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Beersheba Springs Tennessee
July 22nd 1857

To Colonel Gywnn
Civil Engineer

Dear Sir

You may have seen
some notice of a movement of the authorities in
the Dioceses of the Protestant Episcopal Church in
the ten most southern states for founding & establishing
a University on the most approved model & the
most extended scale, at some place within their
common territory, and that this movement has
met the approbation & obtained the promised
support, not only of the Episcopal portion of our
population, but of a very large part of all others,
before whom it has been brought.

You may also have seen
that these Dioceses by their representatives, have
met in convention on the 4th July currant, at
Lookout Mountain in East Tennessee, near
Chattanooga for organizing a board of Trustees to
carry this purpose into execution.

The Delegates to this meeting
were some of the most eminent Citizens in the
Southern States, and the influence and resources
represented 7 pledged for carrying the project
into execution were such as to place its success
beyond a doubt.

Our purpose is to erect within
the Southern States an institution which shall
place the South in a position of absolute independence
of all others at home or abroad, as to educational
advantages, in the higher walks of learning. We have
all the elements, intellectual, social & pecuniary
to do this. And now that we have succeeded in
combining the interest & will of those interested
in regard our way as open before us.

A point of the greatest con-
sequences now is to fix on the date which shall