Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-03-05
THE MESSAGE OF JEFF DAVIS.
The Confederacy aEaiIure-A Confession
Of Weakness and acknowledgements Of
Defeat.

OF ana Oh
Defeat.
The Message of the President of the
Southern Confederacy to the Senate and
House of Representatives of the Coufed-
crate States of America, recently deliver
ed, and just received in the North, is not
the boastful document that was the In
augural from the same source, several
days previous. The very first sentence
makes an admission, wrung from the
rebel chief by the force of irresistible
events: He says, that events have dem
onstrated that the Government had at
tempted more than it had the power to
achieve, hence in the effort to protect, by
our arms, the whole territory of the Con-
federate States, seaboard and inland, we
have been so exposed as recently to en-
counter serious disasters" Davis confess
es to deep humiliation ct the surrender
of Roanoke Island and the fall of Fort
Donelson. The reported rebel losses at
Donelson, Davis still hopes are greatly ex-
uggerated, ''inasmuch asI am not only
unwilling but unable to believe, hat a
large army of our people have surrender
w a - 0CoPCAdlC CDOlG ~ GAl
their way through investing forces,
whatever may have been their numbers,
and to endeavor to make a junction with
other divisions of the army" Though in
suspense touching how humilliating are
the facts, Davis claims to have made
strenuous efforts to throw forward rein
forcements to the armies at positions
threatened"
The message refers at great length to
the reports of the Navy and Wa Depart
ments, and the difficulties which, have
arisen from the short enlistment system.
This was caused by the opinion enter
tanned by the people that the war would
be soon settled, while; Davis says, it has
now become probable that the war will
continue through a series of years. The
message estimates the strength of the
rebel army at present at 400 regiments of
Infantry, with a proportionate force of
artillery and car Try. JEFF. Davis then
makes the hum lliating" confession, that
the process of re-enlistment and burroughs
in progress for the last month, has so far
disorganized and weakened his force as to
their ability for successful defence,
but believes that this condition of affairs
is substantially at an end. /
Alter discussing the IOFmluaDio dlEncut-
ties encountered in attempting to estab-
Iish a navy, JEFF. Davis passes to the
financial condition of his Government
Here is where a big brag comes in and the /
too. He says: I
"The report of the Secretary of the
Treasury will exhibit the gratifying fact
hat we have no floating debt-that the
credit of the Government is unimpaired
md that the total expenditure of the Gov !
,rument for a year has has been in round z
one hundred seventy millions of :
less than one-third Of the sum l
by the enemy, in his yain effort to Il
conquer us-less than the value of a single
rticle of export; the cotton crop of the {
ear" y
This is certainly cool in the President G
f a bogus Confederacy that has been run ~
n Treasury ~shinplasters from the start, ii
nd has not paid its soldiers a cent even 3
n such WORTHLESS rags and lampblack." Il
he balance of the message contains
remarkable. =