, 1863-02-18

and swa.mcd In every thoronghfarc. Mr. Lin
coin assumed tho rcigns Of Government.
When We contemplate the magnitude Of tho
conspiracy That had been organized fos the de-
structiDn of tho Government, the pdrttction
Of Its details, the ability and unity Of action
of its leaders, with the mnteEial resources ut
their command, and contrast all these with
the utter restitution and hclplcssneSs of tic
new Administration. ali unorganizcd and un-
disciplined, and with such feeble preparation
tur self defence; NC can!iot be sufficiently
grateful to Almighty God for his oyerrullu.,
Providence in so directing the course Of hu.
awful hour Of peril from sudden aud complete
destruction.
On the 18th day Of April, 1861, the guns
from the rebel batteries in Charleston harhor
opened .lcir fire upon Fort tSumtcr, and ciyll
war with all Its devastating horrors was inau.
g1tratcd.
Without following tue course Of leycnts
detail In statement, 1 will now direct the at
tcntion Of the Senate to our condition at thc
present time, In order that We may see with
what wonderful development Of latent re-
sources, energy, perseverance and unconquer-
able courage the fEcelnen Of the North have
met and driven back the boastcl cliyalrY of
The South, and taught the eervilc miuions of
tie arrogant and rebellious slave power, that
the men whose education, habits Of indus
try and pursuits hare ever made them
superior ~ all the arts Of peace, ART equally
as great wien called upon in defence Of their
country to assume the art Of war.
Within period Of less than two years we
have rlised, equipped and sent into the field
more than million men, while at home day
and night, with ccaseless din in thousand
workshops the hand of ingenious labor has
been busy forging and creating the innumera-
bic materials Of war. The world has never
witnessed before SO grand 4 spectacle of
lutlunizcd the system Of naval warfare, and
created mighty aect OF war ships and gun
hoat- whose imPregrable armor and ingcni-
Gus appliances have Mled the world with as
tonishnent, and the enemies of freedom here
and everywhere with terror. And while all
tli: vast preparation vas going on, while tue
nation was but in the infancy Of martini
growth, we lave attack aud driven succcs-
siYe1y from stronghold after stronghold
powerful and we'll organized foe, prepared
from thu beginning for the contest, and fight
ing with every advantage in his favor. We
hare conquered the Border States, restored
peace to Maryland and Missouri, opened the
Mississippi from Columbus to Vicksburg,
and from the Gulf to Port Hudson, while to-
day gallant army of inyincib1e men, led on
by son Of Illinois invests, the rebel Giber-
altar Of the Mississippi, and ere long As I
more and forever open to the commerce of the
West, and every place upon its banks be SUBJ
jcct to tie Federal control.
Our navy bloehn1cs every important sea-
port Of the rebel Confederacy, and shuts 1t
off from all commerce with the world Our
armies l:ve carried the boundary line from
the Ohio, over the bloody fields Of Fort Henry
and Donclson; over Shiloh, Cofinth and the
Hatchic, Bowling Green, Nashville and Muir
freesboro, to the Southern line Of Tennessee,
and penetrating FIR beyond, into the very heart
Of tile ConfedeTacy, have destroyed their great
lines Of fE.ilroadcom1unnfcation and devastated
and laid waste tl.cir country, while our irun-
river, and hurled their terrific tllunler-bolts
uron the rebel foes wherever they dare loc ate
along the banks. Oh, yc Of little Elitht WHO,
having eyes, see not, and ears, hear not the
things that SO nearly concern your temporal
salvation, awake! arise! 60 forth and behold
ton. See how lcr armies hare been gathered
together, organized, equipped aud supplied;
her navy built, nnd, armed, md manned; and
then contrast her resources with those Of the
enemy, and tell INC. If you dare, that VIC can
never conquer the South. Out upon that crl-
yen.hcarted cowardicc that shrinks in u time
like this from the contest! If you have not
the courage to meet tie danger of the honr us
becomes i brave aud loyal people, ready to
sacrifice life, property, everything, and to
fight on md fight ever, until tile luc Is con-
uuered and the rebellion over, then stand
aside and make Way for those WHO have. THIS
war will 70 on, with or without YOU. until the
rebels lay down tlcir arms and return to their
allegiance to the Government. You may
carve out for yourselves enduring fame III Its
support-you can only resp eternal inE.nly
md Disgrace By becoming It's opro*ers aud
refusing 10 aid in the preservation Of your
country.
