The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-22
such severity of retaliation on the prisoners
held by us as should secure the ABANDON
mant Of the practice.

such severity of retaliation on the prisoners
held by us as should secure the aoaHuoH-
This cornmunication was received aud read
by the officer in command OF inc army OF the
United Statee, and message was brought
from, him nv the bearer OF my commu nioafton
| thai n repry would be returned by President
IipcoIn as soon possible i earnestly hope
| that this promised reply, which has not yet
| heen received, will convey the assurance that
| nrisoners Of war will be treated in this un-
| happy con test with that regard 10 humanity
| which has made such conspicuous progress In
| the conduct of modern warfare. AS a measure
| of preca tion, however, and until the promise
reply is received, still retain In close Gus
| tody some officers captured from the enemy.
whom il had been my pleasure previously to
| enlarge on parole, and whose fate must neces-
sariy depend on that OF the prisoners held by
the enemy:
append a copy of my communication to
the President and Commander-iu in Chief of
| the Army and Navy of the United States, and
It, marked Doc A.
There are some other passages In the re-
markable paper to which have directed your
attention, having reference 10 the peculiar re-
lations which exist bstween this GoverDmen t
and the States usnaliy termed the border
| slave States, which cannot properly be with
held from notice.
The hearts OF our people are animated by
sentiments towards the Inhabitants of tho e
| States, which found expression In your enact
ment refusing to consider them rs enemies r
| TO authorize hos tilities against them. That a
very large portion of the people of those
| States regard us as brethren that if unre-
| strained by the actual presence Of large
| armies, the subyersion of civil authority and
| the declaration OF martial law, some of them
| at least w0uld j0yfuliy unite with tha /
| they are with almost entire unanimity op
posed TO the prose ution of the war Waged
against us, are facts OF which daily recu rring
| even Is fully warrant the assertion.
The President of the Unitsd States refus ses
| To recognize III these, our late sister States,
| The right Of refraining from attack on us and
| justifies his refusal by the assertion that the
States have no other power than that re-
served TO them in the Union hy the Constitu-
ton, no one Of them hdUiaQ eUer been State
out OF the Unioa.'
This view of the constitutional relations
bet tween the States and the General Govern
ment, is fitting introduction to another as
sertion OF the Message, that the Execu tive
possesses the power OF suspending the writ of
habeas corpus, and of delegaung that power
| to military com naDders, at his discretion :.
| and both these propositions claim a respec t
equal TO that which is feltfor the additional
statement of opinion IN the same paper, that
| it is proper, in order 10 execute the laws, that
"s some single law, made in such extreme
tenderness of the citizens liberty, that pTac-
tically it relieves more OF the guilty than the
innocent, should, to very limited extent, be
violated"
We may well rejoice that We have fore yer
severed our connec ion with Government t
that thus tramples on all the principles of
constitutional liberty, and with people in
whose presence such avoWals could be haz-
arded.
The operations in the field will be greatly
extended by reason of the policy which, here
tofore secretly entertained, is now avOVed
and acted on by the United Stites The forces
hitherto raised proved am pie Tor the defence
of the seven States which originally organized
the Oonfederacy, as is evinced by the fact, that
with the exception of three fortified islands,
whose defence is efficiently aided by u
preponderatiug naval forca, the enemy has
been driven completely out of those States :;
and now, at the expiration of five months
from the formation of the Government not h
single hostile foot presses their sJll These
forces, however, must necessarily prove in
adequate TO repel the INVASION by half a mil
lion OF men, now proposed by the enemy !;
and corresponding increase in our forces
will become necessary. The recommenda-
tions for the raising aud efficient equipment
Of this add tional force Will be contained In
| the communication Of the Secretary OF War,
| to which need scarcely invite your earnest
atten ton
| In my Message delivered in April last, re-
| ferred to the promise of ahund Int crops with
! which we were cheeret. Tn grain crops gen
rally have since been harvested, and the yield
has proven 10 be the most abundant known il
our history. Many believe the supply ade
Quate to two years cOnsu umption OF our pop
ulation Cotton, sugar and tobacco, io.mng
the surplus producton OF our agriculture,
and furnishing the basis of our commercial
interchanges, present the most cheering pro-
mise; and a kind Providence has smii-d on
the labor which extracts the teemug weAit III
of our soil in all portions OF our OoIte racy
1t is the more CRAFTY ing to Dc allie to give
you this assurance, b 1c&Gse of the heed OF q
| large and increased expenditure in the sup
port OF our army Elevated and puriH"d by
the sacred cause they maintain, orr feilo W
| citizens OF every condition in iite exhibit the
most sslf-sacriticii & devotion. They mani
| fest laudabte pride OF upholding th4r inde-
| pendence. unaided by any resources other
than their own; and the immense wealt h
which = fertile soil and genial climate e
have accumulated in this C0Gfederacy of
agriculturists, could not be more sFIik
ingly displayed than in the large reve-
nues which, with eager zeal, they have
contributed at the call OF their country
In the single article of cotton, the subecIip
lions 10 the loan proposed by tue Government
cannot fall short OF fifty millions of dollars,
and will probably largely exceed that sum /;
and scarcely au article required for the con-
sumption of the army is provided other wise
than by subscription to the produce loan so
happily devised by yopr wisdom. The Secre-
tary OF the Treasury, in the report submitted
to you by him, will give you the ana pIest de-
tails connec ted with that branch OF the pub
lie service.
But It's not alone In their prompt pecuniaTy
contribu tiops that the noble race of freemen
who inhabit these States eyince hoG worthy
they are OF the liberties which they so Well
know how to defend In numbers far ex ceed
ing those authorized by your laws, they have
pressed the tender of their services agaius t
tne enemy. 1heir al ltuds OF calm anu
sublime devotion TO their country the cool
ana confident courage with which they are
already preparing 20 meet the threa tened in =
vasion in whatever proportions il may as
snme; the assurance that their sacrifices and
their services will be renewed from year 10
year with nnfaltering purpose, until they ha ve
made good TO the uttermost their right 10 self
government; the generous and almost uuQ ues-
tioning confidence which they display in their
Government during the pending struggle, all
combine to present spec ctacie snch as the
world has rarely, il ever, seen
To speak of ubjugattDg such people, SO
united and determined, Is to speak iu Ism
guage incomprehensibe to them To resis t
attacks on their rights or their liberties is
with them an instinct. Whether this war
shall last one, or three, or five years, il a
problem they leave to be solved by the enemy
alone 4; it Will last till the enemy shall have
Withdrawn from their borders-tili their po-
ntical rights, their affairs and their homes are
freed from invasion. Then, and then only,
will they rest from this struggle, to enjoy III
peace the blessings which, with the favor OF
Providence, they have secured by the aid OF
their own strong hearts and sturdy arms.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Richmond, July %, 1861.
The Recent Flag of Truce from President