, 1863-09-17
MR., SEWARD'S DIPLOMATIC
CIRCULAR.
PROSPERITY OF THE UNION.
THE FALLING CAUSE OF
THE REBElS.
Progress Of Emancipation.
CIRCULAR NUMBER TH1RT1-N1NE.
DEPARTMENT o. STATE,

CIRCULAR NUMBER THRTY-NINE.
DEPARTMENT o. STATE,
= WASHINGTON. Ang. T.. 1858 |
21R: Whenever the United States harecom-
planned of the premature decrees of Great I
Britain and France, which accorded the char |
acters of belIigerent to the insurgents, the !
statesmen{of those. countries haye answered, |
that from the first they agreed in opinion that |
the efforts OF the Government to maintain the |
public, could not be successful With view |
to correct this prejudgment Of 80 yital Dues
t1on, addressed circular letter to the rep
resentatiyes Of the United States In foreign |
countries on the 18th day of April, 1862, In
which I reviewed the operations Of the mar
on fea and land, and presented the results
which had attended It down to that PERIOD
The prejudice, which then attempted to re-
move, still remains, md 1t constitutes the
hasis Of all thAt is designedly or undesigned)y
Injurious to the country in the policy Of for.
eign nations. The tnsurgcnta have been able
to protract their resistance By means Of sym
ratby and aid they have received from abroad.
and The expectation Of further and more ef-
fcctpa1 foreigntassistancei is now their chief re-
source. A new effort, therefore, to correct
dent concern for our foreign relations, and
by the paramount interests Of peace and hu-
manity.
In. The battles OF August, 1863, the Union
forces suffered some severe and appalling re-
verses. But they resulted In the reunion OF
the army which had been called in from the
Peninsula, below Richmond, with the army
which had Its position between that strongly
fortified seat Of the insurTection and this cap
ital. The wisdom Of this reunion Was soon
to be indicated. The insu'gent army, flushed
With its recent successes, and expecting that
sympathetic Interest OF slavery would pro-
duee IN uprising Of the people Of Maryland
In its favor, for the first time crossed the Po-
tomac River. Harper's Ferry, with many
prisoners, fell into It's hands, rather through
accidents In preparing its defence than be-
cause It was indefeneible. Nevertheless, the
expectation Of recruits signally fai1ed. Gen.
Mcclellan, commanding the now consollda-
ted forces of the army Ut the Potomac, was
reinforced BY fresh leVies from Pennsylvania,
and By det2cbments called in from neighbor.
positions ut South Mountain and Cramrton's
Gap. About the middle Of September, the
two opposing armies confronted each other
at SharpsburE, and pitched battle was
fought on the banks Of the Antietam and Po-
tomac. It was well sustained on both sides.
Men Of one race and training directed the
armies, whose rank and f1le were substantial
" Of one blood, md even nearly equal in
numbers, The arrogant assumption Of su-
perior yalor and heroism which the lnsur.
gents had brought into the contest, and had
Cherished throughout Its early stages, per
gent army, shattered in the conflict, aban.
doned the invasion OF Maryland, and sought
refuge and opportunity to recover Its wasted
strength In Virginia behind its accustomed
barrier, the Potomac.
IIr. Seward then details the retreat Of
Bragg to Murfreesbo1o, the defeat OF Van
Dom snd Price st Cosinth, ard the oceupa-
tiou of Nashville aud Murfreesboro BY Rose
c1ans, the capture Of Vicksburg, the victory
at Helena, the surrender Of Port Hudson, md
tie occupation Of Jackson.
It will be remembered that on the a2d day
Of September, 1eG2, the President issued q
proclamation requiring the insurgents 10 Lay
down their arms md return to their allegiance,
under the penalty that in .all the districts
where the lnsurrrctfon should be still main
| tanned with the support Of the people, he
| would on the first Of January then next pro-
| claim, as military measure, the freedom Of
| the slaves. The warning was generally re-
| jected anu defed, but the proclamation which
it heralded was duly issued. As tae national
aimies advanced into the insuIcc:ionary ter
ritories. slaves in considerable numbers ac-
ceptei their freedom and came under the pro-
tection..of the national flag. Amidst tie great
| prejudice and many embarrassments which
! attended o measure 20 new and 60 divergent
men with commendab1e alac1lty enlisted In
| the Federal army. There was IN some quar-
ttrs painful inquiry about their noral ca
pncity- for service. That uncertainty was
| brought to q sudden end In the Eiege Of Port
Hudson. The newly raised negro regiments
the military assaults which we're made, with
desperate courage, and not Without fearful
loss, By General Banks. This protracted
operation epgoged nearly a11 Of Gen. Banks'
tu1gent troops which were called 1p from
Texas reoccnpiedl much of the southwestern
| portion Of Louisiana which he had before re-
claimed. The surrender Of Port Hudson,
however, Eet his army at liberty, and ho has
already made. considerable progress In re-
rarily displaced. :
The complete occupation of the Mississippi
ty the national forces has et1tctuafly divided
the ineu,rectfonary region into two parts, and
enopg the Important features Of this division
one which is Of the highest practical signifl.
