Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-11-17
mrssAcE OF pREsIpErT Davis.
To the Senate and House of Representatives. of t

welcome presence
day than that usual for session and with
Ajence that invoke the aid of your eousses at time of
meneed amost 9TH year session, early in
Nav last and which still in progress your adjourn
1t has been prosecuted q scale and with energy
heretofore unequaed. When revert tohe condition of
year the magnitude of the paraon made by the
enemy, the humber Of bis forces the OF his
warka supplies aud the prodgality with which his vast
have been avished the attempt to render sue
at our disposal resistance and when contem plate
the results of struggle apparently so unequal we cannot
fail while rerderng the full need of deserved praise TO
generals aud eoierB. to perceive that Power higher
than man has wed cur AID erateu " 70 re-
as p the Utmost eorts of The enemy
At the beginning Of the year the State of Texas par
italy Possession Of Tie enemy and arae portions o.
Louisiana and Arkansas lay apparently defencelets OF
to remain except as ps neFs of var 10 norhwestern
Iouisiara large and well appointed army aided ny
powerful et repeatedly defeated and deemed itself
fortunate finally escaping with loss of third of Its
numbers, large part OF its military trains and many
rcdrced to district commanded by the
OF bis feet. Arkansas has been rcoVered with the
penetra,ed into central Missouri aordiag to Cypress
ed ehten 10 hat State an OF when 1. ahy
tyranny to hch hey have been subjected.
On be OF TIE Mississippi in spite Of reverseB
have nnch cause fer graduation TIE enemy hoped to
effect d1r he present year by c"pcenration OF cea
by more ex ended cperatlons Compelled thsretore 10
whc seIiousy to weaken the strength of tie armies
|
portpniy Of ing OF extensive districts OF
etrtcry N ariy The whoe o. rthera AID western
Mississippi OF Dorthern Alabama, and IF western Tennes
again possession ard aI' aempts to pene-
from the coast line into the Interior of he Atlantic
and Gulf States we been b, Fl 4, On entire ocean
and quit coast Of be onederac the ole of the
enemy, with the enormous avail urces at biz MN aud
G"bi e Bay.
If we row turn to the results &C ,ompshed by the two
confidently relied by he Invaders as su1-
cint 70 secure he snbyesion OF Our Goyr nent and the
sui cti"n OF our people 80 foreign dohioaton we have
jiTrTn tn
In southwes EN- Virginia successive armies Witch threat
routed and driven cut OF he County and pCrtion OF
eastern Tennessee re red br our troops In nth
envy are powfree t1"m heir pese2ce Ia the ioTel
Valley, their general, rendered desperate By h liability
hostile occnpaoa sorted the ina-
NOUS expedieut of converting fruitful land into des IT
by burnng1a MILLS gran"rss md hrnea eeds and d.
raj pements Of peace!u rou.c0rba auts. TAe main
army, hfter series defeats il which s losses have been
cur railroad commur1catohs, whcL have resulted ia the
obstruction Of large part Ct The engaged id the
defensive lines With the aid Of heavy reinf rcemsots
bu WITH, 1t honed waning pospec OF further pr gres'
tn four n,hs ago 70 capture OF Petersburg
The g m OF Gea Sh.1nau although succe ediag at N
end OF he summer in obtahnng Il Atlanta las
oeen unab 10 Sec9te any u5na advantage from tnlz
success The same Care VI Who IN Fehrnasy 'at march
ed large army ON Vi ksbu 10 e.idian with oher
result than bang 'nc 70 march bauk ags'n vas able
by tie ali Of greatly decreased numbers a after much
de a. TO foce passage rom CHAT moe ga 10 Atlanta on
TO be toc the secoEd i > compelled withd aw on tbs
nile If tory beyor the track Of his march and
wihou gaiapg augbt beyond the ceous posoesslon OF
heavy garrsoDs. ard which cscad wi recaptaye.
The lepsous efoEdcd he history Of this frau hi
the lornd&b! cdtions been dir~ced By ths
enemy rst points ignoFanty supposed to be OF vita
haV immense cost been fuccessful but no instance
hav0 Tie p1umseA fri been ed Again. in he pre-
sent campaign, h deusiJD TO d CherIhed that TIRE
capture Of Atanta and Richnond would if effected, end
he var By the overt y Of cur and the &c
how uniupotan is the ii fue1ce Of tie upon
u; PaoJ oI defence upol ihe aoo spl' o.
10 le manner Judge thl if the oanpagn aeahIt hfco
OF the army, usder the leadership s accompi COM
mandsf had resisted 10 vain the overwhelming masses
had been compelled to evacnate Richm well as At
the CofedeTaey wonid have rena ned as erecS ano
denan as ever Nothing coud have been charged IL the
pnrposs of its Cover ,nent in the ndomabe v.or Of its
1o ts Or ia the unquenchable spirit of its peop'e The
he reports of yolr proceedings, legislative
sea- Tor any indication that progress had been made IN his
patent to u.s. must oe lons be forced upon the reuoant
Northern MUD There vital points, on the prefer
walton OF whc the continued existence of the Gonfedera
cy depe2ds. There is military OF he eoemy
which accomp it's destruction. Not he fail OF Rich
mo2d ror Wilmington nor Charleston nor Savannah nor
Mobile, nor of oil compined the enemy from the
and exhaustive drain of blood and treasure which
must continue until he shall discover that no pece s at
ai:abe IN egg based The recogston OF our Edsfea
Before leaving this subject ia Gratifying to assure you
that The military supplies essentially requisite for public
defence VIII iOund etOtore adequate
and tht aoundan cros have re arded the labor OF the
and rendered aborve the nhuma1 of the
to produce By devastation, famine among the
pc.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
II is no. In my power announce shy ango IL the
duct of foreign No such action has been taken by
the Lha ian nations Europe might just have been
expected IRON their history from the cues imposed by
nter a:iora law and f,om the claims OF humanity 1t is
charitable to attribute their conduct motive
han ind arcace to the Of struggle whie
shakes only the Republican portion of the American
usnt; and not to aScrbe design calculated to
ensure the prooDgatior OF hostites
No instance in story ia remembered By ia which
pretend ng exercise dominion another,
existence OF .uch independence No be recalled
to y mind in which neutral powers have failed to set the
example Of the independence of nation when
satisfied OF The inability of its to snbve its Govern
aud this too in where the previous relation
of mothercountry and dependent colony; not, as in
that co-eQual States united by Federal
1t has been considered the proper function and
duty OF neutral powers to perform the office OF judging
whether in point OF fact the nation asserting dominion iR
able to make good its pretensions by force c and ii
not b. recognition of the resisting tay. to diBeoune
the further continuance Of the contest. Ani the
"hy tbs duty il aCulhcrt neutral p"wGrs il
plainy apparent, when reject that the pride and
hct tue ti0nance Of active warfare and consc
quent useless slaughter Tong after the inevitable result has
become apparent to all not engaged in the struggle. 30
long, berefore neural nations fail by glton OF
il pendeDce to that their Judgment the
United States unable to reduce the Copfederacy to sub
mission. their condact will be accepted by OR enemies
tacit to continue the efforts and
piled that belief entertained By neutral nations
N the of their designs A direct smuous wnsth
of the cainege and devastation which desc
tns continent and which they profess deepy to de-
plore.
The disregard Of this 1s humane Chlistau public
duty by the Estions Europe is the remarkable
from The fact that authentic eX0reson had oIg since
given by the Governments of France aud England
| ot fha ,iFad