He laid out Knoxville as his capital, where he built a good house with a lawn in front.

An important factor in the defeat of Bragg was the detaching from his army of the corps under Longstreet which had been sent to Knoxville in a futile attempt to crush Burnside and to reconquer East Tennessee for the Confederacy.

In 1794, there being five thousand free male inhabitants, as provided by law, Tennessee became entitled to a Territorial legislature, and the Governor summoned the Assembly to the meet at Knoxville on August 17th.

As to the journey from North Carolina, he advised that the start be made about the first of September and the course be laid through Knoxville to Nashville.