While Tennessee would later join the Confederacy, most East Tennesseans had Union leanings.

To further complicate matters, the East Tennesseans' terms of service were about to expire.

During the mid-1830s, Lea developed an interest in railroad construction, which many East Tennesseans viewed as a solution to the region's isolation.

Like most rural East Tennesseans, Houk supported the Union during the Civil War.

Sensing that East Tennesseans were weary of national issues, Houk focused on local concerns, namely veterans' issues and the demand for federal government seed.

A majority of East Tennesseans, however, remained pro-Union.

North Carolina's insensitivity led frustrated East Tennesseans in 1784 to form the breakaway State of Franklin.

These policies and internal divisions among East Tennesseans doomed the short-lived State of Franklin, which passed out of existence in 1788.

Many East Tennesseans engaged in guerrilla warfare against state authorities by burning bridges, cutting telegraph wires, and spying.

Almost 70 percent of the voters approved of secession, but 69 percent of East Tennesseans voted against it.