Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1863-12-02

Y0RKVILLE, SOUTH CAR
perhaps at harvest, perhaps at seed time.-
'On this subject, I beg leave to embody an
extract from the recent message Of the pat
sriotic Executive of Georgia.
Speaking of his two regiments of State
troops, their protecting the rear Of General
Bragg's army since e-has been near: Chat.
tanooga, and their importance in time of
war, he says: "Had the State not been a.
Bile to protect his rear, the General mus,
have sent part Of his own army to do that
duty, which would have weakened his force
and made his success more doubtful. X
x In case of a raid into the State,
this force would be Of great service in the
protection of public and private property,
and in repelling the aggressors. No State
in the Confederacy should be without such
a force during the continuance Of the war,
as emergencies must frequently arise which
make it indispensably necessary that the
State have at her command q force sufi.
cient to suppress slave insurrections, repel
incursions of the enemy or meet other sud-
den exigenoies. notice that the Cover
norof South Carolina has lately convened
the Legislature, and recommended the or
ganization of similar force In that gallant
State" ~ ~.
The cost Of such q body Of troops may be
objected to. 1.-two regiments are too much,
let one be raised, to be put in the field when
needed. This is no time to count the cost
of maintaining small force to protect the
State against raids, our women and children
from insults, our hearth.stones from desc.
Grafton. With but two companies of mount
ed troops, (the Combahee Rangers were
disbanded in July last,) I was enabled with
one Rogers company to guard in part the
Eastern coast of the State, and with the
other (Boykiu's) materially to assist the
Confederate Government in arresting desert:
ers, which delicate duty has been most sat.
isfactorily performed. I have also been
enabled recently, at the request Of Cover
nor Vance, to send one company Captain
Boykin's) into North Carolina, where it
has rendered most efficient services, as viii
be seen by reference to the report of the
Captain and Generals Vance's order re-
turning them to their own State, copies of
which are herewith transmitted. His COM
mand engaged and repulsed force larger
than his own; Capt Boykin having two
men wounded, one probably mortally.
I herewith transmit a copy of the able
and satisfactory report Of Major Niernsee,
State Engineer, upon the obstruction of the
santee and a battery at Taber's Point, st.
Matthew'S Parish, Orangeburg District, to.
gether with arletter from General Beaure-
gard In relation thereto. 80. '-as''s'''si y
y Accompanying this message is report Of
the Commissary- General, showing the pro-
gress made in suppressing undue distilla-
ton in the State, and explaining the ina.
bility of the State to furnish, as yet, whis.
key for medicinal purposes. Your law pro.
hibiting undue distillation has contributed
largely towards keeping down the price of
breadstufs, particularly Indian corn. If
the Confederate Government would receive
its 1.-THE and postpone impressments for the
present, (holders will not destroy the sup.
plies, nor can they conceal them,) I be.
lieve the breadstuffs in the country are amp.
ly sufficient for the people and the army.
The question of conflict between the
State and Confederate Exemption Acts has
been submitted to the courts, and am just
informed that the decision of the Circuit
Court is, tthat neither the Ordinance nor
the Act amendatory of it, contemplated ex-
emption from any service besides militia
service in the State, and so neither is in con.
Aiot with the -conscription laws" As I
said in my message of September last I
think it is our true policy to amend our ex-
emption laws, so as to make them conform
as nearly as practicable to those of the Con-
federatc government. This may be done
without yielding the right of the State to
exempt such portion of her population as
she may choose, and when she may choose,
for police and other purposes. IT the Con-
federate Government will put into the field
the most of the able. bodied men between
eighteen and forty five, now occupied as
Quartermasters and Commissaries, Purchas.
ing Agents, Enrolling Officers and Impress.
ing Agents, and in other similar positions,
the great mass of whose places can be as
we'll, in many, and in some instances, better
filed by disabled soldiers, and the State
governments will conform theirs to the
Confederate Exemption Acts, the Confed-
crate Government can command force
that will drive beyond our borders all the
armies the Abolition government can con.
gregate for the further prosecution of this
unholy war. Your attention is invited to
the views of the Adjutant and Inspector
General upon this and other subjects refer
red to, in his report accompanying this
message. ..-
I also ask your attention to the following
exemption clause in our own law: "The
officers and as many employees of each Rail-
road Company as the President or Superin-
tendant may certify to be necessary to the
efficient conduct Of its business =; Provided,
that it is also certified that the duty of said
employees cannot be discharged by slaves"
l do not know that these officers have a.
IL l.