Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-01-16
NES4AGI
PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS
To the Ssnots ant
NES9AG Il
'nss of Representatives.
70 the Ssnote and

To the Ssnots and
House Of Representatives
q tse Co%fccsratc States: !:
81 tho date d: your Gst adjuurnnenr tho
preparations OF the snsmy !or further hostiii-
l;ss hsd assumed So menacing an aspect as to
excite in some min,ls apprehension If cur
ability TO meet them with sufficient prompt
moss TO avoid serioua reverses. These prepa-
| rations were completed shortly after your
departure from the Seat Of Government, and
the armies Of the United States made stimuli
taneous advance on our frontiers: on the
| western rivers and or the Atlantic coast in
masses so great az to sviace their hope Of
oTerbcari;,g Mi resistance by nero weight CT
! numbers, This hope. however, Ike those
| previously entertained by our focs, has vaa-
! ishei. In Virginia, tncir fourth ATTEMPT a.
! Invasion hy srm;es whose assured success
was confidently predicted, tas met With DC
c;si7e repalse. Our noble defenders under
the consuIcmate leadership Of thair General,
have again, ss Fredericksburg, inflicted or the
forces under General Burnside the like disas-
trous overthrow rs mad been preYioIsiY auf.
ffsTed .by4sio successive; invading armies Soh-
nanded by Generals Mcdowell, McG!sllsn
and Pope.
| In the West obstinate battles have teen
fought with "aIying fortunea, marked by
frighttul carnsgs on both siuea, but
the eDeniy's hopes Of decisive rrauliH
have rga;u teca batfled, while at Vieks-
burg smother formidable expedition has
| been reprlscd with inconsiderabe loas on
! DIR side and seTeTe damsge TO tue aassiling
| fHrces. TN the Atlantic coast thu enemy hns
, been unahle ~ gein footing hay0ui the
protecting shelter nf his fleets, aud the city
| of Galveston has Just been recnvareh hv our
! forces, wticf, succeeded not only III tbs cap
! ture OF the garrison, hut Of one OF tie enc
| my's vessels Of war, which was CARRIED BY
| boarding parties from merchant river stesm-
ers. Our fortified positions ha7a eyuTY where
! beer much strengthened and Improved, af-
| lordng ASSURANCE CT oGr abiliiy to meet, with
success, the utmost eidrts of our enemies, in
| spite Of tho magnitude 1f their Preparations
| fur attack.
A review af dir Tsto.y 9! the twa wears OF
cur national existence afford. ample cause for
c9ogrstulaticn aad demands tas most fervsnt
| expression pf oul lhari:: fitness to the Al
mighty Father who has blessed GU: causc.--
| We sra justified III asserting, Tith pride.
surely not unrac.Diug. ;hst these Conce,ic-
rate States hare added ano1ie- to the Lessons
| tsusht hy history fcr tho natrac:ica Of man;
the; thoy lave afforded smother example ci
| the impossnillty oi sub iTSs:ing a peorl. DE-
I to-Enined to be free; and hare demonstrated
thai To sIperoriiy OF numbers or a7ailabls
| resources can overcome toe resistance offered
| by suah Vslor IN combat. snca ceastancy
under suffering am such cheerful endu-
anca cf priTRtlcn as have Leen conspicuous
| II disriayc! by this people in the defence
of their rights and liberties. The antic;rations
with which we entered inio the contest havo
| now ripened into conviction which is not
! only shared With us bT lhe common opinion
! Of neutral rat!ons, but 10 =7dertlv inrc!ng
itself Upon or- eCeEies themselves. five bat
mark tho EiRtnrr OF the present year bT To-
| aolnte perseverance in the pGth we have
| hithsrto pursued; by vigorous effaiA IN the
development cf all our resources for defenre !:
and by the continued exhibition Of the same
unfaltering courage in our soldiers and able
| conduct in their ,tade-e Sc have d,sting1iet-
ed the Iaet, Se have rvsrJ reason to eZpect
that this wilb tue closing year Q! ;ha .,Tar.
Tha war, " hich ii lis inception. %sS rgaKct
| for forcing us hact into the Union, having
| failed to accomplish THAI purpose, passed III
| to second stage ii which it was attempted
! to conquer and rule these States SIS depen-
| dent provinces. Defeated in this second de-
| sign, our enemies have evidently entered
upon another, which can have no other par
poss than revenge AMI ri,irst for blood aud
plunder ofprlvnte property. Bat howss er
| implacabis they T4y bs. they can have
neither tbs spirit nor the RESOURCES required
| for fourth year OF c struggle rncheered by
! any hopa Of 5!ccass, Kept alive solely for the
| indulgence Of u.ercsnaTy auu wicked pas
sions, and demanding SD exhaustive an tT-
penditure Of blood and money as ms hither-
| to been imposed OH their people. Tho adj
vent Of peace will be hailed with Joy. Our
desire for it has never been concealed. Our
efforts to avoid the war; forced on us, as it
was, by tho lust of conquest and the insane
passions Of orr foes, srs kEown to mankind.
| But earnest az has been oI- wish for peace
and great ss have been ou7 Gacri'iccs and
| suEarings during the Tar. III" determination
| of this pcoplc mss with EACH succeeding
month becone more unaitersniy fixed: tc aI-
dure any slfieriugg ald coE;,nia any sAcri-
fees, however prolonged, unil thGi: ;igEf 10
! self-yoyernment and the soTclcignf5 aud i'll -.
! dependence G: those States insil h;re renn
triumPhsntiy vindicaici an: !!H!Ij es.ah-
lished.
In this caancction. The occasions s2crhE mi
unsuitsble fur some reference Ia the rniat:aRa
betwesa In. Oon,cda,acy ani tie Dcutra!
powers Of Europe Slice the ssTafas:oa IL
| these States from the fl-:a5r e sion.
| -Four o. tie States nov members Of the
! Confedorecy, we're recognized oy name as
independent sDveregi.iies IN treaty Of peace,
concluded in the year 1888. with one Of the
two g.ca. maritime powers Of Western
Europe, and rad been. prior to that period,
allies in wac Q: the Other. IN tn. year IFS
theY forric q Uaicn With nine otber States
under articles Of Confederation. Dissatisfied
With that I!hion, three vi them,, Virginia,
South Carolina and Gtoorgu together with
eight Of tho States now members ol The United
States, seceded from it in 1883, ana these
eleven ascedi6g States foraied p second union,
| although by The terms GT ths Articles of
Confederation express provision was made
| that the FIRST union should be Terpetnsl.--
Their fignt to secsde, Notwithstanding this
| provision, Was neither contested hy the
States from which they separated, nar rasoe
tts subject Of di5cu ssina with any third
power. When, ~ l.ter pe-:Gi. North
Caroliua acceded tn that second ral0u. and
when, still stcT, The etka7 aevon States; now
members ef this Corfede:acr, became also
members 81 the asnns Union, It wrs upon the
recognized footing vi tqnr and Independent
soveTsignties, nor had it then entered into
| the minds Of men that sovereign Srates could
be compelled, by force to 'cmai;, members OF
acoutederntion into which they had entered OF
their own free VIII. ii, ii a subsequent period.
tho 6efnnse Of thei. safety and honor should,
ia their Judgment justify "ithdrawal The ex
perience of the past had evinced tho latliity Of
any renu1cistion of s1eh inhere1t E'sats. and
accordingly the provision fo- perpetuity con-
trined ID thu Articles of Confederation Of
| ITS w.s omitted in the Consultation Of -.
! When, therefore, in 1851 eleven Of ;as States
again thought proper,tor reasons satisfactory
to themselves, to secede f:om the second Union,