Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-08-20

30 Tux SOLDIERS oF THE aNF~OERATH
STATES.
Alter more than Two years of a warfare scarcely
equaled in the NUMBER magnitude and fearful carnage
of ts battles warfare 10 which your courage and
forttude have illustrated Jour country and attracted
not only gratitude at home, but admiration abroad,
your enemies continue struggle III which our final
triumph must be inevitable. Unduy eated with their
recent successes they imagine that temporary
quel your spirit shake your determination, and
they gathering heavy masses for general in
vaeon, in the vain hope that by desperate effort
cess may at length be reached.
You know too WELL my countrymen, what they mean
by Their malignant rage aims at nothing less
than the determination OF yourselves, your wives and
children They seek to destroy what they cannot plum
der. They propose the spos of victory that your
homes shall be paritioned among the wreches whose
atrocous cvuelties have stamped nfamy their gov
eminent They design to incite serVila insurrecton
and light the fires of incendiarism whenever they can
reach your homes, and they debauch the inferior race
hitherto doce and conented, by promising indulgence
Of the viles passions the price of treachery. Con-
scous of their inability to prevail by legitimate war
fare not daring to make peace lest they should be hur
ed from their seats of power the men who now rule In
Washington refuse even to confer on the subject OF
putting end to outrages which disgrace our age, or
to listen to suggestion for conducting the war accord
ing TO the usages Of civilization.
Fellow citizens no alternative is left you but victory
or subugaon slavery and the utter ruin of yourselves,
your families and your country. The victory is within
your reach You need but stretch forth your hands to
grasp it. For this all that is necessary is that
those who are called to the field by every motive that
can move the human heart should promptly repair to
the post of duty should stand by their comrades
in front of the oe and thus strengthen the armies OF
the Confederacy as TO ensure success The men now
absent from their posts would if present in the field suf
fee to create numerical equality between our force and
that of the invaders-and when with any approach to
such equality have failed to be victorious be-
ieve that but few of those absent ore acuated by I'M
willingness to serve their country but that many have
found it difficult to resist the temptation of visit to
their homes and the loved ones from whom they have
been long separated that Others have left for tempo
rary attention to their affairs with the intention OF
turning and then have shrunk from the consequences
of their violation of duty that Others again left their
posts from restessleas and desire of change each
quietng the upbraidngs of his conscience, by persua
ding himself that his Individual services could have
influence on the general result.
These and other athough far less disgraceful
than the desire to avoid danger to escape from the
sacrifices required by patrots0 are, nevertheless,
grevous faults, and place the cause of our beloved
country and of everything we hold dear, In imminent
peril. Il repeat that the men who now o:e duty to
their country who have been called out and have not
yet reported for duty who have absened themselves
from their posts are sufficient IN number to secure US
victory IN the struggle now impending.
call on you, then, my countrymen, to hasten to
your camps obedience to the dictates OF honor and
of duty, and summon those who have absented them.
selves without leave who have remained absent beyond
out delay to their respective commands and do fere-
by declare that grant general pardon and amnesty
to all officers and men within the Coneaeracy, alb
sent without leave who SHALL with the least possible de-
lay to their proper posts of duty but no excuse
will be received for any delay beyond twenty days after
the first publication Of this proclamation in the State
in which the absentee may be at the date of the publ
cation. This amnesty and pardon shall extend to all
who have been accused or who have been ccnvic ed
aud are undergoing for absence without leave
or deserton excepting only those who have been twice
convicted of assertion.
Finally, conjure my country women-the wives
mothers sisters and daughters of the Conederacy-to
use their aIpowerful influence in aid of this CALL to
add one GROWING sacrifice to those which their patriot
ism hes freely and constantly afforded on their coun
trys altar and to take that who owe service
in the field shall be sheltered at home from the disgrace
of having deserted their duty to their families, to their
country, aud to their God.
(~l Given under my band, and the Seal O
! SEAL. the Confederate States, a: Rchmond this
I-~) lst day of August in the year Of our Lore
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
JEFFERSON DAVIS,
By the President:
}. P. BENJAMIN,
Secretary of State.
FFpW