The daily bulletin. [volume] (Winchester, Tenn) 1862-1863, 1863-01-08

starvation, by the confscation of all their
property, and taking an cath against conscience
to bear allegiance to the invaders of their
country.
Egress from the city has been refused {.
those whose fortitude withstood the test, even
to lone and aged women and to helpless chill
dren; and after being elected from their homes
and robbed of their property, they have been
left to starve in the streets or subsist on char,
ity. m m
The slaves have been driven from the plan
tations in the neighborhood of New Orleans.
till their owners would consent to share the
crops with the Commanding General, his
brother, Andrew j. Butler, and other officers;
and when such consent had been extorted, tho
slaves have been restored to the plantations,
and there compelled to work under the bayo.
nets of guards of United State soldiers.
Where this partnership was refused armed
expeditions have been sent to the plantations
to rob them of everything that was susceptible
of removal, and even slaves, too aged or in
firm for work, have, in spite Of their %entreat-
les, been forced from the homes provided by
the owners and driven to wander helpless on
the highway.
BY a recent General Order (Eo. 91) the en-
tire property in that part Of Louisiana, lying
west of the Mississippi river, has been seques-
trated for confiscation, and officers have boen
assigned to duty with orders to ''gather up and
collect the personal property and turn over to
the proper officers upon their receipts such Of
said property as may be required for the use Of
tho United States army; to collect together oil
tho other personal property and bring tho
same to New Orleans, and cause it to be sold
at public auction to the highest bidders. an or
der which, if executed, condemns to punish
ment by starvation, at least u quarter of a mil
lion of human beings, of all ages, sexes and
conditions; and of which the execution, altho'
forbidden to military officers by the orders Of
President Lincoln, is i'll accordance with the
Confscation law of our enemies, which he has
directed to be enforced through the agency of
civil off cials. And finally, the African slaves
have not only been excited to ihsurrection by
every license and encouragement, but numbers
Of them have actually been armed for u servilc
war, a war in its nature for exceeding in hor-
rors the most rAerciless atrocities Of tho saw
ages.
And whereas. tho officers under the COM
mand of tho said Butler have been, III many
instances, active AMI Jealous agents in the
commission Of these crimes, and no instance
Is known of the refusal of any one of them 10
participate in the outragcs above narrated;
And whereas, the President Of the United
States has, by public and official declaration,
signifcd not only his approval Of the effort 10
excite servilc war within tho Confedcrscy. but
his intention to give aid and encouragement
thereto, ii these independent States shall con
tinuo to refuse submission to a fore gn powcr
after the first day of January next; and has
thus made known that all appeals to the aws
of nations. the dictates Of reason and the in
otip,,tc ,f http,o,,itr yrn,l1 hn oJIroaanl In ,,o;r,
To our enemies, and that they can be deferred
from the commission Of these crimes only by
the teIrors Of just retribution:
Now, therefore, /, Jefferson Davis, Prssi-
dent of the Confederate States Of America,
and acting by their authority. appealing to
the Divine Judge in ATTIC station that their
conduct is not guided by tho passion Of revenge
but that they reluctantly yield to the solemn
duty of REFRESHING, By necessary severity,
crimes Of which their citizens are the victims.
to issue this my proclamation, and by virtue
OF my authority rs Commander in-Chief of tho
armies Of the Confederate States do order,
LIST. That all commissioned officers in the
command l. of said Benjamin F. Butler be de-
clared not entitled to be considered rs soldiers
engaged in honorable warfare, but as robbers
and criminals, deserving death; and that thoy
and each Of them be, whenever captured, re-
served for execution.
I'd. That the private soldiers and non-com-
missioned officers in tho army of said Butler
DO considered as only the instruments used for
the commission of the crimes perpetrated By
his orders, and not as free agents; that thoy
therefore be treated. when captured, as prison
ers of war, with kindness and humanity, md
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 Of this
war. unless duly exchanged. g.f o.
3D.. That all negro slaves captured in arms,
be at once delivered over to the executive au-
t~horities Of the respective States to which they
belong, to be dealt with accore ing to tho laws
of said States. t
4th. That the like orders be executed in all
cases with respect to all commissioned officers
of the United States, when found. serving in
company with armed slaves in instruction
against the authorities of the different States Of
this Confederacy. t.as.
In testimony whereof, 1 have signed
(1Us | these presents, and caused the seal
~ of tho Confederate States of Amer
loo m he n AZ vaJ tborokol Is tho oitv