The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-07-12

uofidfS. 10 Duil0 a road on the beSc,
J cheapest n o direct route from
/ the Richmond and Danyille raIIvra,
to the North Carolina railroad. This
Is now one of the most fmportan,
railway links In the South. extendfn.
from Danville to Greensboro, and il
Is built in 1858 by military and hired
! labor. being considered a war necez-
sity. the only other route through the.
state being the Wilmington and Wei
don. which was considered to be in
constant danger Of being cut by the
Federal troops. a danger which,
strange to say, IL escaped during the
whole war.
On the 7th of February. 1852, the
convention urged to use its
best exertions in reopening the mints
| in the limits Of the Confederate
states, for the coinage of money.
Nothing ever came of this, and the
! Confederacy never coined any money
at all. Some Of the employees al
the mint at New Orleans made a di.
for a Confederate half dollar, and a
few We're struck off. perhaps not over
half a dozen, When the die cracked.
Prof. Pratt, of n University of Norrli
Carolina has n OF these very rare
coins, which the writer has La the
/ pleasure of seeing.
An ordinance of February 10, 1862.
provided that the volunteers from
North Carolina in the Confederate
service, when North Carolina was
credited for them, were justly en-
titled to and should receive the bounty
authorized by the acts of May Is,
1861, and May 10, 1861, whether they
volunteered first to the state or d.
rectly 20 the Confederate govern
ment, and the governor was author
lied to pay them the bounty. An or
dinance provided for the holding of a
special court at Waynesville, for the
purpose of trying persons in Jail there
charged with high crimes, treason be-
ing among these. The convention de-
clared that 1t was of the utmost i'm
p~ortance that the country should not
lose the services of the gallant vol
unteers of this state at the expiration,
of their term of twelve months, and
that sue incentives to re-enlist
should be held out to them as might
induce their return to the army, af-
ter a brief interval for visiting their
homes. 1t was suggested that the
Confederate congress should offer
them such inducements in bounties of
money n public land devolving to
the Confederate States from the
United States, within the Confeder-
ate states n in the territories, and
in pensions, in case of death, diSabil-
ity and long terms of service, to VOL
unteerS enlisting for the war az
would procure the return of those in
ured to the service, and prevail with
others to follow their example in fill
ing up the ranks of the army. The
governor was authorized to employ
the necessary man and secure the
proper apparatus to make sulphur
and saltpetre for the use of the state,
at such places in or out of the state
as he might deem proper, these
materials to be used in making DOW
der. The governor was requested to
coll ~ I-
ammunition for the militia, and other
purposes. He was authorized to raise
three artillery companies of voluri-
teerS to serve at the batteries already
erected, or to be afterwards erected
on the Cape Fear river, at or near
Wilmington, these men to serve for
twelve months, three years, or for tn.
war. and to have the same bounty,
ETC., as was given Confederate troops,
1t was evident from the wording OF
some of the rdinanceS that the con-
yention thought the war would last
a long time. February 18th the con-
vention ordained that this state az.
as the war tax, levied in 1851 by the
C~onfederacy upon North Carolina,
and the treasurer was directe dto
issue treasury notes to meet the
amount of the tax, these to be re-
deemable in five years, and holders
were allowed W CONVERT lleli lilo
coupons bonds, Z per cent. redeem
able ten years after date. The or
binary funds in the treasury were
not to be used to meet this tax. but
an additional tax list was ordered
made out. covering the subjects of
taxation enumerated by congress. An
ordinance covered the raising of North
Cardinals quota of Confederate |
troops, this making it the duty of the
governor from time to time to cali
for volunteers to meet Confederate
acquisitions, the volunteers alrttady
in service who re-enlisted to have j
credit for the time they a served,
but not to be retained longer than
three years, n Co be discharged
sooner in case the war terminated
earlier; the governor not to be re-
Quired to keep in the Confederato |
service more than the regular quota
of his state. The ountie were to
be called on by the governor to fun
nish volunteers to- complete their
quotas by March Is, 1852, and the
governor was instructed to call upon
the captains Of volunteer companies
in the field for twelve months to mus
ter their companies for re-enlistment, |
and to make known to them the earn
est desire of the convention and the
people of North Carolina that they
should enlist for three years or the
war. In order to forward this pur-
pose the captains On the occasion Of
such muster were to put the question
distinctly to every officer and soldier
whether they would ~re-enlist fot
three years or the war or not, and
this should bind them, they to retain
their present organization or reor-
ganize, as they choose. 1t was
further provided that when any per
son should tender the state forty pri-
Yates who in writing had agreed TO
serve under him, he should be given
a commission as captain; a first lieu |
tenant for twenty-five p~rivates. and
a second lieutenant for fifteen; a
bounty of $50 to be given to all en-
listed men who enlisted for three
years or the war. The convention
adopted an ordinance to prohibit fol
a limited time the manufacture of
whiskey and grain, by levyfng a tax
Of 80 cents on each gallon between
February 81 and April Is. 1852, and
further providing that after April Is
manufacture Was absolutely prOhiO-