Jesse Cox, Tennessee Baptist Minister
Union sentiment in Tennessee remains strong, as it will in mountainous regions of the state throughout the war.
Itinerant Baptist minister Jesse Cox (pictured) writes in his diary that one church he recently visited had a “large portion here still content for the Union.” (link)
Tennessee Governor Isham G. Harris hopes that he can lead his state to join other seceding states, but a public vote on the matter of calling a secession convention will fail in February. Ultimately, however, secessionists would win the day on June 8, when Tennessee would become the last state to formally secede from the United States of America.
Meanwhile, Mississippian Jefferson Davis – future president of the Confederate States of America – resigns from the U.S. Senate and today delivers his final speech before the Senate (link). Long an anti-secession advocate, Davis’ loyalty to the United States is now broken.
Photo: Jesse Cox, Tennessee Baptist minister (Source)
