266 



CONGRESS, CONFEDERATE. 



NAYS. Messrs. Ayer, Batson, Bell, Bonham, Boteler, 

 Boyce, Breckinridge, H. W. Bruce, E. M. Bruce, Cham- 

 bliss, Chrisman, (Jlapp, Clark, Clopton, Collier, Cook, 

 Crockett, Dargan, Davis, Dawkins, De Jarnette, El- 

 liott, Ewing, Toote, Foster, Freeman, Gardenheir, 

 Gartrell, Goode, Graham, Gray, Harris, Hartridge, 

 Heiskell, Herbert, Hilton, Hodge, Holcomb, Holt, 

 Kenan, of North Carolina, Kennar, Lander, Lyon, Mar- 

 shall, Menees, Miles, Moore, Munnerlynn, Perkins, 

 Preston, Pugh, Russell, Sexton, Strickland, Tibbs, 

 Trippe, Vest, Welch, Wilcox, Wright, of Georgia, 

 Wright, of Texas 61. 



The substitute of the committee was then 

 agreed to, and the question recurring upon the 

 passage of the resolutions, 



Mr. Smith, of Alabama, addressed the House 

 in opposition to the second of the series, being 

 unwilling to commit himself to an aggressive 

 policy. He did not believe in advancing into 

 the enemy's country. We had not been invited 

 into Maryland, and it was a question of time, 

 and yet to be learned, what reception we would 

 meet with upon the soil of Maryland. We had 

 been driven from the soil of Kentucky after 

 having been invited thither. "We had to fight 

 Kentuckians, steel to steel, and knee to knee, 

 and this had promoted our disasters. The gen- 

 tleman from South Carolina had indicated that 

 the people had forced an unwilling Adminis- 

 tration to depart from its policy, and that the 

 Government of the Confederate States may be 

 opposed to an aggressive policy. Could it be 

 possible that the President of the Confederate 

 States, who was known to be so wise in mili- 

 tary affairs, as well as a wise civilian, should be 

 driven into undue haste, and made to change 

 his whole policy, and to yield to popular 

 clamor ? 



Mr. Hodge, of Kentucky, replied to the re- 

 marks of the last speaker in relation to that 

 State, showing that the enemies of the South 

 there were not natives. The true sons of Ken- 

 tucky had shed their blood freely on many well 

 fought fields in behalf of the Confederacy. 

 "When the time comes that arms can be placed 

 in the hands of her people, Kentucky will do 

 her duty, or her sons will be found lying dead 

 upon the field with their feet to the foe. 



Mr. Foote, of Tennessee, answered the posi- 

 tions assumed by the gentleman from Alabama 

 (Mr. Smith), and favored the passage of the res- 

 olutions. Toward the conclusion of his re- 

 marks, he said it was known officially that our 

 army had crossed into Maryland, and were on 

 their way to Harrisburg. He hoped not two 

 days would elapse before the plan would be 

 consummated. He would not say it was for 

 the purpose of conquest it might be for the 

 purpose of destroying railroad communications, 

 or for some other object not proper to mention. 

 The God of battles he believed was with us, and 

 he had perfect confidence that the acting out of 

 the present aggressive policy would give us the 

 most complete success that could be desired. 



Mr. Barksdale, of Mississippi, took the ground 

 that Congress had no right to pronounce upon 

 the policy of the war, in the manner that had 

 been asserted in the debate to-day. If a plan 



had been agreed upon by the leaders of our army 

 in secret council, it was criminal in this Con- 

 gress thus to make itself a council of war, and 

 proclaim that plan to the world. 



Mr. Machen, of Kentucky, combated the idea 

 of running over the enemy's country rough- 

 shod, though he was not entirely opposed to 

 the policy of invasion. He thought, if we could 

 capture and hold Cincinnati, the Northern peo- 

 ple could be brought to terms, and made to give 

 up their accursed cause. He would vote for 

 the resolutions, but wanted the generals to be 

 left free to decide for themselves. 



Mr. Heiskell, of Tennessee, moved the pre- 

 vious question, which was ordered, and the 

 vote being taken, the first resolution passed 

 unanimously, the second by 63 yeas to 15 nays, 

 and the third unanimously. 



Mr. Kenan, of Georgia, moved a reconsid- 

 eration of the vote by which the second resolu- 

 tion was adopted. 



On motion of Mr. Davis, of Mississippi, the 

 motion to reconsider was laid upon the table 

 ayes 45, noes 26. 



Mr. Kenan desired to offer an additional res- 

 olution, declaring that Congress does not in- 

 tend to indicate in these resolutions a policy 

 different from the policy of President Davis, 

 nor to indicate a plan for the conduct of the 

 war. 



Mr. Foote said that he had intended to offer 

 a resolution to show that by the action just 

 taken it is not intended to pass upon the mili- 

 tary policy of the Administration, but to har- 

 monize with and sustain the same. 



The Speaker decided that neither of the reso- 

 lutions could be entertained. 



Mr. Jones, of Tennessee, moved that the title 

 of the resolutions be amended so as to read : 

 " Joint resolutions in relation to the move- 

 ments of Gen. Lee's army and General Con- 

 gressional Order No. 1." 



Mr. Gentry, of Tennessee, availed himself of 

 the opportunity to address the House upon 

 this motion. He held that the resolutions un- 

 dertook, in effect, to indicate the policy which 

 Congress desired the Executive to pursue. He 

 thought the war had been well and gloriously 

 conducted, and that it was unwise in Congress 

 to interfere.- "With regard to the policy of in- 

 vading the enemy's country he was not prepar- 

 ed to commit himself. 



Mr. Miles offered a substitute for the title 

 proposed by Mr. Jones, as follows: "Joint 

 resolutions in relation to the late victories and 

 the crossing of the Potomac by the Army of 

 Northern Virginia." 



The amendment offered by Mr. Jones was re- 

 jected yeas 13, nays 56 and the substitute 

 of Mr. Miles adopted. 



In the House, on the 26th of September, the 

 Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom had 

 been referred several resolutions relative to the 

 true policy of the war, and recommending to 

 the President to issue a proclamation touching 

 the free navigation of the Mississippi and its 



