Senate Journal of the Second Extra Session of the Thirty-Third General Assembly of the State of Tennessee

State of Tennessee Official Document
201 pgs.

Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union and fight for the Confederacy. Most of West Tennessee was staunchly Confederate, while most of East Tennessee was Unionist. Middle Tennessee leaned more to the Confederate side.

In the June 8, 1861 referendum, East Tennessee held firm against separation, while West Tennessee returned an equally heavy majority in favor. The deciding vote came in Middle Tennessee, which went from 51 percent against secession in February to 88 percent in favor in June. This switch of public favor for the Confederacy was a direct result of the heavy-handeness of the Lincoln adminstration towards the states which had sided with the Confederacy.

Having ratified by popular vote its connection with the fledgling Confederacy, Tennessee became the last state to declare formally its withdrawal from the Union.

This is the journal of a special called session of the Tennessee General Assembly in April, 1861 to discuss Tennessee's participation in the War. Here you can get a first-hand inside look at the issues and debate the men faced in deciding to side with the Confederacy.