Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1863-12-15
Blue REPCRr OF THE REBEL SECRETARY
OF WAR
From late Richmond papers we get the fol.

OF WAR
| From late Richmond papers We get the fol.
| loving:
| Confederate States Congress
The 81 nate Yesterday, Dec ION. was clltad
| to order at IL o'olo k m by MIR. Huuter, OF Va
prstioel pro TEN. Tt. proceeGiugs were op n I'd
n ith pray sr by the Rev. DIR. Read, Of the Pres
| b. T. rian Church.
| MI. johnson Ark } Introduced a bill, which
was LAID On the tacle and ornrrrd To be pri,irsd,
to limit or define the t3im OF OFF Of ca IN uf
| the Secretaries OF tie Executive Depart uents.
Mr.. Brown M lss offered a resolution tnat
| TIE state OF the country demanded that Ia xs
| should v ithout DE- lay ne passed declaring every
| male citizen In lhe military service; TO rep al
| the laws authorizing substitutes; TO auth )riZa
the President to Issue his proclamation COM
| n aDding all foreigners to leave the country ia
| sixty days or take mp arms; 10 regulata details
| for rtc.ssary civil pursuits; TO levy direct
| taxes; 10 make Confederate notes d legal tand r
| after six months; to prohinit the trade III goid
| and silver and bank notes ami United States
| Treasury not's during the war, or to prohibit
blockade rnIpg under heavy penalties, and
| 10 declare these laws " ar measures, aod maks
! fhoss Violating ths n amenabis only to military
| courts. Laid cn The table ano ordered to be
| printed.
| Nr Wjgfsl, offered a resolution ins.ructing Q
| the Miiitar. COMMITTEE 10 ma nire int and re
| porI upon the u uealnant by t,e military auth n.
! itiss OF prisoners of war. Agreed to-
| Mr Phelan Introduced a bill, which Wta
| referred 10 he Finance Committea and ord r,d
| 10 bs printed, pTo,ioing FIR t1e Issue OF
| SSC0,tG',aU IF coupon nonds. il sums not less
| ttan live hnndisd dollars, pa. al. III twsuty
| years, and b. ar'ng inttrest of FIX per cent,
| IayaoIa sen.isnnualy. The coupons when
du. TO be legal tender for sll debts due Ia d1.
lars CT oibt money, and refusal to b ,capt the
same vh.n tenCered TO a. / us Il dischirxe :,
ihs lndebt' dness in payment Of which they are
offered.
In the House, Mr. Conrad offered resolution
that tue Pretio-nt be rtque 10 to iu.orm tho
| Ii. .uSe " hat amount of COTTON has been xpOrr-d
1yEm the Col fp pQpTata .~t1ffs since ha a nj
JaI nary lest, ard also he value of the goods
! I'M orteG into the Con f. d. racy in the -4ma
tne ana, As near as pos ible, the class OF the. e
scode.
Mr Foote ,Tsnp.) introduced several bills
| :n,pg tDfm one for the repeal OF the exis In (
substitute law, aud one for the incr. ase OF the
| pay OF soldiers. They were properly referred.
ILe same gentleman also INTRODUCED sever,,t
Iesolutions, ore requesting the President to
wisi draw all diplolnatic agents from sucn f1r-
| eign GovtrDms MS as have not recognized us
| tt1ore the firkt day OF February nexs and 70
dis miss all foreign consuls in ,his country; re-.
| ielr.d 10 The Con mittee on Fors Ign Affairs.
| Also. 81 n solution IN regard to- unreasonable
| S. arches and Sc Zpres.
| Mr Foote onrred a resolution in regard 10
| ame nGing the presentimpressment Ia " o - 10
| ST. cnre TO the owner the actual value for his
| property at the time when. and place where
| inp,esksd. This resolution was rajscted.
| Also, resolution tha, the Judi i,iary Com.
rI tie inquire Ia 10 the xpedienc5 of ame nd.
| il z The sif sent isw with reference to the ex-
| change Of pris onsrs OF ar OF African DESCENT,
as 10 disiins unh hetWeen those who were tree
| wien the var commenced and tno-e who are
recOP nized as slaves by the laws of the Con.
feotIate States. Agreed to.
