 An insurgency against the Confederacy developed in eastern Tennessee in late 1861 , and at Davis 's order , Benjamin sent troops to crush it . Once it was put down , Benjamin and Davis were in a quandary about what to do about its leader , William " Parson " Brownlow , who had been captured , and eventually allowed him to cross to Union @-@ controlled territory in the hope that it would cause Lincoln to release Confederate prisoners . While Brownlow was in Southern custody , he stated that he expected , " no more mercy from Benjamin than was shown by his illustrious predecessors towards Jesus Christ " . 
