Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-07-31
MESSAGE
OF
PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS.

MESSAGE
49, OF
PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS.
To the Congress Of the
Confederate States Of America:
GENTLEMEN: Ny Message, addressed to you at
the commencement of the session, contained such
full information of the state Of the Confederacy as to
render it unnecessary that / should now do more
than call your attention to such important facts as
have occurred during the recess, and to matters
connected with the public defence
have again to congratulate you on the accession
of new members of our Confederation of free equal
and sovereign States. Our loved and honored
brethren of North Carolina and Tennessee have
contaminated the action, foreseen and provided for
at your last session, and have had the grati6ca-
ton of announcing by proclamation, in conformity
with law, that those States were admitted into the
Confederacy
yiously unknown in her history, have ratified the
action of her Convention, uniting her fortune with
ours The States of Arkansas, North Carolina and
Virginia, have likewise adopted the permanent Con-
stituton of the Confederate States and no doubt is
entertained of its adoption by Tennessee at the cleo
ton to be held early next month.
deemed it advisable to direct the removal of the
several Executive Departments, with their archives
10 LliS City, W Which, yOu udu iCuoNC0 suo SS"s "a
government Immediately after your adjournment.
The aggressive movements Of the enemy required
prompt and energetic action The accumulation OF
his forces on the Potomac sufficiently demonstrated
that his efforts were to be directed against Virginia;
and from no point could the necessary measures for
her defence ana protection be so efficiently directed
as from her own capitol
The rapid progress of events for the last few
weeks has fully suficed to strip the veil behind
which the true policy and purposes Of the Govern
ment of the United States had been previously con-
cealed; their odious features now stand fully re-
vealed the message of their President and the &C.
ton of their Congress during the present month,
confess the intention Of subugating these States BY
war, whose folly is equaled by its wickedness; q
war by which it is impossible to attain the proposed
result whilst its dire calamities not to be avoided
by us will fall with double severity upon them
selves.
Commencing in March last with an affectation Of
ignoring the secession of the seven States which
first organized this government persistng in April
in the idle and absurd assumption Of the existence
of riot which was to be dispersed by poses conf
tdtus continuing in successive months the false
representation that these States intended offensive
war; in spite of the conclusive evidence to the con-
trary furnished as we'll by official action, as by the
very basis on which this governments constituted;
the President of the United States and his advisers
succeeded in deceving the people Of those States in
to the belief that the purpose of this government
was not peace at home, but conquest abroad not
the defence of its own liberties but the subverson
of those of the people of the United States.
The series of manGuvres by which this impress
sion was created-the art with which they were
devised, and the perfdy with which they were exc
cuted were already known to you but you could
scarcely have supposed that they would be openly
ayowed and their success made the subject of boast
and self-laudation, in an executive message. For
tunately for the truth of history, however, the Pres
ident Of the United States details with minuteness
the attempt to reinforce Fort Pickens in violation Of
an armistce of which he confesses to have been in
formed, but 'only by rumors too vague and uncer-
tain to fix attention" the hostile expedition dis.
patched to Fort Sumter, admitted to have been un-
dertaken with knowledge that its success was i'm
possible; the sending of notice to the Governor Of
South Carolina of his intention to use force to &C.
complsh his object; and then quoting from his In
augural Address the assurance that there could be
no conflict unless these States were the aggressors,
he proceeds to declare that his conduct as just rea
ted by himself was performance Of this promise,
$50 free from the power Of ingenious sophstry as
that the world should not be able to misunderstood
it; )" and in defiance Of his own statement that he
gave notice of the approach Of hostile feet he
charges these States with becoming the assaants of
the United States, without gun in sight or in
erpectancy to return their fire. only the few in
the fort" He is indeed fully justified in saying
that the case sis free from the power Of ingenious
sophstry that the world will not be able to misun-
derstand it"
Under cover of this unfounded p1etence that the
Confederate States are the assailants, that high
functonary, after expressing his concern that some
foreign nations had so shaped their action as if
they supposed the early destruction Of our National
Union was probable" abandons oil further disguise,
and proposes Ito make this contest short and de-
csive one" by placing at the control of the govern
ment for the work, at least four hundred thousand
men and $4OO, 100000 The Congress, concurring
in the doubt thus intimated to the suficency Of
the force demanded, has increased it to half mil
lion Of men. These enormous preparations in men
and money, for the conduct Of war on scale more
gigantic than any which the new world has ever
witnessed is distinct avowal in the eyes of civil.
lied man, that the United States are engaged in q
conflict with great and powerful nation they are
at last compelled to abandon the pretence OF being
engaged in dispensing rioters and suppressing in
surrections; and are driven to the acknowledgment
| that the ancient Union has been dissolved. They
recognize the separate existence of these Confederate
States, by the Introduction, embargo and blockade
ofall commerce between them and the United States
not only by sea, but by land not only in ships,
but in rail cars; not only with those who bear
arms but with the entire population Of the Confed-
crate States. Finally, they have repudiated the
fooilsh concelt that the inhabitants OF tins Confeder-
acy still citizens of the United States for they
| are waging an indiscrinipate war upon them all,
with savage ferocity unknown to civilization. In
this war; rapine is the rule private residences in
peaceful, rural retreats are bombarded and burnt
grain crops in the field are consumed by the torch
and when the torch is not convenient careful labor
is bestowed to render complete the destruction Of
every article Of use or ornament remaining in pri
vate dwellings, after their inhabitants have all fled
| from the outrages Of a brutal soldiery.
In 1881, Great Britain when invading her revolt
ed Colonies took possession Of the very district Of
country near Fortress Monroe now occupied by
troops of the United States. The houses then in
habited by the people, after being respected and
protected by avowed invaders are now pillaged and
destroyed by men who pretend that the victims ART
| their fellow citizens. - ~
Mankind will shudder to hear the tales Of outrage:
committed defenceless females by soldiers Of tn.
United States now invading our homes; yet thest
outrages are prompted by hffamed passions and thu