Mr.. Staples, OF Va, offered resolution that
| the Judiciary Commit ee he instructed 70 in
| qure what, if any, legislation is necessary to
prevent illegal impressments of private proper
Nr. Holcombe,- of Va, offered a reso,u.i,n
that the special Committee on the Currency
col slider the expt diency Of requesting the Stale
BaLks OF the Confederacy 10 loan their rsspsc.
tive lessrses 70 the Confederate Government
reported back the following bill, with the
recommendation that it pass
The Congress of the Confederate States do
enact, that no person liable 10 the military ser.
vice shall hereafter be permitted OF allowed to
furnish substitute for such service, nor shall
anv substitute be received, enlisted or enrolled
in the military service Of the Confederate States:
and that all laws heretofore passed permitting
or allowing persons liable to military service
to furnish substitutes for the same, or author.
of any such substitute in the military service
be. and the same are hereby, repealed
Mr.. Wigfall moved to strike out the last
clause Of u bill, which being rejected the bill
was passed and sent TO the House.
The Dalton {Ga. correspondent OF the KicA-
mond DtspG.ch, says
Gen. Breckinridge has been relieved OF his
command with this army. Gen. Hinduan Is
expected here In q few days, when he and
Gen. Cheatham, being the two ranking Major
Generals, Will be assigned 10 the coYnTnsnd OF
the TWO corps OF the army.
From Gen. Lees Array,
ARMY OF NoRTHRRN VIRGINIA, near Orange
T.. Ii, Dec. s-The situation 81 ems 20 be this ::
Meade finding hsmseil unable to force Gen:
Lee back towards Richmond by q mere dis.
play in bis front, hns retired certainly behind
the Rapsdan, and report says he is tearing up
the railroad between the Rappahannock and
the Rapiian rivers, and preparing to 60 be.
hind the Rappahannock to winter bis army.
Our army is In its old position, and pre-.
opfnr
indeed, Generals Lee and Meade shall permit
them. s-..
Our captures in prisoners since Meade first
began his forward movement will amount to
stN, which will in some measure Compensate
Ior the losses at Rappahannock bridge. E
Report OF the Secretary OF war.
The report OF the Secretary Of War is q very
lengthy and highly important documen.. 1t
briefly refers 10 the operations of the army in
its several departments, and Gays that the cam.
paiRn TN Mississippi was certainly disastrous.
II is difficult 70 resist the impression that its
disasters were not ineyitabls That a court of
inquiry 10 INV es!igata the whole campaign met
in Atlanta in September, but in consequence
OF me vicinity Of the enemy requiring the pres
ence OF witnesses and judges at other points,
it has been tempi r4rily suspended. It is ex.
pected soon to reassemble. A deficiency of re-.
sources IN men and provisions, rather than re.
verses IN battir, caused the withdra "ai of the
.ir alludes to tesertion, struggling and ab.
sentefism, and says that the effective force OF
'i.e oitay - out littl6 over hilI, or tWC.thlrds
OF the men whose names are on the muster
role. He recomm ends the repeal of tn sub.
sutnte and exemption provisions, and that all
nav nasine enbsliinias be put BACK into the fisld,
ano that the privileges which Congress granted
70 pnt IN snbs' s'itutss can be regularly and con.
sntufionaliy abrogafed by the same 20 wer
be says that no compact vas entered into be-
.Weef the eGoy1rnmentand theperson furnish.
lbR Substitute, as has been alleged. but only
privilege " h!ch Government accorded. La.
sitaa OF complaining Of such abregation, tie
person ought TO feel gratified at what has hare
toIoTe bten allowed him. He recommends an
ao,ide ment OF exemptions and ne conscription
q Id m all. making details according TO the |
Hans OF society at home. - |
de says that the three years' men, when their /
iss ms expires cannot be finally discharged and
shooio oe retained, allowing them to CD oose the
tAe ing company under Its present crgapiza /
tion,ln the same arm ofthe service. He rec /
. som.aenos tho consolidation Of snch compariIes /
az TsRiments as arejreduced below q certain /
&c 6 mnHm meat He paysa gloufng trfbuts "a tise ]
xs.Cism, endnrance and unfalterings devutinn
~ tns soiolef and cf the iaruented dead aseh,i
yi6IQeQ their Ea