know not, 3fr. Speaker, why 1t Is that
men who profess tn be loyal can b. So lost to
every sense of danger and 80 regardless Of cy-
cry indication Of the times, as not topcrcclre
that the policy Of II cessation Of hust.lites
nor and ailar1nisticc with the rebels, will bc ut
terly fatal to every hope Of maintaining the
Union OH any basis whatsoever, even thougl,
We were to acknowledge tic independence of
the South {and this doubt not1> the Ultimate
object Of these peace prorosftions) still We
are not ready for Il treaty, for We have not
conquered, Il boundary line, nor opened the
Mississippi SO that VIC can dictate the terms
upon which It shall be nayieated. To n1y ap-
pre]:crsion, sir, there never was more mans
ricfous moment than the present for a propO.
sition Of this kind. Never since the bcginning
Of tic war 1Elycwc been inn condition when III
arntsticc would have proved SO fatal to Us and
so beneficial to the Zoe. There are three great
ton are turned to-dny with fearful interest
the Rappahannock, Middle Tennessee aud the
Mississippi. The capture Of Ficksbur4. and
tl.e complete disscvcrancr Of the great cotton
from the trans ns-Missfsz'ppl States; thus cutting
off an immense source Ut indispensable sup
plies from the rebel armies the maintenance
Of the boundary line along the southern line
Of Tennessee. MP the Al1eShanics, and down
the Potomac to the Atlantic, and the posses
s;on Of the principal seaport towns on the
III. t< kuy1 Hu1on
tute the grand strategy Of the war. The great
objective point to-day is VicksbngS, now in
vested ty the forces under Gen. Grant
IfLcc sends from Virginia force sufficient
to raise the scigc Of Vicksburg, then the gal
lant Hooker will march in triumph into Rich.
Mond, while Bragg cannot dvplcte hi. army
for this purpose without permitting Rosccrans
to penetrate the interior If Alabama and de-
stroy the great line Of railroad communication
between thc Eastern and Western portions Of
the rebel States, after which with the aid Of
Grait upon the river, ha would completely
cut oil the rebel forces from all possible Is.
cape, and then grind them to pieces as between
nh upper and neither nai11stonc. Tile only
hope ns it seems to me, with my limited
comprehension Of military strategy, for the
rebel cause 1T the preseut crisis, is in the de-
feat Of Eosccrans by Braeg, and the subsc-
quent march Of the rebel army across the Ten
ncEsee to the Mississippi. retakiny Memphis,
cutting off Grant from his base If supnlie~.
and llicing his entire army in the most iinmi-
nent danger To maintain our position at all
their great points, requires the united energy
Of every nlan whose po-itionis such that lie
can III my way aid in the contest. 4 most ter
rihc battle mas be fought amy day in Tcnncs.
see. Hc who by word or deed wcakens the
courage or the nerve ofa single soldier now, Is
no better than traitor. Once saw to our
brave boys in Tennessee that their friend; at
home no longer sustain them, that their noble
State whose record thus far his been one Of
imperishahlc herol:m anu glory, des-
commissioners around for IN ay3iisticy.
and thousand arlns would grow weaker and
Il thousand hearts grow faint But, still fur
ther, PASS your resolutions for IN arlnisticc
and what will be the rr5ult? If you obtain it
ths rebel ports are opened, millions upon
millions Of cotton would at once be shipped,
ard guns, cannon, ammunition and all the
armies supplied, strengthened and rendered
hopeful Of the result, won1d brcome too pow
ertul to defeat or successfully resist, with the
dcmoraliztd and disor!,anized forces that
would remain to US rs tlt: result Of the adop-
ton Of this most fatal policy. May God grant
that amongst all the Internal schemes devised
Tor the ruin If our country this one (thc worst
Of al) may be defeated.
appeal TO every loyal man to st.nd firm in
the midst OF this great danger, and not to be
deceived By the sIecious pretcnccs Of those
who. while protesting loyalty 70 the Govern
mtnt, arc ever fonnd most loud lnoutlcd in
dcnonncing every measure calculated to harm
its foes.
While the present is dark and gloomy still
for one, in calm reliance upon the justice of
God, and believing as do. that the terrible
struggle through which VIC arc now passing
is destined for our ultimate publication lis i
nation, and the establishment Of tile great
American Republic firmly and forever uron
the basis laid down by the fathers, I'm