Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1864-06-22
Tic peace Manifesto of Congress.

the heroic sacrifices Of their gallant army il
the field, that no means, consistent with @
proper self respect and the ,apprsssd usages
of nations, should he omitted by the Conted-
crate States to enlighten the public opinion
of the world with regard to the true cbarac'
ter Of the struggle inwhich they are engaged
and the dispositions, principles and purposes
by which they are actuated therefore,
RcsolredJy tie Congress file Confederate
States of America, That the following mani
fests be issued in their name and by their
authority, and that the President be requested
to cause copies thereof to be transmitted TO
onr commissioners abroad to the end that
tie same may be laid before foreign Govern
men;s.
MANIFESTO OF THE CONGRESS OF CONFEDERATE
STATES OF AMERICA RELATIVE TO THE EA-
1srING. WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES.
The Congress of the Confederate States OF
America. acknowledging their responsibility
to the opinion of tho civilized world, to the
great Law of Christian philanthropy, and to
the Supreme Ruler of the universe, for the
! uart they have bees compelled to bear in the
sad spectacle of war and carnage which this
continent has, for the last three years, e2-
hibited to the eyes of afflicted humanity,
deems the present fitting occasion to de-
clare the principles, the sentiments and the
purposes by which they have been and are
still actuated.
They have ever deeply deplored the neces-
sity Which constrained them to take up arms
in defence of their rights and OF, the free in
stitutions derived from their ancestors; and
there is nothing they more ardently desire
than peace, whatsoever their enemy, BY ceas-
ing from their unhallowed war waged upon
them, shall permit them to enjoy in reace the
shelterinp protection of those heredetry rights
and of those cherished institutions. The Sc.
ries of successes with which it has pleased
Almighty God, in so signal : manner, to bless
our arms on almost every point of our invaded
borders, since The opening Of thepresent cam.
paiyn, enables us 10 profess this desire OF
pesce in the interests of civilization and hu.
manity without danger of having our motives
misinterpreted, or of the, declaration beiag
ascribed to any unmanly sentiment, or any
distcust OF cur ability fully to maintain our
cause. The repeated and disastrous checks,
foreshadowing ultimate discontinue, which
their gigantic army, directed against the cap
ilal Of the 0onfederacy, has already met with,
are but s continuation of thesamc providen.
tial successes for us. We donot refer to
these successes in any spirit of vain boasting,
but in humble acknowledgment Of that cAl-
mighty protection which has youchsafed and
granted them.
The world must now see that eight millions
ofpeople, inhabiting so extensive territory,
with such varied resources and such numer-
ous laciitiesfor defence as the benignant bonn
ty of nature has bestowed upon us, and ami
imatcd With one spirit to encounter every pri-
va.;on and sacrifice OF ease, ofhealti, Of prap-
erty, oflife itsclf, rather than be degraded
from the condition of free and indelendent
STAGES into which they were born, can never
be Conquered. Will not our adverssries
themselves begin to feel that humanity has
bled long enough that tears and blood and
treasure enough have been expended in q
bootless undertaking, covering their own land,
no less than ours, with pail of mourning,
and exposing them far more than ourselves
to the catastrophe Of financial exhaustion and
bankruptcy, not to speak Of the loss of their
liberties by the despotism engendered in an
aggressive warfare upon the liberties of an
other and kindred people? Will they be
willing, by longer perseverance in wan
ton and hopeless contest, to make this consi-
nent, which thlv so long boasted to be the
CHOSEN abode Of liberty and self-government,
of,peace and higher civilization, the theatre
of the most causeess and prSeigal cffu>ion OF
blood which the. world has ever. seen, OF.
virtual relapse intothe tarbarisrn of the rnder
ages, and Of the destruction Of constitutional
freedom by the lawlesaness of usurped power
These ace questions which our adverssres
will decide for themselves. We desire to
stand ccouitted before tie tribunal of The
world, ss we'll as in the eyes of Omnisciept
Justice, of any responsibility for the origin
OF prolungatiQn Of 3 war as contrary.to the
spirit of the age as to the traditions and ec-
knowicdged maxilns Of the political system
of America,
On this coptinent, whatever opinion may
have prevailed elsewhere, it has ever been
held and acknowledged by all parties that
Government, to be lawful, must be founded
on the consent Of the governed. We were
forced to dissolve ou. federal connection with
our former associates by their aggressions on
the fundamental principles of our compact Of
union with them /; and in doing so we exer-'
else right conSecratcd in the great chartcr o;
American li5e5ty-t4s right OF q free people,
when government proves destructive of the
ends for which it was established, to recur
to original principles and to institute new
guards for their security. The separate in
dependence of the. States. assovereign and 80
equal members of the Federal Union, had
never been surrendered, and the pretension
Of .pplying to Independent commur!ties, 60
constituted end organized, the ordinary rules
of coercion, and reducing rcbellious subjects
10 obedience, vas solecism in terms, as we'll
as an outrage on the principles of public law.
The war made upon the Confederate States
was therefore, wholly one of aggression. On
our side it has been strictly defensive. Born
frecmen, and the descendants ofa gallant an.
cestry, we had no option but to stand up in
defence of our invaded Gresides, Of Our desc.
Grated altars, of our violated liberties and
birthrisht, ap6 Of theprescriptive institutions
which guard and protect them. We have not
interlerred, nor do we wish, in any manner
whatever, to interfer. with the internal peace
and prosperity of the States arrayed in hos
tilty against US, or with the freest develop
ment Of their destinics in any form OF action,
or line of policy they may think propdr, to