798 



VIRGINIA. 



her of common school districts in the State is 

 2,928; the number of children between four 

 and eighteen years of age 89.599 ; the number 

 of them attending schools 63,728. The amount 

 of public money distributed was $105,165. 



VIRGINIA, the most populous of the South- 

 ern States, increased in the number of inhabi- 

 tants 174,657 during the ten years ending June 

 1860. (See UNITED STATES for further details 

 of the census.) 



The State of Virginia, by its local position 

 and resources, occupied the most prominent 

 position ia the Confederate States. The Con- 

 federate capital was located within her bor- 

 ders, and the strength of the Confederacy was 

 exerted to preserve her from occupation by 

 the Federal troops. The considerations which 

 induced the State to secede from the Union 

 were stated by the governor, in a message to 

 the Legislature of the State, on the 6th of 

 Jan. 1862, to have been as follows: 



Virginia dissolved her connection with the Govern- 

 ment of the United States on the 17th day of April 

 last, having: watched closely the political conduct of 

 President Lincoln and his cabinet from the 4th of 

 March preceding. A large portion of our people be- 

 lieved, irom the revelations of his inaugural message, 

 that he designed to subjugate the South, and much of 

 his policy, as developed in the first six weeks of his 

 administration, tended to confirm and strengthen this 

 belief. The appearance of his proclamation, however, 

 calling on Virginia and other States for volunteers, 

 removed all doubts, and made it plain and palpable 

 that subjugation was his object. He had revealed 

 his purpose by the issue of his proclamation, to use 

 Virginians, if possible, in coercing their Southern 

 slaveholding brethren into submission to his will and 

 obedience to his Government and authority. Virgi- 

 nia, seeing that the only hope of preserving her rights 

 and honor as a State, and the liberties of her people, 

 consisted in dissolving her connection with the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States and resuming her sove- 

 reignty, adopted that course, and subsequently deter- 

 mined to unite her destiny with her Southern sisters. 

 She did so ; and her convention, being at the time in 

 session, adopted such ordinances and regulations as 

 were necessary to protect her citizens against the 

 machinations of enemies at home and the encroach- 

 ments of enemies from abroad. 



Events that have transpired since the 17th day of 

 April last have more than confirmed the worst appre- 

 hensions of the people of Virginia, and have furnished 

 an ample and complete justification for the secession 

 of the State. All the wicked results apprehended 

 when she seceded have been fearfully realized, and 

 they now constitute an important chapter in the his- 

 tory of the stirring times in which we live. 



Such were the considerations that influenced and 

 determined the action of Virginia. 



The term of office of the governor expires on 

 Jan. 1, 1864. The Legislature of the State 

 assembles annually at Richmond on the second 

 Monday of January. Some matters of a gen- 

 eral interest took place at the regular session 

 in 1862. Two Senators were elected to the 

 Confederate Congress, viz., R. M. T. Hunter 

 and Wm. Ballard Preston. The other candi- 

 dates nominated were James Barbour and "Wm. 

 C. Rives. The State convention had, at its 

 last session, passed a bill providing for the en- 

 rollment of free negroes to be drafted to serve 

 in the Confederate army for the term of one 



hundred and eighty days. A bill was passed 

 subjecting the enrolling officers to a fine of fifty 

 to a hundred dollars for neglect to discharge 

 their duty. An amendment to reduce the time 

 to one hundred and twenty days, out of regard 

 to the families of the negroes, was rejected. 



On the successes of the Federal troops in 

 Kentucky and North Carolina, the governor 

 sent a message to the Legislature, urging them 

 to prepare for the danger which threatened. 

 He said : 



"A crisis is upon us. The results of recent rever- 

 ses to our arms at Mill Springs, Fort Henry, and 

 Roanoke Island appeal in the strongest terms to our 

 patriotism, and demand an exhibition of all our ener- 

 gies, an uncompromising spirit, and stern and deter- 

 mined resolution. 



The exigencies of the times are not duly appreciat- 

 ed by many of our people ; the dangers which environ 

 us are too lightly estimated. We must see and feel 

 their imminence before we can be aroused to that 

 action which is necessary to save us from alarming 

 ills, and to avert evils which threaten our existence, 

 our peace, and our organization as a government. 



It cannot but be apparent to every mind that the 

 object of our enemies is to cut off our southern con- 

 nections by railroad and otherwise, and to defeat the 

 transportation of troops from one point to another 

 with certainty and celerity, as our necessities may 

 demand. This result accomplished, and one great 

 step will have been taken toward their success and our 

 subjugation." 



He further remarked that the capture of 

 Richmond, which is the special purpose of the 

 Federal Government, would be an irreparable 

 blow to the Confederate cause, as the city was 

 rendering it great aid by its mechanical and 

 manufacturing resources. Therefore, in order 

 to save that city and other cities, and prevent 

 the subjugation of Virginia, he proposed that 

 the male inhabitants of all the cities and towns 

 be subjected to ordinary and extraordinary 

 draft, by which means all males between the 

 ages of sixteen and sixty would be available for 

 the defence of the State. He also proposed 

 that the Legislature should require all places 

 of business to be closed at 2 o'clock p. M., and 

 the whole force drafted as aforesaid to turn out 

 for discipline and instruction. 



On the call for troops by the Confederate 

 Government, the Legislature passed a bill 

 which provided for filling up the companies in 

 the field to 100 men, authorized the governor 

 to call for volunteers, and, if the requisite 

 number was not obtained, to make a draft from 

 the enrolled militia. 



Even at this date the distillation of whiskey 

 had increased to such an extent as to affect the 

 supply of corn. Two hundred establishments 

 had commenced within six months. Petitions 

 from all quarters of the State were sent to the 

 Legislature, requesting that its distillation 

 should be prohibited. This was done by an 

 act of that body. 



An other act was passed prohibiting the is- 

 sue of licenses to sell any kind of merchandise 

 to foreign-born citizens who had not been 

 naturalized. The reason of this was, because 

 such persons, in order to avoid the draft for 



