Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1862-03-04
MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT.
To the Senate and House of Representatives.
the Confederate States: ,.sfs.

| In obedience to the Constitutional provision,
| requiring the President, from time to time, to
give to the Congress information Of the State of
the Confederacy, and to recommend to their cen.
1 sideration such measures as he shah Judge nec-
essary and exped:ent, | have to coninun:csts
that, since my message at the last session OF the
Provisional Congress, events have demonstrated
/ that the government had attempted mere tIran it
had power TO achieve. Hence, in The effort to
protect, by orr arms, the whole of the territory
Of the Confederate States, seahoard and inland,
we have been so exposed as recently To- encouril
ter serious disasters. When the OonfederacY
was formed, the States composing it were, by
the peculiar character of their pursuits, and a
misplaced confidence in their former associates.
to a,ereat extent destitute of the means for the
prosecution 1ot the war on so ggahtica scale as
that whithit has attained. The workshops and
a1uza9s were mainly to be found in the North
ern States, and one OF the first duties which de-
volved upon this Government was to establish
the necessary manufactures and in the ,nea0--
time to obsain by purchase trom abroad, as tar
as practicable, whatever was required for the
public defence. No effort has been spared to
effect both these ends, and though the results
haze not equalled our hopes, it is believed that
an impartial judgment will, uron full inves iga.
ton, award to the various departments of the
|
human power and foresight enabled them 70 ac-
complish. -.
The valour and devotion of the people have
not only sustained the efforts of the goyer nmen,
but have gone far to supply its deficiencies Is.
The active state of military preparation among
the nations of Europe in April last the date
when our agents first went abroad, interposed,
Eavoidab-y, delays in the procurement of arms,
and the want of a navy has greatly impeded our
efforts to import military supplies of all sor; s. +
have hoped tor several days to receive Off
cial reports in relat On to our discontinue at
at Roanoke Island AID the fall of Fort d. nelson.
They have not yet reached ne, and am, there
tore, unable to comm nunicate to you such iEfor-
nation OF those events, and the constq qaences re-
sultiDg from them, as would enable me to make
recommendations founded on the changed
cohdit;en which they have produced. Enough
is known of the surrender at Roanoke Island t.
make Us feel that it was deeply hn,niating, how
ever imperfect may have been The preparation
for defence. The hope is still entertained that
our reported losses st Fort Donelson have been
greatly exaggerated inaslnnch IS am not only
unwilling, but unable, to believe that large ar
my OF orr people have surrendered without q
desperate effort to GU. their way through 10 vest
ing forces, whatever may have been their num-
bers, and to endeavor TO make junction with
the other divisions of the army. But in the ah-
sence of that exact information, which etn only
De afforded BY official reports, it would be pre-
1 mature to pass Judgment, and my own is reserv-
ed, as trust yours will be- until that in formation
is recei.ed In the meantime, strenuous efforts
have been made to throw for " ard reinforcelnents
to the armies at the positions threatened, AMI,
cannot doubt thas the bitter disappointments We
have herne, by laryng the people to s.ill greater
exertioDs, will speedily secure results more &C.
cordant with our just ezpectations, and ss favor
able to our cause those winch marked the
earlier periods of the war.
The repcrts Of tie Secretaries, of War and the
Navy will exhibit the Inass Of resources for the
condact OF the war which we have been enabled
to accumulate, notwithstanding the very serious
difficulties against which we have corten6ed +
They affvrd the cheering hope that our resUur
ces, limited as they were at The beginning of ihe
contest, will. during its progress, become devel
Ioned to such an extent as ully to meot our IN
ture warts. -
The policy OF enlistment for short terms, a.
gainst which have steadily contended from tie
COMMENCEMENT OF the War, has, in my judgment,
contributed IN no ministerial degree 10 the recelt
|-reverses w6ieh We have Suffered, and even row
rehGers 1t difficult to furnish you an accurate
statement Gt the army. When the war first
broke out, many OF our poople could with diff
Guilty be persuaded th II il would be long O. Sc
| rions. it was not deeme1 possible that an v hing
so insane as persistent attempt to suhiogate
these States could be made; still less that the
deiusion would so far prevail TO give to the
war the vast proportions which it has assumed.
The people, increduous OF u long war; were
ia uraliy averse to long enlistment, ard the ear
ly legislation of Congress rendered is impracn
cable to obtain volunteers tor greater period
! than IL months. Now that it has become prob
able that the war Willibe continued through q
s5 series Of years, our high-spirited and gallant
soldiers, while generally re eplisting, are, from
tie fact OF having entered the service for short
term, compelled, 10 many instances, 10 60 nome
to make the necessary arrangements tor ti.eil
families during their prolonged absence, 81
/ The quotas of lew regiments for the war
called for from tie different States, are in rapid
progress of organization. The whore body o.
our new levies and re enlisted men will probably
be ready in the ranks within the nexs thirty
days. But, il the meantime, it IL exceedingly
difficult TO give an accurate statement of the
DuILber OF our forces in the field. They may in
general terms, be stated at four hundred regi-
ments of infantry, with PROF Tortionate force OF
cavalry and artillery, the details Of which will be
shown BY the repo: Of the Sec etary of W.r.--
deem it improper to advert TO the fact that the
process of furloughs and re-enli.tment in prd g.
ress for the last fncnth bad, SO far, dsorganized
u
for successful defence; but heartily cougratu-
late you that this evil, WHICH had toresean AMI
wac poyeriess to prevent may now be said to
I be substantially at an end, and that we shall ro,
again, during the war, be exposed to seeing our
strength diminished by this fruitful cause of cis
asser-short enlistments.
The people of the Confedel ate States being
principally engaged in agricultural pursuits, wers
unproviced at the commencement OF hostilitie,
" th ships, ship yards, materials for ship build
ing, Or skilled mechanics and seanen in sufficient
numbers to make The prompt creation of navy
practicable task, even if the required appropri
ations had been made tor the purpose Notwith-
standing onr very limited resources, however.
the report of the Secretary will exhibit to GU .
i satisfactory progress in PREPARATION aud GER
tainty Of early conn mfeton cf vessels OF a number
aud Class on which we may confidently rely tor
oonteeting the yaunted eontrol ct the enemy over
our wafeIs.
The I'm ncial system devised By the wisdom
OF your predecessors has proved adequate to sup
plying all the wants OF the government, uotwith-
standing the unexpected aud very large incre ase
OF expenditures resulting from tire g.esr sugne,i
tation 10 the necessary means Of G.tehce The
rerort OF the Secretary Of the Treasury will ex
hbit the gratifying fact that We have 10 floating
debt; that the credit OF the government Is nDilo-
iaireo. ard that the total expenditure ef The gov
ernrnent tor the year has been, ia round num-
be.s, one hundred aud seventy millions Of {, i
lars; less titan one third of tie SUN wasted ty
1.-The enemy In his vain IF ,rE To connter ~ L.