106
THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
PARSON W. G. BROWNLOW, THE UNION
PATRIOT OF TENNESSEE.-First Page.
We append a brief biographical sketch of
this celebrated editor, parson and soldier, who,
like Germanus oi Aoxere, some fourteen hundred years ago, likes to fight as well as to
preach. It is not known whether Parson Brown-
low, like his prototype, went into battle shouting " Hallelujah," but certes, the daily papers
have been singing " Oh be joyful" for his victory, which is,thus described in the New York
Herald:
PARS0N BROWNLOW'S BRILLIANT ACHIEVEMENT.
Among the unexpected—and yet not unexpected—news from the seat of war is that
of the rout of the rebel forces by Tennessee Unionists under Parson Brownlow.
When the recent excitement occurred in
Tennessee relative to the destruction of the
railway bridges, the rebels became rampant
in their threats against the Unionists of
that State in general, and Parson Brown-
low in particular, and their vengeance
was to be visited upon them in a summary and
violent manner. These Union men, however,
when once finally aroused, were not to be put
down with mere words, and, consequently,
banded themselves together under the guidance
of Parson Brownlow, and took temporary refuge in the mountains for the purpose of organizing themselves into a proper military force.
The rebels thought they had conquered and put
to flight—by threats only—the gallant little
band of loyal men, and so they rejoiced ; but
as the facts reach us, the snake they thought
they had killed was not even " scotched," for
we learn from the Memphis Avalanche of December 2, that 8 000 men, under Acting General Parson Brownlow, attacked the Confederate
forces at Morristown, East Tennessee, on the
1st day of the present month, killed a large
number of the troops and completely routed
them. Of course, the rebels do not state what
their force at that place consisted of, but it is well
known that they have been transporting troops
through and into the state in large numbers,
and Major Gen. Crittenden — the rebel son and
brother of true, loyal Kentuckians—had arrived
at Knoxville to take command of the rebel
forces in that neighborhood. The rebels themselves acknowledge a defeat this time, for they
class the event as "the first (?) Union victory
of the war.''
WHERE IS MORRISTOWN ?
Morristown is a post village of Je fferson
oounty, East Tennesee, and is situated about
two hundred and twenty-six miles east of Nashville and four hundred and fifty-eight miles
from Washington. It is located on what was
formerly the stage road between Greenville and
Knoxville, but since the establishment of railroads in the State it now forms one of the stations of that portion of the East Tennessee and
Virginia Railroad running between Bristol and
Knoxville. It is eigthy-eight miles from the
former place, thirty-two miles north of east
from Knoxville. It is pleasantly situated in a
fertile valley, and its possession by the Unionists will be the most severe blow ever ad-
ministered to them in their midst. The fact
must not be overlooked that a Bull run is in
the vicinity of Morristown, but this time the
bull is on the other side of the fence.
SKETCH OF PARSON BKOWWLOW.
Parson Brownlow is a man of great nerve
and determination, which qualities have shown
themselves forth prominently during the present troubles. He is a regularly ordained minister of the Gospel, and was also the editor of
the Knoxville Whig. He had resided for many
years in Tennessee, and has his wife, family,
property and interests centered in that State.
The paper which he owned was an old established journal, and we believe it was founded
by himself at Knoxville. The subject of this
sketch is a man of about forty-five or fifty
years of age, tall and spare built, but of a perfectly fearless disposition, caring nothing for
the threats of any man on earth The people
of New York will remember the spirited defiance he hurled at the abolitionists a few
years since, which culminated in a public argument between him and a man named Paine.
The discussion was carried on in Philadelphia
about two years ago, and the arguments on
both sides, delivered in a series of discourses by
each party, occupied weeks in their delivery.
He boldly stood up for the Union during the
period previous to the secession of his State,
and when it left the Union he still maintained
his stand against the rebels, offering to fight
them until not a drop of blood was left in his
veins. When compelled almost by brute force
to restrain his pen, he was determined not to
support the rebels, but maintained an apparently passive neutral. He, however, had the
right spirit working within him, and now it
shows forth in support of the Union under the
most trying circumstances. If Polk was allowed to drop the Bishop for the General, surely the title of Parson should now be dropped
by order of the government, and a more military one put in its place.
It is right to remind our readers, that the report of Parson Brownlow's victory needs confirmation.