Artifacts Twelve





Father Abram Ryan, Poet-Priest of the Confederacy, rose to national stardom with the publication of his poem "The Conquered Banner".




He wrote the poem while serving as Parish Priest of Knoxville's Immaculate Conception Church.





His sermons were so popular sanctuary windows were opened to accomodate crowds who gathered outside the church to hear him.



Tennessee Congressman Robert Hatton was pro-Union until President Lincoln asked the State to raise troops to invade South Carolina. Hatton resigned his seat to form the 7th Tennessee Infantry. In 1862, Hatton acheived the rank of General, but was killed 8 days later at the Virginia Battle of Seven Pines.
Out of 1,000 troops in the 7th Tennessee Infantry sent to Virginia, only 47 men survived the war to return home.




William "Parson" Brownlow is the most hated man in Tennessee history and the only Governor to have his portrait removed from the Capitol building by an act of the Legislature. As a newspaper publisher, he listed the names of southern sympathizers and called for their murder.




As Military Governor, he overturned a U.S. Military Court to hang a Confederate soldier as a spy, ordered a midnight raid to assemble Tennessee legislators and ordered troops to fire on them when they refused to pass reconstruction/siezure laws.



Tennessean Andrew Johnson succeeded to the Presidency following the death of President Lincoln. In addition to his post-war policies that rankled a vengeful Congress who almost impeached him, President Johnson enforced the Monroe Doctrine in Mexico and purchased the State of Alaska.


Following his term, Andrew Johnson became the only U.S. President in history to be reelected to the U.S. Senate.


Mt. McKinley, Alaska. The highest peak in North America



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