The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-03-07

Another Message OF Ell. Davis TO the
Rebel Congress.
To the Senate and House Of Rspresentattves
Of the Confederate States 49,
In obedience to the Constitutional pro-
vision requiring the President from time to t
time to give to Congress information Of the 1
state of the Confederacy, and recommend /
for their consideration such measures as he /
shall Judge necessary and expedient, have |
TO communicate that since the Message at |
the last SESSION of the Provisional Congress.
events have demonstrated that the 0oUers-
nIeIst had attempted more than it had peaoer
successfully tosachSeVe Hence, in the effort
10 protect, By our arms the whole territory of
the Confederate States, seaboard and inland,
| we have been so exposed as recently to en-
counter serious disasters. When the Con-
federacy was formed, the States comprising
it were, in tho peculiar character of their
pursuits, and misplaced confidence IN their
former associates, to a great extent destitute
of the means for the prosecution of the war
| on so gigantic a scale as that to which it
has attained. The workshops and artisans
were mainly to be found in the Northern
States, and one of the first duties which
devolVed upon this government was to es-
tablish the necessary manufactures, and in
the meantime to obtain by purchase from
abroad, as far as practicable, Whatever was
required for the public defense. No effort
has been spared to effect both these ends,
and though the results have not yet equaled
our hopes, it is believed that an impartial
Judgment WILL upoR full investigation,
! award to the various departments of the
government credit for having done all
which human power and foresight enabled
them to accomplish.
The Valor and devotion of the people
have not only sustained the efforts of the
, government, but have gone far to support
its deficiencies. The active state of mill
tary preparations among the nations of Eu-
rope in April last when our agents first
went abroad, interposed unavoidable de-
lays in the procurement of arms, and the
want of navy has generally impeded our
y | efforts to import military supplies of all
sorts
have hoped for severei days to receive
the official reports in rotation to our dis
eomfture at Roanoke Island and the fall OF
% Fort Donelson. They have not yet reached
me, and / am therefore unable to cOmmu-
Il nicate to you such information of past
y events and consequences resulting from
D. them, as would enable me to make recon-.
- mendations founded nponIthe changed con
dition which they have produced. Enough
u is known of the surrender of Roanoke
re Island to make ms feel that At a0as deepL,
ID haaaikating, however imperfect may hay'
been the preparation for defence. The hope
is still entertained that our reported losses
Up at Fort Donelson have been greatly exAg
t. gerated, inasmuch as 1 am not only ata1OiLt
ing, but anabIe to believe that a large army o
oar people haze surrendered -q0ithoat a des
perate effort to cat ats a0ay through the an
ID costing forces, whatever may have beer
at their numbers, and to endeayor to make
:. junction with other divisions of the army
But in the absence of that exact informa
III ton, which can only be afforded by oificia
s. reports, it would be premature to pas
n judgment, and my own is reserved, as
:, trust yours viii be, until that information
is received. In the meantime strenuous ct
80 forts haze been made to hroao yfors0drd rein
el forcemersts to The armies at positions threat
m eaed, and / cannot doubt the bitter disap
people to still greater exertions, will speed
lily secure results more accordant with on
just expectations, and as favorable to on
IL cause, as those which marked the Garlic
Oh period of the war. $500.
100 The reports of the Secretaries of Wa
and Navy will exhibit the mass of resourC
US es for the conduct of the war, which W
OF have been enabled to accumulate, notwith
en- standing the very serious difficulties againE
a which we have commended. They affor
cheering hope that our resources, Unite
III as they were at the beginning of the con
We test, will, during its progress, become de
ng veloped to snch an extent as fully 10 NEE
our future wants. The policy of enlistmen
for short terms, against which have stead
lily commended from the commencement {
~ the war, has in my Judgment, contribute
IN al To he
verses which We have suffered, and eve
now renders it diffienlt to furnish you a
accurate statement of the army. When th
war first broke out, many of our peopl
., could with difficulty be pursuaded that
- would be long or serious. 1t was nc
80 deemed possible that anything SO insane q
- a persistent attempt to subjugate thes
" States could be made, still less that the dc
= fusion could so far prevail as to give to tn
~ ~ war the vast proportions which it has as
sumed. The people, incredulous of lon
RI war, were naturally averse to long enlist
~ ments, and the early legislation of Congress
=, rendered il impracticable to obtain volun
al teers for a greater period than twelv
M months Now that it has become probabl
"a that the war will be continued through
!, series Of years our high spirited and gallan
% soldiers, while generally re-enlisting, are
n from the fact of having entered the serVic
"a for short term, compelled in many instan
of ces to go home to make necessary arrange
- menss for their families during their pro
5a longed absence. The quotas of new
~ regiments for the war, called for from tn
n different States, are in rapid progress o
10 organization. The whole body of new AMI
1r re-snlsted men win probably be ready il
the ranks within the next thirty days
:. difficult to give an accurate statement of th,
- number of our forces in the field They
ne may, in general terms, be stated at foul
st hundred regiments of infantry, with pro
portionate forces of cavalry and artillery
the details Of which viii be shown in The
report of the Secretary of War.
- l deem it proper to advert to the fact tina
the process of farloughs and re-enlistmehi
? in progress for the last month had SO fal
4 disorganized and weakened our forces as &c