Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-07-23

essary that should now DO no more than call your
attention to such important facts as have occurred
during the recess, and to aters connected with the
opblic defence.
i have again to congratulate you on the accession
Of new members to our Confederation of free, equal
aud sovereign States. OR loved and honored oreth
rem of North Carolina and Tennessee have consun-
mated the action foTeseen ard prcYided Tor st your
last session and have had the qualification OF an
nouncing by proclamation, in conformity with the
law, that those States were admitted into the Con-
fed4acy.
The people of Virginia, also, BY majority previ
ously unknown in her history. have ratified the
action Of her convention uniting er fortunes With
The States of Arkansas, North Carolina and yir-
ginia have likewise adopted the permanent Constr
tuition Of the Confederate States and 10 doubt IS en-
tertained of its adoption by Tennessee at the election
to be held early next month.
deemed it advisable to direct the removal OF the
several Executive Departments, with their archives
to this city 90 which you had removed the seat OF
Government, Immediately after your adjournment
The aggressive movement OF the enemy required
Uroulpt energetic action. The accumulation of his
forces on the Potomac sufficiently demonstrated that
his efforts were be directed against Virginia; and
from no point could the necessary measures for her
defence and protection be so efficiently directed as
! from her own capital
The rapid progress Of events for the last few
weeks has fully sulficed to strip the veil behind
which the true policy and purposes OF the GOVERN
ment Of the United States has been previously CON
cealed' Their odious features ROW stand fully re-
vealed. The message Of their President and the
action of their Congress during the present month";
confess the intention Of subiugatng these States by
war whose folly is equsllsd only by its wickedness
which it is impossible to obtain the proposed
result:.whilst its dire caamities, not be avoided
by us will fall with double severity on themselves
Commencing, in March last, with the afectstion
of ignoring the secession of the States which
first organized this Government; persistug, in April
in the idle and absurd assumption of the existence
of riot which was to be dispersed by posse e0n>
UdilS; continuing, in successive months, the false
representation that these States intended often
sive war--in spite of conclusive evidence to the
contrary as by the very basis which this Govern
ment is constituted-the President of the United
States and his advisers succeeded IN deceVlng the
people of those States into the belief that the pur
pose of this Government was not for peace athome,
| but conquest abroad-not the defence of its own
berties but the subversion Of those of the people
! of the United States.
! The series of mSpTuyres by which this impress
| sion was cTeated-the with which they were de-
! vised-and the perhdy with which they were exc
! cuted are 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 laudaton in an Executive message.
Fortunately for the truth of history, however, the
President of the United States details with minute
ness the attempt to reinforce Fort Piekens IN viola
ton of an armistce of which he confesses to have
| been informed, bnt only by rumors too vague and
uncertain to fix attention.
The hostile expedition despatched to supply Fort
Sumter. admitted to have been undertaken with the
| knowledge that its success was impossible the
sending of a notice to the Governor Of South Carroll
ma of his intention to force TO accomplish his OBJ
ject and .hen quoting from his inaugural address
the assurance that there could be conflict unless
these States the aggressors he proceeds to de
clare that his conduct just related by himself,
was the performance of this promise, so free from
the power of ingenious sophisry as that the world
should not be able TO misunderstood 1t and IN de-
fianOe of his own statement that he gave notice of
the approach of the hostile feet he charges these
States with becoming the assailants of the United
States Without gun in sight or IN expectancy TO
return their fire, only few IN the FORT he IS
indeed fully justified in saying that 1.-THE case IS so
free from the power Of ingenious sopnlstry that the
world will not be able to misunderstood IT."
! Under the cover Of this unfounded pretense. that
the Confederate States are the assallants tAat hgh
functIonary after expressing his concern that some
foreign nations had so shaped their actions as II
they supposed the early destruction Of our National
Union probable, he GbaEdons all further disguise,
! and proposes TO make this contest short one by
placing at the control of the Government for the
| work 400 900 men and S40000O0OO. The Congress
concurring in the doubt thus minated as to the
suf iency of the force demanded, has increased 1t
/ to half a million of men.
| These enormous preparations in men and money
for the conduct of the on scale more gigantic
! than any which the New World ever witnessed Is
! distinctive avowal, in the eyes Of civilized man,
that the United States engaged IN conflict with
a great and powerful nation. They are at last COM
PEELED TO abandon the preteXt Of being engaged IN
the dispensing of rioters and the suppressing OF III
! surrectons, and are driven TO the acknowledge
msnt that the ancient Union has been dissolved.
They recognize the separate eXisteHee OF these Con
federate States BY the introduction by embargo and
| blockade of all commerce between them and the
United States, not only by sea but by land-not
only ships, but in caTs-not only with those who
bear arms, but with the entire population OF tue
| Confederate States: finally they have repudiated
the foolish concet that the inhabitants of this Con
federacy are still citizens of the United States for
! they are waging an indiscriminate war upon them
all with savage ferocity unknown 10 modern CIV
lzation. In this war rapine is the rule-prIVate
residences and peaceful rural retreats are DouOard-
ed ard burned grain crops N the field are cOnsum
ed by the torch and when the torch is not conven-
lent careful labor il bestowed to render the com
plete destruction CT every article OF use or orna-
ment remainiTg in private dwellings after their ln-
habitants have fed from the outrages Of a brutal
soldiery.
In 1881 Great Britain when invading her reYoltsd
colonies took possession of every district Of the
country near Fortress Monroe now occupied by the
troops of the United States; the houses inhabited
by the people after being respected and protected
by the avOwed invaders, are now pilaged and de-
stroyed by men who pretend that the victims are
their fellow citizens. Mankind will shuddeT TO hear
the tales Of OutrageS committed on detcuSeless fe
males, by the soldiers Of the United States. now in
vadDg our homes. Yet these Outrages are prompted
by infiancd passions and the madness of intOxica
ton, but who shall depict the horror with which
they regard the cool deliberate malignity with
which. under the preteXt of suFpressing an nsur-
Teotion: said by themselves TO be upheld by min
GRITTY only of people, they make SPECIAL war on
the sick including women and children, ~ carefully
devised measures to prevent their obtaining the
medicine necessary for their cure: The sacred
claims of humanity, respected even during the fury
of actual battle, by a careful diversion of the at
tack from the hospitals containing the wounded
enemies, arc outraged in cold blood by a govern
ment and people that prcteni TO desire the continU
snce Of fraternal connections. All these outragos
must remain unaYeDgEd save by the universal re-
probation OF mankind. In all cases where the &C
tua perpetrators Of the wrong escape capture they
admit of no retaliGtion; the humanity Of our PEG
pie would shrink instinctively from the base idea
of wagng Ike war upon the sick. the women and
the children of The enemy. But there are other
savage practices which have been rCsorted TO by
the government Of the United States which DO ad-
NIT of repression by retaliation. have been driven
to the necessity of enforcing this repression.
The prisoners of war, taken by the enemy on
board The armed schooner Savannah sailing under
cur commission. were. as | was crelibiy advised,
treated like felOns, put in irons confned in
jail usually appropriated TO criminals of the worst
dye, and threatened with punishment such. l
had made application for the exchange of the pris-
Oners, to the commanding officer of the enemys
squadron off Charleston; but that officer had already
sent the prisoners to New York when my apphca-
ton was made. l. therefore. deemed it my duty to
renew the proposal for exchange to the constitu-
- Al. E