Delaware State journal and statesman., 1862-03-04
THE REBELS LAMENT.
A Secession Dirge in Melancholy Prose
BY JEFF DAVIS,
n md Hfs6 Pri,st qf REBELLION and areh Tfaio,
of America.

T. the Senais and Hoats Of RsPressN'ai,re Of N,
Confederate Sqissi
In obedience u the provision Of the eonstiiu-
ii Q requiring the President from time 20 time tq
zue 10 Congress information OF the state OF the
ConfederAey, aud recommend 70 thgir eoDsiIera-
ton such measures ss he shall Judge necessary
aud expedient, | have to communicate, thar,
sinee my message at the last session Of lie Pro-
,-,onal Congress, events have demonstrated that
the G1vsinmsnt had attempted more than it bad
power successfully to achieve.
Hence. in the effort to protect by our arms
IA. whole territory Of the Confederate States,
seabsar1 and inanl We have been so exposed
as recently to encounter serious disasters.
When the Co .ieieracy Was formed. the States
comprising it were, in the pseular character ot
their pursuits aad misplaced GOuf ienes 10
th,ir former assoc aies, to a great extent de-t
tuts u the means for the prosecution of . EAr
on 50 gigantic a scals as thar which it has at
taiaed. The workshops and artisans were main
ly to be found in the northern states, and one
of the first duties which lsyolyel upou tbs
Government WAS 10 establish the necessary man
ufactories, and 10 the meantime to obtain by
purchase from abroad, as far as practicAbl4,
Whatever vas required fsf tle public defence.
No effort has been slArel 70 efsc, both os
these emil AMI though The results have not
equalled cur hopes, s it believed that an
| lmpsriia ju igment, will, upon fuil Investigation.
award TO the various departments Of the Govern
meni credit for having done all which human
4 power and foresight enabled ihtm . accomplish
/ The yalor and devotion Of ihe peorls have net
I only sustained the efforts Of the Government
/ but have gone far 10 support its deficiencies.
Tue active -,ate OF military preparations am0ug
tue nations Of Europe "a April tile date wien
our agents hrst went tbro4d-l lnterpusel una-
yoidabie delays "a the procurement Of arms. ami
tile Want Of rasy has greatly imp-lel our
Asf.- g
sorts,
/ have hoped for several days t. receive ofi
ciAl reports IA relation to our liscomhlure at
/ Roanoke Island, and the fall Of Fort Dlnelson
They have not yet reached me- and am there
fore unable 10 communicate to you such ini5r-
nation Of past events, and the consequences
resulting from them, As would enable me 10
make recommendations founded upon the chang
ed condition which they have produced. Enough
IS known Of the surrender Of Roanoke Isllad 10
make us feel that it was deeply hnmtia;ing
however imperfect may have been the prepara-
tious for defence.
I The hope is still entertained that our reported
] losses at Port Donelson have been much exnrge.
rated, inasmnch as | am not only unwilling, but
unable to believe that large army Of our people
have surrendered without desperate ATTEMPT
10 cut their way through the investing forces
whatever may have been their numbers, ami to
endeaVor to make junction with the other i Vi
sions Of the army. But in the absence Of that
exact information which can be afforded BY OIL
cial reports, it would be premature to b ass
judgment, and my own IS reserved as trust
/ yours viii be, until that lufor alton a received
/ In the meantime, strenuous tiforts have been
made to throw forward reinforeemenss 10 the
armies at the positions threatened nud /
cannot doubt that the bitter d!sappoiutmeni- We
have borne, BY nerviug the people to still greater
I exertiOns, will speedily secure results more &C
corlant with cur just expectations, an1 a- favor.
aba 10 our cause as those which marked the
earlier periods OF the war
The reports Of the Secretaries Of War aud the
Navy will exhibit ne ma=s Of resources Tor the
conduct Of the war, which We have been ensb
te accumulate Notwithstanding the very serious
difficulties against which W. have cluteadel --
They afford eering hopes that our Resources.
limited as they were at the beginning of the
contest. will, during Its progress become devsln.
ped to such an extent as iuy to meet our future
wants.
The policy Of enstments for short terms.
against which have =tead.ly eouteulei frgm the
commencement of the war, has in ms judgment.
contributed in no mmateIial degree to the recent
reverHes which we have suffered and even now
renders il dithcuit to lurn,-h you m accurate
statement OF the army.
/ When the war hrst broke out, many al our
people could with difficulty he persuaded that it
would be long or serious, 1t was not deemed
possible that anything insane as PERSISTENT
attempt 10 sGbjugate these States couli be nnde
still less, that the deusion would no far
prevail as to give 70 the war the vast proportions
that il has assumed.
The people, incredul1us u long var, were
naturally ayetse to long eustments, anil the
early legislation Of Congress rendered it itnprac
ticnble 10 obtain volunteers for greater period
il,an twelve months. NOW hat it has become
probable tlat the war will be continued through
a series Of years our high spirited aud gallant
soldiers, while generally re euistine, are. from
the tact Of their having entered the service for
-hort term, elmI ellei III many instances to 20
hQthe tu make tue necessary arrangements for
ther nmilts during their prolonged absence.
The quotas of the new regiments for the war
called from the different Statea, are in rapii
progress Of organization, The who body Of new
leyes and re enlisted men will probably be ready
and in the ranks within the next thirty days. -
But, ln the meantime, 1t is exceedingly Difficult,
to give an accurate statement Of the number ei
our forces in the hei. Iney may, iu general
terms, be stated at 100 regiments Of infantry,
with proportonate force Of cavalry and artil'
lery, details Of which will he sbown BY the re.
port Of the Secretary Of War.
deem it proper TO advert 10 the fact that the
process Of furoughs aud re eniistments ia pro-
gress for the last month, had 10 far dsorp anized
J.
for successful defence but | heartily con
, graulate you that this evil, which had fore
seen, and was powerless to prevent may now b,
said to be substantially at an end, aud that ",
shall not again, during the war, be exposed Il
seeing cur strength diminished by this fruitfu
canse Of disaster--short enistnenis
The people Of the Confederate States. heinz
principally engaged in agricultural pursuits
we're unprDvilel at the commencement Of hos
tilities with shUA shin wards naterinl4 for .Ii
building, or skilled mechanics and sennen If
autiicient numbers to make the prompt creator
, u navy practical task, even if the require
appropriations had been made for the purpose
Notwithstanding our very limited resources
however, the report Of the Secretary will exhibit
to you satisfactory proportion, in preparation
+, and certainly Of near completion, Of vessels Of
s number and class on which We may coniiIentl,
r rely for contesting the yauUtcu control Of tbI
enemy over our waters
T. The financial system devised by the wisdom o
Z your predecessors has proved adequate to sun
g plying all the wants OF the Government notwith
n standing the unexpected and very latgB inerens
l. Of expenditures resulting from the great aug
c mentation in the necessary menns Of defence :
Inc report Of the Secretary Of the Treasury will
exhlhlt the gratifying fact that we have no Aont
:, ing debt, that the credit Of tho Government
i, uulmpaired, aud thgt the total expenditure a
:, the Government for the year hls been, in roune
= numbers, $l70,OO0,O OO0 -less than one-thirl o
= the furn wanted by the enemy in his vain effort
to conquer us-anl less than the value of
. single article Of e1port--the cotton crop Of tn
r year
~ Tho report Of tie Postmaster General vii
i snow the condition nf that Department to II
2 STEADILY improving, It's revenues increasing, an
already aiiordng assurance that ii will be self
Il sustaining al the date required by the Constitn
Al ton, while Rlforlinp annie mil facii,; a. ~