The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-12-25


most important parts of it:
10 Me Senate aid House Of Representatives. Of
ne Confederate states: The necessity for leois-
lative action arising out of the important
events that have marked the interval since your
adjournment, and my desire to have the aid of
your counsel on other matters of grave public
interest, render your presence at this time more
IMAM ordinarily welcome. Indeed but for Sc.
rlous obstacles to convOking You in extraordi-
nary session. and the necessity for nv tempo
rary absence from the seat of government. !
would nave Invited you to an earlier meeting
than that fixed at the date OF your adjournment
Grave reverses befell our arms soon after vOur
departure from Richmond. Early in july our
strcnghods at Vicksburg and Port Hudson,
together with their entire garrisons, capitulated
to the combined land and naval forces Of the
enemy. The Important interior position of
jackson next fell into their temporary posses
son. Our unsuccessful assault on the post Mt
Helena, at later period, by the invasion of
Arkansas; and the retreat of our army at Little
Rock gave TO the enemy the control of the i'm
portant valley in which it is situated,
The resolute spirit of the people soon rose
superior to the temporary dependency natu-
rally resulting from these reverses. The gal
liant troops SO ably commanded in the States
beyond the Mississippi inflicted repeated de-
Keats on the invading armies in Louisiana and
on the coast of Texas. Detachments of troops
tive war on the Mississippi river as practic-
ally to destroy its value as an avenue of COM
merce.
The determined and successful defence of
Charleston against the joint land and naval op-
erations of the enemy afforded us an inspiring
example OF our ability to repel the attacks even
OF the lrOn-cad fleet on which they principal.
ly rely, while on the northern frontier our sue
cess was still more marked.
The able commander who conducted the
campaign in Virginia determined to meet the
threatened advance on Richmond-for which
the enemy had made long and costly prepare.
tons-by forcing their armies to cross the Po-
tomac and fight in defence of their own CAPT.
tai and homes. Transferring the battle field
to their own soil. he succeeded in compelling
their rapid retreat from Virginia, and in the
hard fought battle of Gettysburg inflicted such
severity of punishment as disabled them from
early renewal of the campaign as originally
projected. Unfortunately, the Communications
on which our general relied for receiving sup
plies OF munitions were interrupted by extra
ordinary floods which so swelled the Potomac
as to render impossible the fOrds by which his
advance had been made, and he was thus fore
ed to withdrawal, which was conducted with
dcliberation. after securing large trains of cap
tured supplies, and with constant but unac
cepted tender OF battle. On more than one oc-
caslon the enemy has since made demonstra.
tons of a purpose to advance, invariably fol-
lowed by precipitate retreat to intrenchcd
lines on the approach of our forces,
The effective check thus opposed to the adj
vance of invaders at all points was such as to
afford hope OF their early expulsion from por-
lions OF the territory previously occupied by
them, when the country was painfully sur
prised by the intelligence that the officer in
command of Cumberland Gap had surrendered
that important and easily defensible pass with
out firing shot, upon the summons of force
still believed to have been inadequate to its re-
ductlon, and when reinfOrcements were within
supporting distance and had been ordered to
MS alu. Inc entire garrison, including the
commander, being still held as prisoners by the
enemy, am unable to suggest any explana
ton OF this disaster which laid open Eastern
Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia to hos
tile operations and broke the line of commu
nication between the seat of government and
Middle Tennessee. This easy success of the
enemy was followed by the advance of Gen.
Rosecrans into Georgia. and our army evacu-
ated Chattanooga and availed itself of the CD.
poztunity thus afforded of winning on the field
OF Chickamauga one of the most brilliant and
decisive victories of the war. This signal de-
feat OF General ROsecrans was followed by his
retreat into Chattanooga, where his imperlled
position had the immediate effect of relieving
the pressure OF the invasion at other points.
forcing the concentration, for his relief of
large bodies OF troops withdrawn from the ar
mics in the Mississippi Valley and in Northern
Virginia. The combined forces thus accumu
lated against US in Tennessee so greatly out
numbered our army as to encourage the enemy
to attack. After long and severe battle. in
which great carnage was inflicted on him,
some of our troops inexplicably abandoned
positions of great strength and by a disorderly
retreat compelled the commander to withdraw
the forces elsewhere successful. and finally to
retire with his whole army to position some
twenty or thirty miles to the rear
1t is believed that if the troops who yielded to the
assault had fought with the valor which they had
displayed on previous OCCASIONS ant which was
manifested in this battle the other parts of the
lines, the enemy would have been repulsed with
very great slaughter, and our c untry would have
escaped the misfortune and the army the mortifca-
ton of the first defeat that has resulted from mscOn-
duct of the troops In the meantime the army of
General Burnside was driven from all ITS field posi-
tons in Eastern Tennessee and forced to retreat
into its in renchments at Knoxville where for some
weeks it was threatened with capture by the forces
under General IOngstreet No information has
reached of the inil result of the oper tons of
commander, though Intelligence has arrived of
his withdrawal from that place.
While therefore, our success in driving the enemy
from our soil has net equaed the expectations
fdentlv entertained at the commencement of the
campaign, his further progress has been checked
If we are forced to regret Losses in Tennessee and
Arkansas we are not without ground for congratu-
latiOn on successes in Louis ana and 'eXas On the
our ports, while on the northern frontier he in turn
felt the pressure and breads the renewal of invasion
The indomitable courage and perseverance of the
peODe in the defence of their homes have been nObly
attested by the unanimty with which the Legsla-
lures of Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia have
recently given expression TO the popular sentiment
and like manifestations may be anticipated from all
the States. Whatever Obstnacy may be displayed
bv the enemy in his desperate sacrifices of money
life and liberty in the h pc of enslavng the eX
perience of mankind has too concusively shown the
superior endurance of those who fight for home
liberty and independence to permit any doubt of the
l osut
FOREIGN RELATIONS.
regret to inform you that there has been no i'm
in the state of relations with foreign
countries since my messagein January last On the
contrary there has been still greater divergence in
the conduct of European nations from that partial
importantly which alone deserves the name of neu-
trality and their action in some cases. has assumed
a character positively unfriendly.
You have heretofore been informed that by COM
mon understanding, the initiative in all action touch
ing the contest on this continent had been left by
for ign powers 10 the two great maritime nations of
Western Europe and that the government of these
two nations had agreed to take measures without
previous concert. The result of these arrangements
has heretofore placed it in the power of either France
which the COnfederacy is justly entitled even to
prolong the continuance of hostities this side of
the Atlantic it the policy of either could be promoted
by the postpOnement of peace. Each too, thus |
became possessed of great influence in shaping the
general exercise of neutral rights in Europe az to
render them subservient to the purpose of aiding one
of the belligerents to the detriment of the other