Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-08-14
To the Editors Of the Enquirer:
CAMP iTu Va. Heavy ARTILLERY, !
August l2tn, 1868.

To the Editors Of the Enquirer:
CAMP -;Tu Va. HEAVY ARTILLERY,
August l2th, 1865.
This is the monentous crisis in tha history
OF this war, tho, calls On freemen everywhere
throughout tho broad limits Of this Con(ede-
racy 70 lay aside all selfish and private in
terest, case, comfort, aud the endearments Of
home and tuut.y, aud, without delay, rally
to the defence OF thoir country.
IL is 40 time for You, young men, who have
exemption papers in your pockets--you who
are magistrates, contractors of that crown mail
route, &c. &C., 10 stop to discuss the question
as 70 what is your plain duty in this matter :;
you have bu. 10 lock around you to witDeSs
the coming storm; IL SEQ that barbarous
and savage enemy is closing in around you
Oh ali sides You have but To unstop your
years TO hear the plying cry Of women and
children, and the means Of our gray-halred
Gres, driven from their burning homes,
stripped o! everything thar can give them
comfort in this world but their God and Lib
erty.
Will YOU, can you, hear and see these
things and remain deaf TO your country's call
Ifynu do, and the brave men who are now
fighting your battles are overpowered in this
contest, aud our cause lost, your children will
rise up 10 curse your memories.
But, Messrs Editors, human nature is not
alike in all men the love of money case and
comfort, and the desire to keep far from dan
Ser, are more powerful iuceptivesin the hearts
OF macy than the love Of liberty and indepen-
dence. 1t has been SO in all ages and coun-
tries, and all appeals from the true soldier
fighting for his country, for help from such
il the hour Of danger, fall like lead upon their
hearts. The strong arm OF law can alone
reach snch. Public opinion is q useless mcdi-
oine with this class. Congress cannot a
dav too som invest the President with
further powers to enable him to enforce the
conscript laws upon every able-bodied man IN
the Copfaderacy between the ages Of sixteen
and fifty; repeal nr greatly modify the eIemp-
ton laws; break up substituting in the army,
rot aud branch; clean out the Augean sta
bles force into tho ranks tho sixty thousand
able-bor!ied men who have left the army, by
substituting in their places foreigners. tmnre
than half Of whom have long since deserted
or respectable old men, most Of whom would
fight pretty well if the Government would
furnish wagons and teams to haul them TO the
battle field, or the doctors would do their duty
in curing them Of the rheumatics and weak
backs. Let the extorlouer and Spectator
perish, if need be. with their ill-gotten gains
Put an Immediate stop to the buying and sell
ing of gold and silver. These are evils that
are oau >erins and eating out tho vitals of tho
Confederscy.
We Of the army know, feel and 200 these
things. Let Congress give the President
power TO ac:, and put stop to these evils.-
We appeal TO the government to save US
We appeal to tho people to rise to the occa-
sion, like men who are determined to be free,
-, - hora tha dana tbof thn
people ore at their backs, and the government
is energetic. We are determined to be hewed
TO pieces on the field Of battle father than
Weld in this contest. But We need more men :;
stronger ranks. There are plenty of nen in
the C0nfederacy, but they are not in the ar
nv. We want the power of the lace put i'll
force to bring them to our help.
Let Congress at once be called together to
leg;slate upon aad remedy the evils that now
threaten our liberties more than the public
enemy.
Let laws DO passed imposing heavy fines
and penalties upon those who buy and soil
gold aud silver.
Itmight DO best for the Government to re-
qu;sre. as the French Government ut one time
did under similar circumstances, all the spe
Gle in the country for its own use. This evil
has done more to impair our credit and lessen
the value of Confederate money, than the loss
of Vicksburg, and every other defeat we have
mot with during the war. The people are
startled to see gold quoted in your paper as
one dollar in gold to twelve in Confederate
notes. The confidence of thousands of the
thoughtless are shaken in our currency
They do not stop to think that it is owing to
the scarcity of precious metals in the South,
the greed Of brokers to make their business
profitable, and the rush Of spectators. in
blockade goods, to get gold. These are the
osuso, of the present depreciation Of our cur
rency. put the suestion. would it not be
b.st for the country if the Richmond papers
would refuse 70 give publicity through their
columns to such injurious speculation I?
Let brokery in gold extortionsrs and specu-
lators in the necessaries Of life perish for the
this elias. rule and s.arTs the confsdoraoy into