124 Norto Garotina Troops, 1861-65.

and Lynchburg. This matter was held in abeyance till Gen-
eral Grant could personally inspect the line, or base of oper-
ations. So he mounted his horse and rode 175 miles through
Tennessee and Kentucky and finding the roads so terrible, he
abandoned the idea. But the project was not a bad one,
with Chattanooga and Knoxville as bases for operations.

Colonel Thomas often contended that that would be done.
Such being possible it will be seen that upper Georgia and
South Carolina would have been threatened and also South-
west Virginia with the salt works and all that fine region ex-
posed.

It is no secret that General Lee seeing he could not hold
Richmond much longer began to look towards the mountains
of Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina to fall back to.
Lieutenant-Colonel Stringfield was consulted by General
Breckinridge about East Tennessee and North Carolina while
we were together in the Valley Campaign. Colonel Thomas
doubtless had been consulted also, hence his tenacity to hold
every mountain pass towards Tennessee. The men were often
detailed to build roads across Smoky Mountains and to ac-
quaint themselves with all the mountain trails, ete.

At that time the Cherokee Indians, 400 of whom were in
the two regiments of Thomas’ Legion (Sixty-ninth and Eigh-
tieth North Carolina), occupied almost the center of this vast
mountain country along the Tennessee line, and there is no
doubt that their presence here was a great protection to the
people. They were loyal to us to an intense degree. Colonel
Thomas, as has been stated in the sketch of the Sixty-ninth,
had been their friend, patron, chief and agent for twenty-five
years prior to the war.

But of the whites we must say that: these mountain people
were rather unique in their individuality. Their stern inde-
pendence of speech and action sometimes cast a doubt upon
strangers as to what they would do next, as sometimes they
would talk strangely to a loyal Southron, but when fighting
was needed history shows that they “fought as never man
fought before.”

Judge O. P. Temple, of Knoxville, Tenn., in his history
of “Civil War in East Tennessee,” has much to say in defence

EIGHTIETH REGIMENT. 125

of all of them, especially the Union element. President Lin-
coln early in 1862 began to inaugurate measures to relieve
the “loyal’’ East Tennessee people, and in his December mes-
sage to Congress, 1861, he strongly recommended their re-
lief, and in January, 1862, a strong army started thither,
which met, defeated and killed General Zollicoffer at Fishing
Creek. This defeat thrilled the entire populace, Southern
and Union. This failure of General Thomas to follow up his
advantage soon disheartened his people, and all the Southern
people flew to arms.

The conscript law was now passed and the bitterness and
the “uncivil” war began in earnest.

Counties were arrayed against counties, townships, com-
munities and families were divided—split up, estranged, em-
bittered and finally out in open arms against each other. Un-
der such surroundings our men lived, camped, marched,
drilled and some few deserted us. It was a very unsatisfac-
tory state of affairs, and the sterling manhood of our men
was often brought to the test. It was painful and hu-
miliating to have to arrest any one, but after living among
and associating with people for weeks and months it was a
very disagreeable duty to arrest them or impress or confiscate
anything of theirs.

After East Tennessee was overrun by Burnside’s army, the
Eightieth as before stated, guarded the mountain paths
from Tennessee. Quite a number of our people refused to
go in the army as conscripts, but went over to Knoxville,
Burnside in meanwhile telling them it was his intention to go
up through North Carolina and over into Georgia and South
Carolina.

Cherokee County was sorely infested with a lot of “bum-
mers” from both armies daily almost, stealing horses, cattle,
provisions, clothing, ete., and some small negroes. Colonel
Walker tried to suppress this, but was murdered early in
January, 1864. For some time prior to this Colonel Walker
was kept constantly on the alert with his men, on Nantahala,
Little Tennessee, Valley, Notley and Hiwassee rivers. Spies,
seouts, recruiting officers, etc., being always on the move.

Sergeant Steve Porter, of Company F (Andrews), can tell