Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-10-09

s drum head court martial, composed of members
who may not comprehend word Of the Language
in which the laws are written; and who have Gu
tered the military service of the United States IS
mere adventures. or mefcenary cut thr0ats; who
are willing to butcher their fellow men for hire.
As independent States. both Missouri and Mary
land have ceased to exist They have been blotted
from the catalogue of soverelgntes and a foreign
master has placed his foot upon the necks Of their
once free sAd happy people.
What may be said of that once proud Kentucky,
which Tennessee has always regarded as twin
sister She, too, seems almost ready to tal vic
tim to the arms of our common enemy. For the
admiration we feel for her noble sons who raj
lying by thousands to rescue her from the perils
which everhang her present and future, and in
memory of her glorious past, let US hope, and hope
without doubling, that abe will hurl the maHacles
from her limbs before they have been firmly rivet-
ed and once more stand forth amongst her sister
States of the South redeemed and disenthraed, the
same We have known her in other and better
days. +
Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky mly have to
bear yeti little longer the fortunes of THAR enslave
ment, but the day of their deliverance will come.
Millions of their sympathzing friends Of the South
regard their thsir own and if it is the wish
of those States be saved the soldiers of the South
will never lay down their arms until the last North
ern mercenary has been driven beyond their Dor
| ders
The States Of the Sout HOW engaged in this mo-
mentous struggle for freedom may behold in the
present condition of Maryland and Missouri faint
picture of what their own fate would have been if
they had delayed their declarations of independence
and postponed the work of preparing to resist the
enerOachments of an INSCRIPTIONS enemy. Had
we remained short time longer in inglOrious ease
living in the enjoyment of the deusIve hope that
returning sense of justice would induce the North
ern people to award to Us our full measure of con
stitutional right, would like the victim encir-
cled by the Anaconda have been crushed without
| the power of resistance.
The condition of Mary land and Missouri furnishes
US with q dim foreshadewing OF what our own tate
would be if the fortunes of should result even
in partial subjugation of any of the Confederate
States.
We would be blind indeed, if we did not see that
for as there can be no future which annihlstiou
| would not b, preferable, except in the establish
ment of our independence. All that we have, and
all that we hope for is dependent upon successful
issue to this conflict. Not only estates and our
rights of every description, but our liberties and
| our lives are staked upon the result.
The South has entered into the struggle with en-
thusissm and unanimity, knowing well the conse-
quences which would surely follow defeat
| Already have Jour enemies paTcsled out IN pros
pectiVe the property of our people, and their delu-
dsd soldiers aare revealing in Imagination in the
promised homestead Of the gallant defenders of
our soil
The northern tax payers who hesitate to encour-
| age the prosecution of a war, which, even in the
first months of its progress, is increasing the Aai9n
al Q6Db at rate OF over OF per
day, Sieneed into (quiesce nee by the promise
that the South shall pay the entire expense past,
present, and future, soon as she is snbjugsted
And visions of prospective positions Of dignity AID
power in the government of the conquered prov
/ inces Of the South are dazzling the fancy of their
ambitious military chiefs.
Never before did any people engage in war in
which they had more TO gain by success or to lose
by defeat than have the people of the Confederate
States in the present struggle And never yet have
1 IL
! or more united purpose, to gain all or lose all.
| They have known from the beginning, that there
| was for them no intermediate stopping place,
| between complete victory and entire ruin.
In the stand they have taken, they present the
| noblest spectacle of sublime devotion 10 liberty
Unsefsh patriotism and perfect fraternity wherein
the wealth of money and the best blood Of the
country are all thrown into the common stock
| without stint or reservation, to achieve common
and glorious deliverance, or to perish by common
disaster.
In the Providence of Almighty God, it was never
| designed that such people should fail in Rchiev
ing their independence, despite the power of supe
rior numbers to which their invaders may lay
claim. .
The pages Of history do not furnish single
example where eight millions of united freemer
have been permanently subdued by any power
however formidable, which may have been brought
against them. The spirit which animates men who
combat in defence Of their families and their homes
number of mere mercenary adVersaries who fgh
for plumber and for conquest "
Witness the various engagements which have al
ready marked che progress of the war. Remember
the seigs of Sumter, the battle Of Bethel, thC
browning glery Of Manassas, where our victorious
lepions drove back that Grand Array" in wild con
fusion and dismsy into the very presence Of tbs
despot who sent them forth, and into the very CAPT
tai from whence they had marched only shOr
time before. flushed with the assurances OF an easy
victory. Remember the brilliant achievements al
Springfield and Lexington.
The difficulties which beet US for a time, are re-
sulting in permanent advantages. The rigid block
1 ade which it was vaiuly supposed would starye Vi
into submission, has not emily taught us how easily
we can dispense with the luxuries to which we have
been accustomed, but having thrown US upon oul
own resources it has developed internal sources o
wealth of which We had lived in comparative igno
rance.
Instead Of the bread which We haze eretpfJr'
purchased beyond our own limits, We haze far
nshed it ourselves in f5urfoid abundance from Op'
/ own teeming and generous soil. The contemplation
Of possible future necessity, has taught US tina
W. can produce within the limits Of the Confederacy
| every necessary article for which we have hereto
fore been dependent upon others. Tennessee alone
under the st7iuant Of constant demand, can supply
food Gnd clothing fGT more than three times bel
population.
The very enorHities ~4ico alye characterized
tAe acts Of the Government of the Chitea safes
and which were designed to strike terror 20 The
,som of the Southern Ieo Die have only served to
steel cur hearts and nerve our arms, and TO ado
another and an irresistible impulse {; determI
nation TO free ourselves now and forever from al
political association connection with our former
ooafedeFales
Although the pStriotic devotion Of the entirt
South 10 the noble cause in w4iGl we have al
staked "our iiVeE, our fortunes and oEr sacred
honor" is worthy of all praise, yet may be par
dOned for referring with feeliugs of pride and SAITH
faction, to the proud and patriotic stand which
TeBEQsee has taken in this great struggle and tht
I liberal CONTRIBUTIONS of gallant men and munitions
Of war which she Bas klGde to the cause of South
ern Independence.
1t is due to Tennessee to say, and IL EaSy be sail
without disparagement to other States, that oul
people haye done more in the work of raising or
gInigng, aFRlihS and eguiping an army than wa
ever before accomplished BY any State IN the same
length Of time.
Having no military organizations, and almos
without arms and destitute of authority to raise
troops or procure arms until the passage Of the se
of the 9Th of May last. within less than two months
fF94 the passage of this act thirty thousand volun
teers were organized and throw into the field. Too
much cFedit cSnpOt be awarded TO the patriotic
peope'ef the State for tie slRcrity with which they
first ntimation of necessity. have bsen compelled
70 decline the services of q large number rendered
| in e. 3eEs of the demand .
Much eVedt is due, also to the officers of the pro
visI6nal army foe tie promptitude with which they
organized and prepsred Sc large force for effective
| service in the ftld. itfeF Gu 20 The report o.
&diutant General McHeury for 1ull psttiog!grs il
detail a. to the organzA Of the Provisional Army
| Of Tennessee. This army was, the 3lst day Of
July last, by my geserGt order of that date trans
ferred to the service Of hts Confederate States Of
/