Letter from Hezekiah Balch to Charles Coffin (December 15, 1803)

I wrote you very lately, and inclosed to Doctor Dickson, at the City Washington. Confusion rages more and more. Last Sabbath, in Mr. Witherspoons Church, in Green, was a dreadfull day. A number of my hearers, after divine Service was over at Harmony, went to see. I stood at a distance, and listened; it seemed by the sound, that a Legion of dogs had broke out, and were going to devour each other. Others roared, yelled, Stamped, Danced, prayed, sung &c. Elijah told me, that about 30 or 40 danced. Darky Wyly told me, that old Mrs. McCaul Danced astonishingly, And that she saw Mrs. McNitt lying on her back on the floor exhorting, and working enough to terrify a soldier. They invent new exercises down about Maryville, Knoxville, Grassy Vally, Jefferson, &c. and whenever Mr. Doke and Mr. Witherspoon, and their people hear of it, they adopt those new exercises. Esquire Russel told me last Sabbath, that he Saw them, at a great Sacramental meeting in the Grassy Valley, going thro’ the fighting exercise to astonishment. I am told, that all the negroes and white people, in Dandridge, in Town & country, gether to Mr. Henderson’s Church on the Sabbath day, and dance on the galleries and below, and roar and baul to admiration. I am told that while they are going on in their worship, they have the fiddleing, and riting exercise, i.e., they make their hands and fingers so as if they were fiddleing and riting. I am told that they have lately got the climbing and barking exercises, i.e., for a woman or a man to climb a tree and a number to come to the root of the tree, and bark, and after a while the person on the tree comes down, and Seize, and worry the one that was on the tree. It is said that Mr. Witherspoon danced at the sacrament at Limestone, amazingly. Mr. James Miller told me last Sabbath that he hears they fight, down below, of late, and make the blood fly out of the nose, to a very great degree. Their plan is, to turn all sinful exercises, into holy exercises. An attempt which is, in its own nature, impossible, and if it were possible, it would be wrong to accomplish it. For vice is wrong in its own nature, and never can be virtuous. I am told, but cannot yet [credit] it, [tho’ it may be true that], of late [they] have [another] intire, new, and abominable exercise, which consists, in a large number of them collecting, and breaking wind behind, with all their might. If it is true, it is abominable, tho’ I Scarcely think it appears quite So Spiteful and diabolical, as their fighting, and Dancing.