cance Is, that the field Of military operations
Ct the insurection is chiefly On the eastern
eide Of the river, while its supplies have been
mainly drawn from the praIries Of Arkansas
and Texas, which stretch away from the west
ply the insurgents with cattle tor suftenance
and use in the field, and, on tho other hand,
aims, ordnance and ammunition ca1
no longer be sent from the eastern manuf4c.
tories md deposits to forces employed or In
garrison In the West. The value Of the &C.
I HA}s!l1Vu u LuH u4lSslSalppl LII lulo EEtHtCt
Mas Illustrated only few days since IN the
capture by General Grant, near Natchez, d
5000 beeycs and 2,C00 mules, which .haS
crossed to the eastern bank, and ut the cant
time many hundred thousand cartridges nnd
other stores which had just bean landed a
the western end Of the same ferry.
After na1rating the progress Of events q
Charleston, the symptoms Of disaffsction II
North Carolina, the defeat Of Lee at Gettys
burg, the occupation Of Shelbyvl11e, Tullaho
ma and Chattanooga, and the rout Of Nor
guns forces, the circular concludes as tol
lows:
This review Of the campaign shows that NJ
great progress has been made by our arns In
The east. The opposing forces there haV.
| been too equally matched to allow great nd
! necessity Of covering the National capital II
all contingencies has constantly restrained
! our Generals and forbidden such bod and
: dangerous movements "a usually conduct tt
. brilliant military SUCCESS. In the West, how
ever, the results haye been more gratifying
Fifty thousand square 1nf1eg have been Re
claimed from the possession OF the insur
,, gents. On referring to tile annexed map Il
viii be seen that since the breaking out O
tie inkurrection, the Government has extend
> ! ed its former sway over and through reg{o1
: Of two hundred thousand square miles, a1
!, area us large as Austria or Franco, or tie
, peninsula of Spain and Portugal. The lnsur
gents lost in the various field and giege opera
| fiors Of the month Of July which hayo de-
sc1ibed, one third Of their whole forces.
Jefferson Davis, the leader Of the seditIon
, has since proclaimed levy Of al1 the able
: bodied men within his military lines, This
If carried into effect, will exhaust the whole
: material Of which soldiers csn be made. The
. . insurgents estimate the total number Of con
scripts thus to be gained at from 70, 600 to a5,
! GEO. Our armies now confront the insurgenr:
n ut all points with superior numbers. A draft
? for 500, Geo more Is In progress to replace
= those whose terms Of service have expired
and to fill up the wasted ranks Of our veteran
0 The evidence Of the necessity for that meas
;, ure is received and dIgested, submit viii
{ chee1fulness to the ascertalned demands
!. Our armies everywhere are well equipped
9 abundant]y ted, and supplied with alI TIL
d neans Of transportation. The soldiers 0
i rams, and show greater stcadiness In ever,
j. conflict. The men, accustomed 10 the camp
t and hardened By exercise and experience
= make marches rhlcn would have been impos
+ tlble In the beginning. Of the contest. Th
0 nation is becoming familiar with arms, AMI
L unta1y eullstments continually augment on
: military force. All supplies are abundant,
+ ard cheap1y purehnsed within our 1ines. Th
o county shoWs no signs Of exhaustion Of mo
4 remount horses was filed and the animal
y dispatched from Washing ton all In four days
t ] Our loan Ii purchased at par BY our own cit
o gems, at the average rate Of q, zoo, eco daily
l. Gold Eel1s In our market at 123 to l28, Will
q | in the insurrectionary region it command
! 1,200 per cent. premium.
9 Every insu1gent port is either blockaded
= beeejEed, or occupied b. the national forces
I The iield Of the protected Conteaeracy Is di
n yided By tho Mississippi. AL the fortified
9 tions on Its banks are In our hands, and 1t
%HnS