The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-12

of popular favor, every railway station
Sswarming with men, women and chill
3dren, who greeted him with waving
3 shandkerchiefs. Soon after his arrival
sthe fine residence of James A Seldom
was bought and put at Mr.. Davis's dis
posal by citizens Of Richmond. His
Sfirst days in the new capital were spent
Elm reviewing troops and in speech max
Sing. He exhorted his hearers to re-
member the dignity of the contest, and
a''to smite the smiter with manly arms,
8 as our fathers did before u.s." and de-
gclared his willingness to lay down his
scivil Office and take command of the
Sarmy, should the extremity Of the
.cause ever warrant such action. Before
Shis arrival in Virginia an army of about
sthirty thousand men had been raised,
Aand as fast as new troops arrived their
gofficers were assigned to rank in the
SConfederate service, regulated by what
sthey had formerly held in the United
Estates army. On July 20 Mr.. Davis
gsent his second message to the Pro-
Svisional Congress, then in session at
3 sRichmond. In this message he COM
planned of 3arbarities committed by
gnational troops, and again asserted the
Simpossibility of subduing the South.
SOn the morning succeeding the delivery
aof this message, he set out for Manassas,
$where contest was thought to be i'm
spending, and arrived there in time to
switness the close of the battle of Bull
g #Run-reaching the field when victory
chad been assured to the Confederates.
q The battle of Bull Run was followed
#by period of inaction, and Mr.. Davis
Swas blamed by many for this policy,
gas we'll as for his "failure to organize
sthe troops of the several states into
z sbrigades and divisions, formed by the
ssoldiers of each, as the law directed. In
sanswer to these complaints, be has ur-
Eyed the length of time necessary to Or
sganize "the terrible machine, discip-
&linary army" and protested that, as
{ sfar as in him lay, he favored an ad-
Svance and endavored to comply with
athe legal plan of army organization.
SThe question of treatment of Confed-
serate prisoners by the national author
8ities soon demanded his attention. On
aApril II, 1861, two days after Mr.. Lin
gcoln's call for troops, Mr.. Davis had
ISSUED proclamation inviting appli-
gcatlon for1etters ofmarque and reprisal.
aThe Savannah" a private vessel COM
gmissiored in accordance with this offer,
was captured off Charleston, and her
Sofficers and crew were tried for piracy
ssNew York and sentenced to death.
aLater the captain and crew of the priv
ssateer, jefferson Davis" was similarly
aconvicted in Philadelphia. Thereupon,
Sin November, 1861, Mr.. Davis ordered
s3retaliatory measures to be taken, and
afourteen Union prisoners were selected
gby lot and held as hostages for the
:ssafety of the condemned men. The
aiatter we're ultimately put on the foot
aing of prisoners Of war by order of the
anational government, and subsequent
ely cartel was adopted for the ex-
Achange of prisoners, which remained
Gin force till it's suspension in 1864,
8caused by disagreement as to thestatus
Sof negro soldiers. In November, 1861
ga Presidential election was held in the
aConfederacy and Mr.. Davis was chosen
sPresident for six years without opposi-
gtion. In his message to the Provisional
8Congress at its last session, eighteenth
Sof November, 1861, he briefly sketched
ssthe situation at the close of the first
syear of the war, alluding to the Con-
Sfederate successes, the contest for the
gpossession of Kentucky and Missouri,
aand the "Trent affair."" He urged the
2construction Of another railway line
Sthrough the Confederacy; asserted the
Improvement of the South in military
gmeans and financial condition, and the
ginefficiency of the blockade, and said;
q If indeed it were rebellion in which
give were engaged, we might find ample
Svindication for the course we have
gadopted in the scenes which are now
Sbeing enacted in the United States"
SThe first Congress, under the perma,
gnent constitution, met in Richmond on
sthe eighteenth of February, 1852, and
@N1r. Davis was inaugurated on the
8twenty-second of February. The Con.
ssfederacy had just met with its first
Sserious reverses in the fall of Forts
ssHenry and Donelson; but in his inaug.
gural, after vindication of the rights OF
.secession Mr.. Davis INDUCED in many
8favorable hopes. "The final result in
Ssour favor" said he, ''is not doubtful
gOur foes must sink under the immense
sload of debt which they have incurred
Gin the heart of a people resolved to be
Sfree, these disasters tend but to stimu'
aIate to increased resistance" In his
ashort messages of the twenty-fifth OF
aFebruary and the fifteenth of August,
:she suggested various measures for the
Improvement of the Confederate forces
THE result of the reverses in the early
smonths of the year, to which had now
sbeen added the capture of New Orleans
s began to show itself in a growing op'
s. position to Mr.. Davis's administration
. which up to this time had seemed all
q but universally popular, and this op'
s $position increased in force up to the
Slatest days of the war. One Of the first
3 acts of the Congress was to pass sweep
sing conscription law, to which Mr.
B Davis reluctantly assented. This was