The Camden confederate. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-28
ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT
TO THE SOLDIERS OF THE CON.
FEDERATE STATES.

Il
FEDERATE STATES.
AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF WAR
fare scarcely equalled in the number magnitude and
fearful carnage of its battles; warfare in which your
courage and forttude have illustrated your country
and attracted not only gratitude at home, but admra
ton abroad, your enemies continue struggle, in
which our final triumph must be inevitable. Unduly
elaed with their recent successes, they imagine that
temporary reverses can quel your spirit or shake
your determination, and they now gathering heavy
masses for general invasion in the vain hope that
by adespoate effort may at length be reached
| You know too WE'LL my countrymen, what they
mean by success. Their malignant rage aims at moth
ing less than the determination Of yourselves. your
wives and children They seek to destroy what they
cannot punder They propose as the spos of victory
that your homes shall be partitioned among the
wretches whose atrocious crueties have stamped in
| fanny on their Government They design to iDcite
servile nsrrection and light the fires of fncendiarsm
! whenever they can reach your homes and they de-
bauch me inferior race hitherto docile and contented
by pr misi & indulgence of the vest passions the
pr Of treachery. Conscious uf their inability TO pre-
vail by legitimate warfare daring to make peace
lest they should be buried from their seats of power
the who rule in Washington refuse even to
confer on the subject ofputtng an end to outrages
which disgrace age. or to listen to suggestion
for conducting the war according the usages of
civilization
Fellow citizens. no alternative is left you but vic
tory, subugdton slavery and the utter un of your
selves your families and your country The victory
is within your reach You need but stretch forth
your hsnds to grasp it, For this and all that is ne
| cessary is that those whoar called TO the field by
every motive that move the human heart, should
promptly repair to the post of duty should stand by
their comrades now in front of the foe, and thus so
strengthen the armies of the Confederacy to
success. The absent from their posts would
if present in the field suffice to create numerical
equality between our force and that of the invaders
and when, with any approach to such equality
have we failed to he victorious? / believe that but
few of those absent actuated by unwilngness to
serve their country; but that many have found it diff
cult to resist the temptation of visit to their homes
and the loved ones from whom they have been SO long
separated; that others have left for temporary
attention to their affairs with the intention Of
returning, and then have shrunk from the conse-
quences ofther violation of duty that others again
have left their posts from restessness and desire
ofchange each queting the upbrangs ofhs conscience
by pursnadng himself that his individual services could
have no influence on the general result
These and other causes (although far less disgrace
full than the desire to avoid danger to escape from
the sacrifices required by patriotism) are
theess grevous faults and place the cause ofour he
loved country, and of everything we hold dear, in i'm
minent peril l repeat that the men who owe
duty their country who have been called out and
have yet reported for duty, who have absented
themselves from their posts, sufficient in number
to secure victory in the struggle now impending.
| l call on you then, my countrymen, to hasten to
your camps in obedience to the dictates ofhonor and
duty and summon those who have absented them
selves without leave. who have remained absent
eyond the period allowed by their furloughs to re-
pair without delay to their respective commands and
do hereby declare thatI grant general pardon and
amnesty all officers ard within the Confederacy
now absent without leave. who shall. with the least
possible delay return to their proper posts OF duty but
no will he received for any delay beyond twenty
days after the duplication of this proclamation in the
State in which the absentee may be at the date OF
the publication. This amnesty and pardon shall cX-
tend to all who have been accused who have been
convicted and are undergoing sentence for absence
without leave. or descTton excepting only those who
| have been tweed convicted ofdesertion.
Finally conure my countrywomen-the wives,
mothc,s sisters and daughters OF the Conlederacy--to
use their allpowcriul influence in aid of this call to
add one crownng sacrifice those which their pari-
otsm has so freely and constantly offered on their
) altar and take care that NOne who owe