To His Excellency Jefferson Davis
President of the Southern Confederacy.
Dear Sir.

     We hope you will pardon us for addressing you on a subject the result of which involves all our and familys happiness in this world. About ten days since our respective husbands William Galbreath [i.e., William Galbraith (1815-1892)], and James M Meek, citizen's of this place, were arrested by order of the Proverst, Marshal, at Knoxville and taken to that place, and confined untell yesterday; When we received the sad tidings that they had been sent to Tuscalloosa, Al^a or some other point South, without even a hearing as to there guilt or innocence of any charge against them. They or we have never

been able to assertain the nature of the charges as for what they had been arrested only from outside rumor, which is this, about two weeks since, there was a Stampeede of Union Men from this and adjoining counties, for Kentucky, and we learn from the source indicated that Mr Galbreath and Mr Meek were reported as having aided and encouraged these men in leaving. if this should proove to be the charge there is nothing farther from the truth. the reverse being the case, and must have been prompted from a bad and malicious spirit of some of there enemy's, and can be, we know, satisfactorly prooven, by the best citizen's of both political parties in this place. All we desired for our husbands, was that they should have a fair and impartial investigation of any charges prefered against them, feeling perfectly confident that they would have been

honorably acquited, but they were denied that privilidge, and our only hope now for justice being shown them is centerd in you, and our apology for troubling you, feeling confident that you will be disposed to have justice extended to our much injurged husbands and there families. If you will be so kind as to interest yourself in asertaining the charges against them and let us know what they are, we feel confident that we can produce satisfactory evidence to your mind that our husbands have been misrepresented to the authorities at Knoxville. If we fail in doing so of course we could not exspect your interference in there behalf. Being deprived of our husband our only means of support and protection under any circumstance would be painfull in the extreme, but doubly so under the present excited state of the country. Your attention to our request will place us under

obligations which we assure you will never be forgotten—please let us hear from you as soon as possible

With much respects your's—
Eliza C Galbreath
Lizzie J Meek.