, 1861-12-12
Gbt Grihu1l:tIe.


Coy. fletcher on yirginla,s Position In
me HGbelIo1--AeeomBtr Im..
Resa1hfs-k% o1 H. S"nPf, Tsaee s; nnt ~ Intesri-
We nakc Tile following extracts from the
Message Of Gov. 1etcher to the Virginia Ley
islaturr, which assembled ut Richmond On
Monday, the I'd inst. He says:
Since The adjournment of the General 49,
sembly, On the 4th day Of April last, Virginia
has Withdrawn from the Federal Union and
naa resumed her Sovereignty as IN indepeu-
dent State The reasons which impelled her
to the adoption Of this course are numerous.
and arc ample to justify her action. =
We are in no sense responsible for the present
condition Of the public aff:lirs. The Northern
masses, maddencd by passion and inf1a1ned by
prejudice, hare pushed these aggrcssious upon
Us until every consideration Of duty and pat-
11otism requires gs to separate from them.
We desired TO separate In peace. We wanted
no war, but yet ne had made up our minds to
Elndieate our conduct on the battle ieId. it
need be, and rust to that God who directs The
dest1ntcs Of men and nations, to guide us into
the pathway to success andindependence. The
purpose OF the Fcderal President to subjugate
great aims and objects of which have failad..
has involved US in war Of resistance to de-
feeat his unholy designs.
1t IS not with us to determine whether this
war slial! be Of long Or short duration We
haTe decided, however, that it cannot tcr1ni-
na!e untH orr enemies shall recognize fully
ana Internationally the independence Of the
Southern Confedtracy. Whatever Of men or
money Is needed to work out this result. will
pc checrfnlly furnished. There can be and
there VII be no compromise. We can never
as5aln Lire III harmony and peace under the same
government. We can never entertain friendly
3CGlInHS f1T a na1r1h ~ hnT al,-e ebn
Southern blood upon Southern soil in SO exc
cradle war. They have shown themselves
our worst enemies, and such We hold them to
be. The separation that has taken place has
been signalized in blood, and it ought to be,
and trust will be, q permanent separation.
Reconstruction is not desirable, and even if it
we're, it is now an impossibility.
tor TINS struggle, so suddenly commenced,
f1rglnia had for some time been making such
preparations Us her means enabled her to
pared as was desiTnbIc, etill she was better
prepared than most Of her Southern sisters
better perhaps than any one Of them. For
some time anterior to tie secession she had
been engaged in the purchase Of arms Of diff
terent kinds ammunition and other necessary
articles, and in mounting artillery, in anticf.
patton Of tho event which subsequently oc-
Cured
It is to be regretted that Fortress Monroe is
not in our possession; that it was not as easi-
Y captured as the Navy Yard and Harpcrss
last, I consulted with gentleman whose %
si6on enabled him to Know the strength Of
thAt fortress, aud whose experience in military
matters enabled hin. to form an opinion as to
the number Of men that would be required to
capture it. He represented it to be one ofthe
strongest fortihcations in the world. and ex-
pressed his doubts whether it could be taken,
unless assailed by water as well Us By land,
| and simultaneously. He stated, eup1latically,
that with the force then in the fortress, it
| would be useless to attempt its capture with
| out a larSe force, thoroughly equipped and
| well appointed. At no time previous to tho
! secession Of Virginia had We military orga-
nlzation sufficient to justify IN attempt to take
| ii, and events since that occurrence demon
strate very clearly that with our military or
| ganlzation since, and ROW existing, it has not
| been deemed prudent to make the attempt.
/ 1t is impossible at this time to state the
| precise number Of volunteers and nlifitin TINT
Virginia now has in the field, owing to the
| fact that the mastering at Norfolk, Lynchburs,
Abingdon, Staunto1l, Winchester, 1IaFper' !
