The Camden confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865, 1863-10-02


and House Of Representatives:
The day for your annual meeting is so near
at hand that should not have invoked you
agitin i'll extra session, but for what | deem
pressing emergency admitting of no delay The
progress of the war for the last few months has
not been favorable to our arms. The brilliant
repulse of the encmy's iron-clad fleet on the
7th of April last, in Charleston harbor, has
been succeeded by the fall of Vicksburg and
Port 'Hudson; our retirement from Pennsyl
wanna, Maryland and Tennessee, and also by
our evacuation of Morris Island, butnot with
out a stubborn resistance 10y the brave garrisons
of Wagner and Gregg, under a fire from naval
and land batteries such as no works have ever
before withs.ood.
Fort Sumter still holds out with an infantry
garrison, which has recently achieved bril-
liant success. Her noble ruins afford the best
proofs of the indomitabc courage of the off
GERS and rpcn of the First South Carolina Ar
tcry. Our malignant foe is now erecting on
Morris Island powerful batteries of Parrot
guns, and repairing his damaged fleet, prepara-
upon our harbor out posts, whilst his land forces
are being increased,wth the hope, possibly, OF
carrying Charleston in q combined attack by
land and sea. The call of the President for
five thousand troops for six months service
within the State, beginning the first of August
last, has been promptly responded to- with the
exception of five companies now in process of
organization. This rcquisition and the enforce
,ment of the Conscription Act to forty-five, en-
bracing almost the entire population between
the ages of forty and fifty, so impairs the ctii-
cheney of our militia organization that find it
mpracticablo to obtain readily force adequate
to such emergencies us seem likely soon
to be upou us To meet those emergencies |
have cndeavorcd, under your late Act and the
Act of 1871, to raise volunteer force of one
mounted regiment, two companies OF cavalry
and one battery of artillery, for service wher-
ever in the State they may be needed. This
force has not been so promptly raised as the
occasion requires, and | have, therefore, felt it
my duty again to convene your bodies, and to
recommend to you that You devise such plan,
as in your wisdom may seem cxpcdicnt, for
furnishing ior immediate service military
force of at .east lwo regiments of infantry, one
of which should be mounted, and proportion
ate force OF cavalry and artillery. Also, that
the law be SO amended as to place in some mil
itary organization, for the defence of the State
every able bodied citizen between the ages of
sixteen and sixty, not in-Contederatc service or
otherwise legally exempted. The immediate
danger to be apprchended arises from raidng
parties of the enemy, who may dash suddenly
into the State from Tennessee, through Upper
Georgia, or the passes Of the mountains Of
North and South Carolina. Should the enc
my in large force attempt invasion from these
sections, the Confed derate Government will no
doubt, afford adequate protection. But to re-
port raids and to protect our firesdes, the State
herself should make preparation. The persons
to compose the organizations should be the
ablcd bodied citizens between sixteen and sixty