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| Title | A Thrilling Scene in East Tennessee: Colonel Fry and the Union Men Swearing by the Flag |
| Alternate Title | East Tennessee Bridge Burners |
| Publisher | Harper's Weekly |
| Date | 1862 |
| Genre | newspapers
|
| Material/Technique | engraving |
| Image Note | Cover of Harper's Weekly Saturday 29 March 1862 |
| Description | Black and white image of men standing inside a timber frame building lit by a candle on a flag-draped table draped. The men have their hands raised in the air. |
| Historical note | This scene was intended to represent Henry Fry and some of the other loyalists in upper East Tennessee who had attempted to burn bridges in order to disrupt Confederate movements in their area. The idea was to burn all of the bridges on the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad from Bristol to Chattanooga and the bridge across the Tennessee River at Bridgeport, Alabama, to prevent Confederate supplies reaching into Virginia. Washington would then send in troops to protect the men and control the area. However, the troops never materialized. After the November 8, 1861 burning of a bridge on the outskirts of Greeneville, five men, including Fry, were hanged for their participation. Among the group were both Fry and master potter Christopher A. Haun.Others associated with the plot either hid in the mountains, joined the Union Army, or were captured and imprisoned. |
| Subject | Flags; United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865; |
| Theme | Walking a Fine Line Capturing the Flag
|
| Story | Christopher Haun Susan Brownlow
|
| Geographic Location | United States--Tennessee--Greeneville |
| Time period | 1860-1869 |
| Language | eng |
| Digital Publisher | Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University |
| Archival file | shades12/East-tennessee-bridge-burners-1861.jpg |