Ferry, the Potomac division, and other placcs,
Generals office in this city From the light
before Inc, I estimate tic number 1T not less
| than seventy thousand We have in service
titty-nine regiments Of infantry, and consid-
erablc number Of battalons and companies in
this arm Of the service that hnyc not been OF.
l t.<a2l1EN0 1llO 3Ct14ltIEt We ustfH EiTIL OF
ganlzed reg gimellts Of cavalry, and humber
Of companies attached to different commands,
which, if consolidated, would mako probably
| three regiments more. We have issued three
hundred and fifteen pieces Of artillery, nearly
I'LL OF which are in service in the field. Ono
| artillery rts inlcnt only has alccn organized
and that was organized at the instance Of Gen
eTal btagTudcr. When the war commenced
We We're compelled to put our artillery com
panies in the field as fast as they could be
raisedana ar1ncd. The necessity which requir
ed the adoption Of this course at tile origin o
this war has continued to exist, and I hayt
felt it to bc duty to transfer the companie;
to Confederate control as soon Is they wcrs
mustered into service. It is not probable
therefore, that additional artillery regiments
will be organized at this time.
The expenditures Of the Statc for war pur
poses since the 18th Of April last, amount tt
more than six millions Of dollars. Her contri
buttons of fmerrlld money forthc commoncaus'
have been cheern1ly furnished, and her pas
course gives assurance Of her determination
to spare no effort to insure success. She feel
and knows, and therefore acts upon the prin
ciplc, tllat nothing short Of the full and frct
recognition Of the Independence Of the South
cru Confcderacy can give assurance OF protec
ton to persons and property, and happines
slderation, therefore, that should influence
people prompts us to 4t7out|iatc all conpronais!
to reject all at1raHces fo,ca7tls 7rcoastr1tcfion
We must triumph in this struggle. In TIM
alone consists our safety for tic present an
| for the future.
In addition 10 aT1ning our own troops.
have issued arms to such unarmcd regiment.
battalions and companies as came from otlle
States to participate in this struggle. hay
furnished to our friends in Maryland thru
thousand muskete; to Tennessee five batterie
Of six pounder field pieces, comprising for
guns each, and have armed number Of III
infantry reg imcnts; to Missouri, two 81
FOUNDER ritled cannon and five hundred mu
kets; to Kentucky, thirty-six hundred mu
9 kcts, and hayc furnished arms to regiment
: battalions and companies from Texas, Louis
ana, Georgia and South Carolina. Very r
Gently hare furnished one thousand mu
kets to South Carolina, and some heavy eur
aud five hundred nluskets to North Carolin
The Confederate and State authorities ha7
worked together for tho advancement of
cause common to both, and the success
which can only be secured by united couns
and concerted action.
Ireffr 7eiM mort iifeation and regret to the Il
patriotic spirit tch;ch has been exhibited bY t
tion Of oHT peop(e in northeastern Tfrginia, I,
t. the dlsloyal and revolutionary acts to viii
they have resorted to dismcmber this Co,
monWealth, and to organize new State wit
in its limits. Their conduct is scithou just;f.
tion or eze7sse. A day Of rctribution will
= surcdly come, and with it its certain attcu
. ants Of shame and sorrow. The enemies
our nights and our peace Will be driven frc
that fertile and valuable portion Of Virgin
o back to their homes in the North and t
West, and those who have counseled q
abettcd them will be made to feel that Virgil
|, las power to execute her laws and visit p1
#. ishnent upon the guilty yiolators. The nor
i'd western portion Of Virginia must not be ab;
= doned and surrendered to the traitor reside1
IL and the mcrccnary soldicry who now occu
IS it. We owe it to those noble and gcnerc
= mcn who have stood By us thfoughe
: this great struggle, who have sacrit<
|, their Ill in their devotion to Virginia a
the South, who are now refugees, seattle,
here and there throughout the loyal portie
oa Of the Commonwealth, far removed fr.
~ I'LL the endearments aud comforts of hon
to and family and friends. We must restore th'
men to their homes; We must rcpossess t.
country, and bring it again under sabjecti
II to the laws Of Virginia. The Gonan,on,ocd
III must not Be dis7nembeTcd. When this war en-
she must be what she was when it was inaus
n rated. The Ohio river was the western bos
dairy then, and it must continue to be
boundary,
II This war is to end ut the same time, q
n when It docs end, the question Of bound
= between the two governments Is to be adjr