The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-03-03
JEFF, Davis Mes age.

The melancholy President of the nearly
up cotton Conioderacy, has sent message to
has Congress, which is anything but cheerful.
Among his other confessions, he says. since the
last session of the provisional congress. events
have demonstrated that the government had at
tempted more than it had power successfully to
achieve. Hence, i'll the effort to protect by our
arms the whole territory Of the Confederate
States, seaboard and inland, we have been 50
exposed us recently to encounter serious dlsas-
ters When the Confederacy was formed, the
States comprising it were in the peculiar charac-
ter Of their pursuits, and misplaced confidence
lin their former associates, to great extent dcs-
titute of the means for the prosecution OF the
war on 50 gigantic scale as that to which 1t
has attained.
1t is quite too bad that JEFF, should have found
himself at last, the victim of misplaced conf
dence.'' And who can he refer to as hls - for
,ner associates ?" He confesses that :. the want
''oi navy greatly impeded his Efforts to import
- military supplies of all sorts lie has re-
>eived no official report from Roanoke Island,
but "enough is known of the surrender to make
- him feel that 1t was deeply humiliatng, how
ever imperfect may have been the preparation
- for Defence" tie still entertains the hope
+hat his reported losses at Fort Donelson have
- been greatly exaggerated, inasmuch as he is
- not only unwilling, but unable, to believe that
- u large army of lis people have surrendered
- without desperate effort to cut their way
4" through the investing forces, what ever may
:. have been their numbers, and to endeavor to
- make IL junction with other divisions Of the
4" army and this hope is IA very sharp re-
buko Of, and criticism upon, the surrender of
Con. Buckner.
Of the condition of the rebel army and its
strength, he says:
The whole b"dy of new evies and re-enlsted
men will probably be ready in the ranks within
the next thirty days. But in the meantime it
is exceedingly difficult to give an accurate state
ment OF the number of our forces in the field.
They may in general terms be stated at four
hundred regiments Of infantry with proportion
ate forces OF cavalry and artillery, the details
Of which will be shown by the report of the
Secretary of War. deem it proper to avert
10 the fact that the process OF iurloughs and re
enlistment in progress for the last inonth had
80 lar disorganlzed and weakened our forces as
10 impair our ability for successful defense, bat
hereby congratulate you tina. this evil which
had forescen and was poweress tn prevent.
may now be said to be substantially at an end
and that we shall not again during the war be
exposed to seeing our strength diminished by
this fruitful Cause OF disaster-short estimates
OF the rebel Navy he says
- Notwithstanding our very limited resources
however, the report of the Secretary will ex-
hibit to you satisfactory proportion in prepA.
RI ton. and certainty of the near completion OF
vessels of number and class on which We may
confidently rely for contestng the Wanted con-
troll Of the enemy over our waters.
He attempts to find little consolation ior
himself and his cause In the following statemen,
OF the financial condition Of the rebel States
:. The financial system devised by the wisdom,
yonr predecessors, hss proved adequate to