The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-08-14
-lo FROM RICHMOND
ADDRESS !RsE OF 7JEFE.r DAVIS

New YORK, Aug. THE, american Of
this evening has Richmond papers of the
9th, which contain the following address
OF the President to the, soldiers of the
Confederate States '-'''' 2 - = ''o
After more than two years of a war
scarcely equalled in the number, magni-
tude and fearful carnage of its battles, a
warfare in which your courage and forth
tude have illustrated your country and at
tracted not only gratitude at home, but
admiration abroad, your enemies continue
q struggle in which our final triumph must
beineVitable. Unduly elated with their
recent successes, they imagine that tenn
poraryI reverses can queil our spirits or
shake your determination, and they are
now gathering heavy masses for general
invasion, in the vain hope that by despe-
rate effort success may at length be
reached. !, You know too well, my coun-
trymen, what they, mean by success.
Their malignant rage aims at nothing less
than the DETERMINATION of yourselves,
your wives and your children. They seek
to destroy what they cannot plumber !;
they propose as spoils of victory, that
your homes shall be portioned among
wretches whose atrocious cruelty has
stamped infamy on their government;
they design to incite servile instruction
and light the fires of incendiarism wher-
ever they can reach your homes, and they
debauch an inferior race heretofore docile
and contented, by promising them the
indulgence of the vilest passion as the
price of their treachery Conscious of
their inability to prevail by legitimate
warfare, not daring to make peace lest
they should be hurled from their seats of
power, the men who now rule in WASH
ingtOn refuse even to confer on the sub
ject of pu ting an end to outrages which
disgrace our age, or listen to suggestion
for conducting the war according to the
usages of civilization. Ii'- q 1aaS1ti0s ,
Fellow citizens: No alternative is left
you but victory or subjugation,g slavery
and the utter ruin of yourselves, your fam
lilies, and your country. the victory is
within your reach; you need but to stretch
forth your hands to grasp it. For this, all
thatis necessary is that those who are called
to the field by every motive that can nerve
human hearls, should promptly repair to
the post of duty, and should stand by
their comrades now in, front of the foe,
and thus SO strengthen the arms of the Con-
federacy as to ensure success. Davis then
appealed to those who have absented
themselves from their duty, to return, de-
claring a general pardon and amnesty
to officers and men now absent with
out leave who shall without delay return
to their posts, or within twenty day. after
the publication of this proclamation in
the State where" the absentee may be.
This pardon extends to all who have been
accused or convicted and are undergoing
sentence for absence without leave or
desertion. He then says, finally: con-
jure. my cOuntrywomen, wives, mothers,
sisters and daughters Of the Confederacy,
to use their all-powerfnl influence in aid
of this call and to add one browning sac
rifice, to those which their patriotism has
SO freely and constantly offered on their
country's altar, and take care that none
who owe service in heafeld should be
sheltered at home from the disgrace of
of having deserted their duty to their
families, their country and their God.
Ia, JEFFERSON DAVIS, President.
J.P. BENJAMIN, Secretary Of State.