Weekly 150: Isham G. Harris

With the onset of the Civil War and Tennessee’s secession, a group of pro-Union leaders in East Tennessee, which had rejected secession, petitioned Harris to allow the region to break away from the state and remain with the Union. Harris rejected this and sent troops under Felix K. Zollicoffer into East Tennessee. In the gubernatorial election later that year, William H. Polk, brother of former President James K. Polk, ran against Harris on a pro-Union ticket but was defeated 75,300 to 43,495.