Year: 1861

wounded enemies are outraged in cold blood, by a
government and people thai pretend to desire con-
tinuance of ffaterual connexions.


All these outrages must remain unavenged save
by the universal reprobaton of mankind, in all ca
where the actual perpetrators of the wrongs es
cape capture. They admit of no retaliation. The
humanity Of our people wouli shring instnctiyely
from the bare idea Of waging like war upon the
sick, the women and the children of the enemy.
! But there are other savage practices which have
been resorted TO by the Government of the United
States which do admit of repression by retaliation
have been driven to the necessity of enforcing
this repression The prisoners of war taken by the
enemy on board the armed schooner Savannah
sailing under our commission, were as was cred
IDLY advised, treated like common felons; put in
irons; confined in a jail usually appropriated to
criminals of the worst dyeand threatened with pun
ishment rs such. had made an application for
the exchange of these prisoners to the commanding
officer of the enemys squadron off Charleston har-
Dor, but that officer had already sent the prisoners
to New York when the application was made.
therefore deemed it my duty to renew the proposal
for the exchange to the constitutional Commander
in-Chiefof the Army and Navy of the United States
the only officer having control of the prisoners To
this end dispatched an officer to him, under a flag
of truce; and in making the proposal, informed
President Lincoln of my reSolute purpose to check
all barbaries prisoners of war; by such severity
of retaliation on the prisoners held by us as should
secure the abandonment of the practice.


This communication was received and read by
the officer in command of the Army of the United
States, and message was brought from him by the
bearer of my communication, that a reply would
be returned by President Lincoln as soon as posi-
bic, earnestly hope that this promised rapy which
has not yet been received will convey the


that prisoners of war will be treated in this unhap
py contest with that regard to humanity which has
made such conspicuous progress in the conduct of
modern warfare As measure Of precaution, how
ever, and until the promised reply is received still
retain in close custody some officers captured from
the enemy, whom it had been my pleasure previous
ly to enlarge on parole. and whose fate must neces
sarily depend that of the prisoners held by the
enemy.


! | append copy of my communication to the
President and Commander-in-Ch Chief of the Army
and Navy of the United States, and of the report of
the officer charged to deliver it marked Doc. A.


There are some other passages in the remarkable
paper to which have directed your attention, hav-
ing reference to the peculiar relations which exist
between this government and the States usually
termed the Border slave States, which cannot prop
erly be withheld from notice.


The hearts of the people are animated by senti-
ments towards the inhabtant Of those States which
found expression in your enactment refusing to
slider them as enemies, or to authorize hostilities
against them. That large portion of the people
OF those States regard us as brethren that If un-
restrained by the actual presence of large armies
the subversion of civil authority and the decara-
ton of martial law, some of them at least would
joyfully unite with us that they are with almost
entire unanimty opposed to the prosecution of tie
war waged against us; are facts of which daily re-
curing events fully warrant the assertion.


The President Of the United States refuses to re-
cognize in these, late sister States the right of
refraining from attack and justifes his refu-
sal by the assertion that the States have other
power "than that reserved to them in the Union by
the Constitution no Of them haUing been a
State out Of the Union"


This view of the constitutional relations between
the States and the General Government, is fitting
introduction to another assertion of the Message,


that the Executive possesses the power of suspend
ing the writ of hdbedS corpus, and of delegating
that power to military commanders at his discretion:
and both these propositions claim respect equal to
that which is felt for the additional statement OF
opinion in the same paper that it proper in order
to execute the laws that ''some single law, made in
such extreme tenderness of the citizens liberty that
practically it relieves more of the guilty than the


innocent should to very limited extent, be vio
Hated"


We may well rejoice that we have forever sever
ed our connection with a government that thus
trampes all the principles of constitutional lib
erty, and with people in whose presence such
avOwals could be Eazarded.


The operations in the field will be greatly extend.
ed by Of the policy, which heretofore secretly
entertained, is now avowed and acted on by the


United States. The force hitherto raised proved
ample for the defence Of the seven States which
originally organized the Confederacy, as is evinced
by the fact, that with the exception OF three fort.


fed islands whose defence is efficiently aided by a
preponderating naval force, the enemy has been
! driven completely out of these States; and
now, at the expiration of five months from the for


nation of the government not a single hostile foot


presses their soil These forces however must nec-
essarily prove inadequate to repel the invasion by
! half million of men, now proposed by the enemy
and corresponding increase in forces will be-
g come necessary. The recommendations for the


raising and efficient equipment of this additional


force will be contained in the communication of the
Secretary Of War, to which need scarcely invite
your earnest attention.


In my Message delivered in April last referred
, to the promise of abundant crops, with which We
were cheered. The grain crops, generally, have


since been harvested, and the yield has proven tC
be the most abundant known in our history. Many
believe the supply adequate to two years consump
ton of our population. Cotton, sugar and tobacco


forming the surplus production of our agriculture
and furnishing the basis of our commercial inter
changes, present the most cheering promise and
kind Providence has smiled on the labor which ex
tracts the teeming wealth of our soil in all portions
Of our Confederacy


1t is the moregradfying TO be able to give you th


assurance because Of the need Of large and in
/ creased expenditures in the support of our army
Elevated and purified by the sacred caHse they


maintain, our fellow -citzens Of every condition
life exhibit the most selEsacri6cng devotion. They
manifest laudable pride in upholding their indie
. pendence unaded by any resources other than the
, own; and the immense wealth which o fertile soil
a and genial climate have accumulated in this confed


eracy of agriculturalists could not be more ~strik
I ngly displayed than in the large revenues which
with eager ZEAL they have contributed at the cal


Of their country. In the single article of cotton


the subscriptions to the loan proposed by the Gov


ernment cannot fall short of fifty millions of dollars
1 and will probably largely exceed that sum; anC
scarcely an article required for the consumption
the army is provided otherwise than by subscription
to the produce loan happily devised by your wis
# dom The Secretary Of the Treasury in the repor
submitted to you by him, sill give you the amples
Z details connected with that branch Of the publi


service.


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