The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-01-03

is an accordance with the con6scation law
Of our enemies. which he has effected to
be enfoFcsd through the ageuCy Of civiiii
officials.
ON THE LIBEAAI1oE OF SLAVES.
And. finally. the African slaves have
not only been inoited to instruction by
every license and encouragement, but
numbers Of them have actually been arm
Cd for servileswAr--a war in its nature
far exceeding the horrors and most mer-
CHESS atrocities Of savsges;
And whereas, The officers under COM
mand of said Butler have been, in many
instances, active and Jealous agents in
the commissidn Of these crimes, and no
instance is known of the refusal of any one
Of them to participate IN the outrages
above narrated;
And whereas, The President Of the
United States has, by public and official
declarations, signifed not only his approx
al of the effort to excite servile war with
in the Confederacy, but his intention to
give aid and encouragement thereto, if
these independent States shall continue
to refuse submission to foreign power
after the LIST of January next, and has
thus made known that all appeal to the
law of nations, the dictates of reason, and
the instincts Of humanity, would be ad-
dressed in vain to our enemies, and that
they can be deferred from the commits
sion Of these crimes only by the terrors Of
just retribution.
Now, therefore, I, Jefferson Davis,
President Of the Confederate States Of
America, and acting by their authority.
appealing to the Divine Judge in attesta-
tion that their conduct is not guided by
the passion of revenge, but that they re-
luctantly yield to the duty Of redressing,
by necessary severity, crimes Of which
their citizens are the victims, do issue
this my proclamation, and by virtue OF
my authority us Commander-in-C Chief of
the armies of the Confederate States, do
order
First. That oil commissioned officers
in the command of said Benjamin L But.
Ter be declared not entitled to be consid-
ered as soldiers engaged in honorable
warfare, but as robbers and deserving
death and that they, and each of them.
be whenever captured reserved fer execu-
ton.
Second-Thst the private soldiers and
nom commissioned officers in the army Of
said Butler be considered only as the in
struments used for the commission o!
crimes perpetrated by his orders, and not
as free agents; that they, therefore, be
treated, when captured, as prisoners OIL
war, with kindness and humanity, and
be sent home on the usual parole that
they will in no manner aid or serve the
United States in any capacity during the
continuance Il iiiis war, unless duly ex.
changed.
Tkird-That- all negro slaves captured
in arms be at once delivered over to the
executive authorities of the respective
States to which they belong, to be deall
with according to the laws of said States
Fourth-That the like orders be execu
ted 10 all cases with respect to all com.
nissioned officers of the United States
when found serving in company with said
slaves in instruction against the author
tiles of the different States of this Confed
eracy. ,@s
In testimony whereof, | have signed
these presents and caused the seal Of the
Confederate States of America to be afix.
ed thereto, at the city of Richmond, OF
this 24d day Of December, in the year o.
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
sxty-two. JEFFERSON DAVIS.
By the President:
j. p. BENJAMIN, Secretary Of State