will pardon the expression of our belief, that should the troops now under your command be required upon another field of operations, there will be no danger of an outbreak in this quarter because of their absence: at all events it will not abate our honest efforts to maintain peace and good order among our people.

Very respectfully,
[SIGNED AS BELOW.]

To this note we have received the following reply:

Brigade Head Quarters,
Knoxville, Tenn., Sept. 14, 1861.

Gentlemen: On my return to Knoxville this morning, after a day's absence, I have been gratified to receive your note of yesterday. The spirit it breathes, together with the influence of your conjoint signatures, must greatly promote the peace and quiet in East Tennessee so much desired by the Government, both State and Confederate. I will most cheerfully hereafter, as heretofore, retain no more military force, and exercise no more military authority, in East Tennessee, than I may deem due to the peace and safety of the community; and I trust, gentlemen, that we may soon have the pleasure of witnessing the disappearance of all misunderstanding among our people, and with it, all military forces from this division of the State.

Very respectfully,
F. K. ZOLLICOFFER,
Brig. General.

To MESSRS. F. S. HEISKELL, SAM. MILLIGAN, JNO. BAXTER, and others.

We sincerely trust that the motives by which we have been prompted in this matter will be properly appreciated by the Union men throughout East Tennessee. We are satisfied that we have truly represented to the military authorities the disposition and purposes of our people as a body, and we earnestly hope that our friends in every locality will demonstrate by their conduct that the confidence reposed in their peaceful intentions has not been misplaced. We trust we will not be regarded as presumptuous in invoking all to continue the pursuit of their peaceful vocations, and to studiously refrain from the use of intemperate language and from violent acts calculated to provoke collisions with the soldiery now in our midst.

To preserve the peace of our section, and the safety of ourselves and families, is surely worthy the combined effort of us all. Resistance to the present authorities can only result in the destruction of those who undertake it. We, therefore, earnestly invoke our friends, in favor of peace,