The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1864-01-13
s4res1oem 9adjs' Messase.

terval since your adjournment, and my desire to
have the aid of your counsel on other matters q
grave public interest, render your presence at
this time more than ordinarily welcome. In
deed. but for serious obstacles to conyoklng you
in extraordinary session, and the necessity tor
nv own temporary absence from the seat OF 60
vernment would have invited you to an earlier
meeting than that fixed at the date OF your ad-
journment.
y Grave reverses befell our arms soon after your
= departure from Richmond Early in July, our
strongholds at Vicksburg and Port Hudson, to-
gether with their entire garrlsons cRpltulated TO
the combined land and naval forces ofthe enemy.
The important interior position OF Jackson next
fell into their temporary possession Our unsue-
cessful assault on the post at Helena was follow
ed, at later period, by the invasion Of Arhan-
sas; and the retreat Of our army from Little
Rock gave to the enemy the control Of the I'M
portant valley on which il is situated.
The resolute spirit Of the people soon rose su
perior to the temporary despondency naturally
resulting from these reverses. The gallant
troops SO ably commanded in the States beyond
the Mississippi, inflicted repeated defeats on the
Invading armies in Louisiana and on the coast
Of Texas. Detachments Of troops and active DO
dies of partsans, kept up so effective war on
the Mississippi river as practically to destroy It's
value as an avenue Of commerce
The determined and successful defense OF
Charleston against the joint land and naval ope-
-ations Of the enemy, afford an inspiring example
sf our ability to repel the attacks even Of the
iron-clad feet on which they chiefly rely; while
On the northern frontier our success was still
more marked.
The able commander, who conducted the cam
paign in Virginia, determined TO meet threat
ened advance on Richmond, for which the enemy
had made long and costly preparations, by lore
ing their armies to cross the Potomac ana hight
in defense Of their own capital and homes
Transferring the battlefield TO their own SOIL, ne
i +I.n;,- Ntroot from
Virginia andin the hard fought battle fGettys
burg inflicted such severity Of punishment as
disabled them from early renewal Of the cam
paign as originally projected. Unfortunately,
the communications on which our general relied
for receiving his supplies of munitions were IN
terrupteG by extraordinary floods, which 50
swelled the Potomac as to render impossible the
sords by which his advance had been made. and
he was TINS forced to withdrawal, which was
conducted with deliberation, after securing large
trains Of captured supplies, and with constant
but unaccepted tender Of battle. On more than
one occasion the enemy has since made demon
strations Of purpose to advance, invariably tol-
lowed by precipitate retreat to entrenched lines
on the approach Of our forces
The effective check thus opposed to the ad-
vance OF invaders at all points was such as to al
ford hope oftheir early expulsion from portions
of the territory previously occupied BY them,
\ when the country was painfully surprised by the
Intelligence that the officer in commend Of Cum=
berland Gap had surrendered that important ana
easily defensible pass without firing shot, upon
the summons of force still believed TO have been
inadequate to its reduction, and when reinforce
ments were within supporting distance, and had
been ordered to his and. The entire garrison, III
cluding tho commander being still held prison
ers by the enemy, am unable to suggest any
explanation Of this disaster which laid open east
ern Tennessee and southwestern Yirginiato hos
tile operations, and broke the line OF communlca-
tion between the seat Of government and middle
Tennessee This easy success OF the enemy was
followed by all advance Of Gen. Rosecranz into
Georgia, and our army evacuated Chattanooga
and avaled itself Of the opportunity thus afford
ed Of winning on the field of Chickamaaga one
of the most brilliant and decisive victories Of the
~~aar. This signal defeat of Gen. R0secran2 was
followed by his retreat into Chattanooga, where
his imperiled position had the immediate effect
of relieving the pressure ofthe invasion at other
points, forcing the concentration for his relief,
OF large bodies Of troops withdraw from the ar
mics in the Mississippi valley and in northern
Virginia. The combined forces thus accumulat-
Cd against us in Tennessee 50 greatly outnum |
bered our army as to encourage the enemy to
attack After long and severe battle in which
great carnage was inflicted on him, some OF opr
troops inexplicably abandoned positions ofgTeat
strength, and by q disordeIly retreat compelled !
the commander to Withdraw tie forces elsewhere !
successful and finally to retire with his whole /
army to a position some twenty or thirty. miles
to the rear 1t is believed that ifthe troops who I
Welded to the assault, had fought with the raGr |
which they had displayed on previous occasions, /
and which was manifested IN this battle on the |
other parts Of the line, the enemy would have 7
been repulsed with very great slaughter, and our
country would have escaped the misfortune and 7
the army the modification of the first defeat that
has resulted from misconduct by the troops Ia
the meantime The army OF ten burnside vas I
driven from it's field position in east Tennessee
and forced to retreat into its lntrenchmeats at
noxville, where for some weeks it was threat
ened with capture by the forces under general
Longstreet. No information has reached ne Of
the final result Of the operations Of our command
er though intelligence has arrived of his with
drawal from that place.
While therefore, our success In driving the +
enemy from our soil has not equaled the expec-
tatious confidently entertained at the commence
uent of the campaign, his further progress has
been checked. If we are forced to regret losses
iu Tennessee and Arkansas, we are not without
ground for cOngfatulatlon IN Louisiana and
Texas On the sea coast he is exhausted bv vain
efforts to capture our ports, while on the nor I
thern frontier he has in turn felt the pressure and
breads the renewal Of INVASION The indomit- t
able courage and perseverance, Of the people in
the defense of their homes have been nobly at
tested by the unanimity with which the legisla- !
lures of Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia T
have recently given expression to the popular {
sentiment; and like manifestations may be anti c
eipated from all the States. Whatever obstiaacy i
may be displayed BY the enemy in his desperate t
sacrifices Of money, life and liberty in the aope
Of enslaving us, the experience Of mankind has
too conclusigely shown the superior endurance 0
Of those who fight fer home, liberty and inde g
to permit any doubt of the result c
| regret TO inform you that there has been 10 >
in the state of our relations with u
oreign countries since my message IN January a
asst. On the contrary, there has been still
greater divergence IN the conduct OF huropaan n
lations from that practical impartiaIity which !
done deserves the name ofneRtrality, and tier d
lction in some cases, has assumed character 81
positively unfriendly. b