Edmund Dillahunter Letter
In a July 21, 1849 letter to General George W. Gordon, Edmund Dillahunter discusses a number of matters related to Middle Tennessee. He begins the letter by praising E. B. Smith of Pulaski, who has asked Gordon to write a letter of recommendation to the Secretary of War regarding Smith's desire to be made a naval agent in Memphis. Dillahunter then describes the waning of the cholera epidemic which had plagued Middle Tennessee. He notes that the Cholera has left Middle Tennessee pretty much. There is an occasional case at Nashville and the neighborhood, but it no longer prevails as an epidemic.
Dillahunter concludes his letter with local political news, discussing the slavery question and the talks of secession. He argues that no man should ever be tolerated as a public leader who can seriously talk about the dissolution of our union as a remedy for visiting evils. Fearing that the question involved may at any time be made a legal one, Dillahunter states that the people of Tennessee are not prepared either for anarchy or civil war.
Dates
- 1849 July 21
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Extent
0.1 Linear Feet
Abstract
In a July 21, 1849 letter to General George W. Gordon, Edmund Dillahunter of Middle Tennessee discusses a recent cholera epidemic as well as the local political scene. He expresses his dislike of secession and his fear that the rift over the slavery question will only escalate.
Biographical/Historical Note
No biographical information has been found on Edmund Dillahunter or General George W. Gordon. A General George W. Gordon of Tennessee did fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War, but this letter is not addressed to him. The General Gordon to whom this letter was sent had a wife and children in 1849. The Confederate general was born in 1839, making him only 10 years old at the time the letter was written.
Arrangement
Collection consists of a single folder.
Acquisition Note
This collection was purchased by Special Collections in August 2000.
Repository Details
Part of the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Repository