Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1862-03-05
Message of President Davis,
opruE ,coNFEDERATE STATES

OPTHE oNFEDERATE STATES.
To THE SENATE ASp HOUSE OF REPRESENTA-
rIvrs oY THE CONFEDERATE STATES:
In obedience to the Constitutional provis
ions requiring the President, from time to
time, to give 10 the Congress information OF
the state of the Confederacy, and recommend
to their consideration such measures ns he
shall judge necessary and expedieut, have
10 communicate, that since my message Ut
the lsst session of the Provisional Congress,
events have demonstrated that the Govern
nent hal attempted more than 1t had power
successfully To achieve. Hence, III the effort
to protect, by our arms. the whole OF the ter.
TT ,ry of the Confederate States. scaboard and
llsnd, We have been FL exposed rs recently
l., encounter serious disasters When the
Cunfe,ieracy was formed the States cnmpo
sing it were, by the peculiar character ot their
pursuits and splaced conii't"nce in Their
former associates, to great extent, destitute
q! the means for the prosecution OF the war
on so gigantic Il scale as that which 1t has at
taineii. Tue workshops and artisans We're
inainly to be found in the Northern States !;
and one Of the first duties which devolved
upon this Government was to establish the
nece >sary msuufactories. and in the meantime
10 obtain, by purchase from abroad, as Tar as
prscticable, whatever was required tor the
public defence. No effort has been spared to
rtf.c; both these ends; and, though the re-
sllts have not equalled our hopes, it is b.
Iieved thai sn impartial Judgment will, upon
full investigation, award to the yarlnus dc
psr,ments of the Government credit f3r har.
ing done all which human power and lore
sigut enabled tbcln 10 accomplish.
The valor aud devotion of the people have
not only sustained the eilJrts of the Govern
meut. but have gone far To supply its def
ciencies.
The active state OF military preparations
among tue nations OF Europe in April last,
the dsre when our agents first went abroad,
interp,sed unavoidable delays in the procure
ment OF arnls ana the want ot navy has
greatly imprd.l our elt1rts to iu,I"rt lhilitn-
~ supplies Of all s'rrt>.
| have hoped for several days Ia receive OF.
fetal reports III relation 10 our di>c'snIi'are AZ
Roanoke Island, and the fall of Futt DUnel-
spn. They have not vet reached me, ard
slI,, therefore, unable 10 communicate ,oyuu
such information OF those events and the COLI
s"queuc..s resulting from them, aS would ena
tle the T., lllAke recommendations lugnded up
on the charged condition wkrh they haze
produced. Enough is known Of the SURRENDER
~, Roanoke Island To make us feel ,ha, it MAS
deeply huniliating, however IMPERFECT may
have been the preparations for d. fence.
The hope is still enter;ninetl that our report
ed lusse ut F"rt D1aelsOn have been greatly
exaggerated. in,.slnurh as | am not only un-
willing. but unable 10 believe that . large ar
my "f our people have surrendered withou, a
desperate eff 'rt To cut their way through IN
vestng forces. whatever may have been their
numbers, and u endeavur to make a unction
with other divisions ui the sr.ny. Bus IN The
absence IF that exact intolua,lun which ear
only be All ried by official reports, it would
be premature I" pu,, Judgment. and my own
is reserved, AZ trust yours will be, urtil TINT
information is received. In ;ile meantime,
strenuous efforts have been made to throw
forward relniorcemcnts 10 the armies at the
positions threatened, and | cannot doubt tina:
th. bitter disappointments we hsve borne, by
nerying the people to still greater exerti"ns,
will speedily secure results more accurdsnt
with our 49, citation and us E.'~'-N !e to
Isl