Year: 1863

RATE


After two wears of warfare scarcely equal
led IN The number, magnitude, and fearful car
mage Of its battles; warfare IN which your
courage and tortitude have illustrated your
country and attracted not only gratitude at
home, but admiration abroad, your enemies
continue struggle in which our hnal triumph
must 6e Inevitable. Unduly eiated with Their
recent successes, they imagine that temporary
reverses can auer your spirit or shake your
determination, and they are now gathering
heavy masses for a general invasion, IN the
vain hope that by desperate effort success
may at length be reached.


You know too well, my conntrymen, what
they mean by success. Their ma lgnant rage
aims at nothing less than the determination of
yourselves, your wives and children. They
seek to destroy what they cannot plunder.
They propose as the spolls OF victory that your
homes shall be partiuoaed among the wretches
whose atroclous crueltles nave stamped lnfamy
on their government. They design TO lncite
servie insurrection and light the fires OF in
cendlarlsm whenever they can reach your
homes, and they debauch the inferior race,
hitherto docil. and cOntented, by promising
indulgence of the vilest passions as the price
of their treacher. Conscious OF their ina
biiity to prevail by Legitimate warfare, not
daring to make peace lest they should be hurled
from their seats Of power, the men who now
rule in Washington refuse even to confer on
the subject OF putting al end TO outrages which
disgrace our age, or to listen 10 Il suggestion
for conducting the war accordll to the usages
of civilization.


Fellow-citizens, no alternative Is left you but
victory, or subjugation, slavery anu the utter
ruin of yourselves, your families and your
country. The victory Is within your reach
I t,rrb n DIS f,,,r
il. For this and all that is necessary is that
those who are called to the field by every
motive that can move the human heart, should
promptly repair to the post Of duty, should
stand by their comrades now IN front OF the
foe, and thus so strengthen the armies OF the
COnfederacy as to ensure success. The men
now absent from their posts would if present /
in the field suffice TO create numerical equality
between oul force ana that of the invaders
and when with any al proach to such equality
have we failed to be victorious? | believe that
but few of those absent are actaated by In
willingness to serve their couatry; but that
many have found it difficult to resist the temp
tatiOn of visit to their Aomes and the loved
enes from whom they have been so long sepa-
rated: that others have left Tor temporary at
tention to their affairs with the intention of
returning, and theu have shrunk from the con-
sequences of their violation OF duty; that others
again have left their posts from mere restless
ness and desire OF change, each quieting the
upbraidings of his conscience by persuadiug
himself that his individual serv ces could have
no influence on the general result.


These aud otheI causes, (alIhough far less
disgraceful than the desire to avoid danger,
or to escape from the sacrifices required by
patriotism are, nevertheless, grievous faults,
and place the cause OF our beloved country,
and OF everything We hold dear, in imminent
peril. | repeat that the men who now owe
duty TO their country, who have been called
ou aud have not yet reported for duty, or who
nave absented themselves from their posts, are
sufficient in number TO secure ue victory in the
struggle now impending


! call on you, then, my countrymen to hasten
to your camps, III obedience to the dictates of
honor aud OF duty and summon those who have
sbsented themselves without leave, W no have
remained absent beyond the period allowed by
their furloughs, to repair without delay to their
respective commands, and do hereby declare
that l grant a generl pardon aud amnesty to
all officers and men within the Confederacy,
now absent without leave, who sha,l, wi III the
least possible delay, return to their proper
posts of duty but excuse Will be received
for any delay beyond twenty days alter the
first publication of TINS proclamation In tb.
State in which the absentee may be at the d
ef the publication. This amnesty and paI
shall extend to all who have been cOnvicl
and ere undergoing sentence for absence
without leave OF desertion, excepting only
those who have been twice convicted of de-
sertion.


Finally, | conjure my countrywomen-the
wives, mothers, sisters and daughters of the
Confederacy-to use their all-powerful infiu-
nee i'll aid of this call, to add one crowniua
sacrifice to those which their patriotism has
so freely and constantly offered on their coun
try's altar, and to take care that none who
owe service in the field shall be sheltered at
home from the disgrace Of having deserted
their duty to their families, to their country,
anu To- their God.


49, Given under my hand and the seal
)sEAL ! of the Confederate States. at Rich
t-- mond, this lst day of august, in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three.


JEFFERSON DAVIS.


By the President:


J. P. BENJAMIN,