powerful Indian tribes—the Creeks and the Cherokees. This obstacle was finally removed by General Jackson's crushing defeat of the Creeks in 1814, and a large cession of their territory.
The position of Tennessee during the Civil War was the same as that of the other middle and southern States. While secession was in agitation, it refused to secede; but when actual hostilities commenced it joined the Southern confederacy. Even then, however, west and middle Tennessee sympathized with the South, whilst eastern Tennessee sided with the North. Each division sent very large contingents to the army which it favoured. A large portion of the State was, during the later years of the war, in the occupation of the Northern army, and many great battles were fought on its soil, notably those of Fort Donelson, Murfreesborough (Stone River), Franklin, and Nashville. Tennessee suffered more from the exhaustion attendant on the close of the war, and from the rigorous government which accompanied the period of reconstruction, than any other State except Virginia.
See Geology of Tennessee, Nashville, 1809; Elliott, "The Age of the Southern Appalachians," in Amer. Jour. of Sc., April 1883; Bradley, "On the Silurian Age of the Southern Appalachians," ib., April 1875; Haywood, The Civil and Political History of the State of Tennessee from its earliest Settlement up to the Year 1796, Knoxville, 1823; Ramsay, Annals of Tennessee to the End of the Eighteenth Century; Parton, Life of Andrew Jackson, New York, 1860; Kirke, The Rear Guard of the Revolution, New York, 1886; Reports of Tennessee Hist. Soc. and of Bureau of Agriculture, Mines, and Immigration.(D. F. W.)
TENNIS. This, the oldest, perhaps, of all existing ball-games, is at once the most difficult to learn, on account of the intricacy of its laws, and the most interesting when learnt, because of the great variety of its combinations and the difficulty of solving rapidly the problems which are constantly presented to the player. It derives an additional claim to attention from numberless historical associations. Of the origin of tennis it is not possible to speak with certainty; but it may be confidently assumed that it sprang from some very simple sport. It first appeared in Europe in the Middle Ages, when we find it played in open courts, in the parks or ditches of the feudal castles of France and Italy. It was at first the pastime of kings and nobles, but afterwards became popular with all classes. The French seem to have borrowed it from the Italians, and to have contributed some of its refinements; and the English took it from the French. Though mentioned in the Arthurian romances, the game was certainly not known in England in the time of Arthur. The name tennis is supposed to be derived from the exclamation ‘‘Tenez!” employed by early French players in serving the ball. In Italy the game is called "giuoco della palla”; in France, “jeu de paume,” which also means the tennis court; in Germany it is called by the generic title of “Ballspiel”; in Spain, "juego al ble” or “jugar al ble.” It is clear from the French name that the ball was originally struck with the palm of the hand. This was afterwards protected by a glove, as is still the practice in the Basque country. Upon the glove strings and cross-strings were next stretched, to give a faster impulse ; and the addition of a short handle made an easy transition to the racket. In the time of Henry VII. the hand still sometimes met the racket, even in the royal court at Windsor.
One of the first improvements in the game consisted in the building of closed courts, first with walls, then with walls and roof. It is still played in the open air in some places in France, and “pallone,” a rude and violent variety of the game, is yet seen in Italy. There are twenty-seven courts in England and one in Dublin.
As now played, tennis in France is virtually the same as in England, though there are a few differences of detail. The court is rectangular (see the annexed plan). An inner wall runs round three sides, to the height of 7 feet, from which a sloping roof, called the penthouse, reaches to the outer wall. The surrounding passage thus enclosed (not shown in plan) is 7 feet wide. Opposite to the long penthouse is the main wall, in which there is at one point a projection called the tambour, E, which deflects the ball across the court. In the inner wall, below the penthouse, there are several openings, the one at the end, on the service side, being called the dedans, B, the others the galleries. At the further end of the court is the grille, a square opening adjacent to the main wall. Across the court, halfway between the two ends, is stretched a net n, 3 feet high in the middle and 5 feet at the sides. The game may be played by two, or by three, or by four players, one against one, one against two, or two against two. At the commencement the players toss or “spin” a racket, to decide which shall serve first, calling “rough” (for the knotted side) or “smooth.” The party which wins the “spin” has the choice of the service or the “first stroke,” the latter term meaning the return of the service. The server then begins at the “dedans” end of the court, technically called the “service side,” pitches the ball in the air, and strikes it with his racket so that it shall drop on the side penthouse or on the wall above it, and then from the penthouse upon the floor on the other side of the net (called the “hazard side”), within the “service court” bounded by the “service line” x and the “pass line ” p. If he fail to do this, a “fault” is called, or a “pass” if the ball has gone beyond the pass line. If he serves a second fault, his adversary scores a point, called a “stroke.” A pass counts for nothing, but annuls a previous fault. [1] It now becomes the duty of the adversary, called the “striker-out,” to return the ball by striking it with his racket in such a manner that it shall pass back over the net to the service side.
Plan of Tennis Court. A, D, walls on each side of dedans; d, d, gallery walls; h, grille wall; f, net post; g, g, gallery post; v, v, first galleries; y, y, second galleries; x, x, last galleries; z, z, doors; o, o, half-court line; r, r, opening under net for ventilation and warming; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, mark chases.
The server must now strike it again and return it to the hazard side; and the player who first returns the ball into the net or “out of court” to the roof, or above the play line on the walls) loses the stroke, which is scored to his antagonist. But, if a player fail or refuse to strike the ball in the air (a “volley”) or on its first bound and before it touches the floor a second time, then, except on the hazard side beyond the service line, a “chase” is made or reckoned on the floor, according to the lines on or between which the ball has dropped the second time. This chase is a stroke in abeyance. When one has been made it is called by the marker, but does not affect the score until one of the players has scored 40, when they change sides, and the player who has allowed the chase to be made must then endeavour to win it, i.e. to place the second bound of the
- ↑ In the Manchester Club this law (8) has been wisely abolished.
