Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1862-03-15
Message of President Davis

icluiIihr. thc lfcSlQGt, from tlnic to time, to
give to tho Congress information of the state
OF tho Confcdcracy, and recommend to their !
consideration such measures as he shall iudgc ,
necessary and cxpcdient, have to comn.uni.
cate, that since my message ut the last session
Of the Provisional Congress, events have de-
inonstratea that the Government had attcmpt
cd moro than it had power successfully to
achieve. Hence, in the@efIor TO protect, by
oitr art,s, the whole ofs tho aerritDry of the
Confederate States, scaboard and inland VIC
have bcen SO exposed MS recently to encounter
serious disasters. When the Conftdcracy was
formed the states composing it were, Us the
peculiar character of their pursuits, and a
misplaced confidence in their former assu.
c'atcs, to grcnt extent, destitute Of the
war on so gigantic a scale ms that which it has
attained The work shops and artizans were
n."inly to be found in the Northern States
and one of the first duties which tcyulv,,l up.
on this Government WAS to establish the nee.
cssary manufactures, and in the mcan,iine to
obtain, ny purchases from abroad, rs far as
practcahlc, whatever was required for the
public defence. No effort has been spared 10
effect both these ends and, though the re-.
suits have not squaletf our hopes it is bell V.
ed that an impartial Judgment will, upnn full
investigation, award to tic various depart
'ncnts OF the Government credit for Iayin.
done all which human power and foresight
enabled them touccompl>h. - e. a
The valar and devotion Of the people have
not only sustained the efforts of the Govern
mcnt, but have gone far to supply its dcfcicn-
cics. 49,
! have hoped for several days to receive Of
fetal reports in relation to our discontinue at
Roanoke Island, and the fall of Fort nuncl
son. They have not yet reached ne, aud !
aai, therefore, unable to communicate to YOU
such Information of tliosc events and the con-
sequences resulting from them, as would cna-
| bic nc to make recommendations founded up.
ON the chang, d condition Which they have
prodncrd. Ennnsh is known Of the surrtn
der ats Itoanoke slanl to make us feel that il
\ was.sd deeply humiliatng, however imperfect
ilEAay have been the preparations for dufcucc
,tle 1iope is still entertained that our,eportea
asssss stsIert ponclsoa haye bsen gseatls
Il iiss but unable to bclieac that. a. large army
l(ioflour people have surrendered witl,out dcs
peratc effort to cut. .thciiswny through invest.
/ ing forces, whatever mayiavc been their mum,
i .bers; and tpendcnvur to make II junction with
other divisions of the arsny. Eut in the ab
sence Of TINT exact information which can on,
~ be afforded by official reports, it would be
premature to pass Judgment. and my own is
reserved, asI trust yours will be, until that
information is rcceivcd.t In the meantime,
strenuous efforts have been made to throw for
ward rcinforcemcnts to the armies ut The posi-
tions threatened, and cannot donlt that the
bitter disnppontmchts VIC have borne by
ncrving the people to still greater cxrrtous
will speedily secure results more accor,lant
with our just expectation, and rs favorable to
our cause as those which marked the earlier
periods of the war.
The reports OF the Secretaries of War and
the Navy will exhibit the mass of resources
for the conduct Of tie war which we have
been enabled to accumulate, notwithstanding
the very serious difficulties against which we
have contcndcd.
They afford the<chccring hope that our re.
sources, limited MS they were mt the beginning
of the contest, will during it's progress. be.
come developed to such an extent us fully to
meet our future wants
The policy Of enlistment for Short terms,
against which have stcadly contendcd fr, IN
the commencement Of the war, has, in my
Judgement, contributed in no in,natcrul &c
gree to the recent rcycrscs which we have
suffered, and even now render it difficult to
| furnish ynu an accurate statement of the ar
my. When tho war first broke out many of
our people could with difficulty be persuaded
2DG at it would be long or serious. 1t was not
! E!iccmcd possiblsthat anything so.insanc as ii
'aApcr.istent attempt to suhjugato these States
I could tbe nR,asai still loss that the ,deusion
would so f,,r'p,eyail as to give to the r.thc
vast proportions whicl, it has assumed The
people incrcdnlous2of of'a long war, were natu.
rally ayerse to lonsenli.tmcnts, and The early
Legislation of Congress rendered it imprctca.
bic to obtain volunteers for greater period
than twelve months. Now that it bns be-
come probable that the war will ha continued
through q series Of years, our high spirited
and gallant soldiers, while generally rc.cnlist-
| ing, are, from tho tact of having entered tho
service for n short term, compelled in many
Instances to go home to make tho necessary
arrangements for their families during their
prolonged absence
The quotas of new regiments for the war
called for from tho different States, arc in ra-
,pld progress of organization, The whole bo.
dy of new lcvics and re enlisted men will pro
badly be ready in the ranks within the next
thirty days. But, il& the meantime, it s OK.
] ,csedingIy difficult to give 'an,. accurate state
hient of the number Of our forces in tho fold.
They may, in general terms, bc stated ut four
hundred regiments of Infantry, with proper
! tomato forco Of o,y,lry aud artillery tho de-
tails cf Tss!!sH will be showa by the report of
tho Secretary Of War. Il decm,it proper to
advert TO tho fabttbat tho process of furoughs
and, rc,eenlistii,ent ,e IL progress Tor tho last
month lsg had X 20 yfar dspTganized ,pnd weakened