264 



CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



was alleged to exist formerly, for the present 

 law no longer existed, and even that necessity 

 was artificial, having grown out of the failure 

 of the Provisional Government to provide for 

 expected deficiencies in the army in season. 

 He insisted that two hundred and fifty thou- 

 sand men could he raised by requisition upon 

 the States sooner than in any other way, and 

 would not awaken distrust or alarm, nor occa- 

 sion any collision with State authorities. If 

 the new law recommended by the Secretary 

 of War should be adopted, collision with Vir- 

 ginia, Tennessee, and all the other States would 

 be inevitable, as it would sweep into its vortex 

 all the militia now or to be organized. Nothing 

 but a military despotism could be the result. 



Mr. Dargan, of Alabama, contrasted the pres- 

 ent condition of the army with the past. He 

 thought every man should be subject to the call 

 of the President. 



Mr. Bonham, of South Carolina, was in favor 

 of raising troops as was done when we resisted 

 Great Britain, and as we did in 1812. 



In the Senate, on the same day, the Commit- 

 tee on Military Affairs reported a bill prohibit- 

 ing the employment of substitutes, except for 

 persons skilled and actually employed in some 

 mechanical pursuit important to the public 

 interest, or where the person is the only white 

 male adult on the farm or plantation having 

 thereon not less than fifty slaves. If the sub- 

 stitute deserts, however, the person who em- 

 ployed him was to serve. The second section 

 provides that the commanders of brigades and 

 divisions, under certain restrictions, may detail 

 to any farms or plantation worked by slaves, 

 when the owner is a femme sole, a minor, or a 

 person in the public service, one enrolled pri- 

 vate for duty. 



The bill was ordered to be printed. 



A long discussion ensued upon a resolution, 

 offered by Mr. Yancey, to transact business 

 with open doors, instead of in secret session, 

 against which there were loud complaints by 

 the press and the people. The resolution was 

 rejected. 



On the 21st a bill was introduced declaring 

 Kansas to be within the limits of the Southern 

 Confederacy. 



Mr. Clay introduced a bill providing that 

 any " Federal officer, soldier, or adherent who 

 may fall into our hands with counterfeit Con- 

 federate notes in his possession, or who may 

 be proved to have passed off any such, shall be 

 courtmartialed and punished with death." 



In the House of Representatives, Mr. Foote 

 offered a series of resolutions favoring an ag- 

 gressive war; also favoring a proclamation to 

 the inhabitants of the Northwestern States, 

 offering to guarantee the free navigation of the 

 Mississippi and Ohio rivers to their mouths if 

 they will desist from the further prosecution 

 of the war. 



In the Senate, on the 2d of September, Mr. 

 Semmes, of Louisiana, from the Finance Com- 

 mittee, reported a bill providing for the coinage 



of copper (alloy) tokens, of the value of five, 

 ten and twenty cents, to the extent of $5,000 r 

 000, and the appropriation of $200,000 for the 

 purpose. 



Mr. Sparrow, from the Committee on Military 

 Affairs, reported back the petitions from vari- 

 ous religious organizations, asking exemptions 

 in certain cases, from the further consideration 

 of which the committee was discharged. 



Mr. Sparrow also reported a bill providing 

 for the extension of the conscript age to forty- 

 five, which was ordered to be printed, and made 

 the special order for another day. 



Mr. Brown, of Mississippi, from the Commit- 

 tee on Naval Affairs, reported a joint resolution 

 of thanks to Commander Eben Farrand, and the 

 officers and men under his command, for gal- 

 lant services in repulsing the enemy's gunboats 

 at Drury's Bluff, on the 15th of May last. 

 Adopted. 



The following Message, with despatches, 

 from President Davis, was received and read. 



To the Senate and House of Representatives of the Con- 

 federate States : 



I have the gratification of presenting to Congress 

 two despatches from Gen. Robert E. Lee, commanding 

 the army of Northern Virginia, communicating the 

 result of the operations north of the Rappahannock. 

 From these despatches it will be seen that God has 

 again extended his shield over our patriotic army, and 

 has blessed the cause of the Confederacy with a second 

 signal victory on the field already memorable by the 

 gallant achievement of our troops. Too much praise 

 cannot be bestowed upon the skill and daring of the 

 commanding general who conceived, or the valor and 

 hardihood of the troops who executed, the brilliant 

 movement whose result is now communicated. After 

 having driven from their intrenchments an enemy 

 superior in numbers, and relieved from siege the city 

 of Richmond, as heretofore communicated, our toil- 

 worn troops advanced to meet another invading army, 

 reenforced not only by the defeated army of Gen. Mc- 

 Clellan, but by the fresh corps of Gens. Burnside and 

 Hunter. After forced marches, with inadequate trans- 

 portation, and across streams swollen to unusual 

 height, by repeated combats they turned the position 

 of the enemy, and forming a junction of their columns 

 in the face of greatly superior forces, they fought the 

 decisive battle of the 30th, the crowning triumph of 

 their toil and valor. JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



The House resolution, voting thanks to Cap- 

 tain Raphael Semmes, of the Confederate States 

 steamer Sumter, was referred to the Military 

 Committee. - 



The bill amendatory of the act to organize 

 bands of partisan rangers, restricting the privi- 

 lege of raising such bands, as given by the 

 original bill, and also authorizing the Secretary 

 of War to brigade them as troops of the line, 

 was taken up. 



A lengthy debate succeeded, sundry amend- 

 ments were adopted, and, finally, the bill was 

 defeated by a vote of 12 to 7. 



In the House, on the 12th of September, Mr. 

 Hilton, of Florida, from the Committee on 

 Military Affairs, to whom were referred the 

 Message of the President communicating the 

 despatches from General Lee relative to the 

 late victories, and the resolutions of the Senate 

 in relation to the movement of the armies 



