8 



ALABAMA. 



AMERICA. 



the States under Lincoln's dominion, is a traitor in his 

 heart to the State of his residence and deserves a 

 traitor's doom. If I had the power, I would build up 

 a wall of fire between Yankeedom and the Confederate 

 States, there to burn, for ages, as a monument of the 

 folly, wickedness, and vandalism of the Puritanic race ! 

 No, sir! rather than reunite with such a people, I 

 would see the Confederate States desolated with fire 

 and sword. When the men of the South become such 

 base cowards as to wish for such reunion, let us call 

 on the women of the South to march to the battle field, 

 and in the name of God and justice, bid them fight 

 under the banner of Southern liberty ! The call would 

 not be made' in vain. Let the patriotic sires, whose 

 children have bared their breasts to Yankee bullets 

 and welcomed glorious deaths in this struggle for self- 

 government, rebuke the foul spirit which even whispers 

 " reconstruction." Let the noble mothers, whose sons 

 have made sacred with their blood so many fields con- 

 secrated to freedom, rebuke the fell heresy! Let our 

 blood-stained banners, now unfurled " to the battle and 

 the breeze," rebuke the cowardice and cupidity which 

 suggest " reconstruction." The spirits of our heroic 

 dead, the martyrs to our sacred cause, rebuke, a thou- 

 sand times rebuke, " reconstruction " ! We have little 

 cause for despondency, none for despair ! Let us now 

 nerve ourselves afresh for the contest, and let us not 

 forget that 



" Freedom's battle, onco begun, 

 Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, 

 Though baffled oft, is ever won 1 " 



If we are true to ourselves, true to the memories of 

 the past, true to our homes and our firesides, and true 

 to our God, ,\ve can not, we will not be conquered ! In 

 any and in every event, let us prefer death to a life of 

 cowardly shame ! Your obedient servant, 



T. H. WATTS. 



In October, Mobile was visited by the Pres- 

 ident of tlie Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. 

 After a review of the local troops, he was call- 

 ed out by the people and made a brief speech, 

 which was thus reported : 



He congratulated the people upon the fact which 

 he assured them he felt to be the fact that our cause 

 is now in a better condition than it was a year ago. 

 Having just come from the scene of the great battle of 

 Chickamauga, it was impossible that he should not re- 

 fer to that, and though it could not be expected that 

 he should allude to contemplated movements, yet he 

 was happy to say that the brave victors of that 

 bloody field stood ready and anxious to strike the 

 blow which should secure the complete fruits of 

 their glorious victory. He could say more that he 

 believed they would strike the blow, and that Rose- 

 crans' unwieldy legions would be destroyed, or driven 

 for refuge to the Ohio. The same spirit animated our 

 armies elsewhere, ' and all they needed was to be 



Eroperly seconded by the people at home to send the 

 ordes of Yankees back to their beloved Boston, or 

 any other place from which their return might be more 

 difficult. 



The citizen soldiery, also, he believed, were emulous 

 of the reputation of their brethren in camp. He had 

 been much moved, as he rode along the lines, at see- 

 ing among them young boys, some very young, and 

 men whose heads were silvered with the frosts ofmany 

 winters. 



He could remind all these, regulars and others, that 

 they are not common soldiers. They present a spec- 

 tacle which the world has never witnessed the best 

 population of the country poured into the army. Such 

 men may be appealed to from other incentives than 

 that of rigid military discipline. The time, the cause, 

 all considerations, require efforts which may be de- 

 manded of an army of heroes, for such they are. 



Besides these, there are some too old to bear arms, 

 but they, too, can do something. Let them contribute 

 their means to the support ana relief of those who are 



contributing their blood; and let those who are too 

 poor for this contribute their influence. There is some- 

 thing that all can do. Self must be entirely forgotten ; 

 and let those who are deaf to any other appeal, remem- 

 ber that he who is hoarding up wealth, in such a time 

 as this, is hoarding up infamy, the mark of which he 

 and his posterity must bear who shall have grown 

 rich by this war. 



The number of troops contributed to the 

 Confederacy by the State is at present un- 

 known. The military operations of the year 

 touched the northern part of the State ; but no 

 important actions took place. 



The foreign commerce of the State was con- 

 fined to the cargoes of two or three steamers 

 which reached Mobile through the blockade, 

 and the export of some cotton which escaped 

 in small vessels. 



AMERICA. The political subdivisions of 

 America in 1863 were as follows: 



I. AMERICAN STATES UNDER AMERICAN GOVERNMENTS. 



II. AMERICAN TERRITORY SUBJECT TO EUROPEAN POWERS. 



The most important events in the history of 

 the American continent, during the year 1863, 

 are the continuance of the civil war in the 

 United States, and the progress of the French 

 invasion in Mexico. Both are fully treated 

 elsewhere in these pages. At the conclusion 

 of the year these wars were unended. In Cen- 

 tral America the president of Guatemala, Gen. 

 Carrora, declared on January 23d war against 

 President Barrios of San Salvador. All the 

 Central American States, with the exception 

 of Costa Rica, were drawn into this war, which 

 terminated with the victory of Gen. Carrera, 

 and the expulsion of Gen. Barrios from the 

 country. (See CENTRAL AMERICA.) In the lat- 

 ter part of the year a war broke out between 

 the United States of Colombia and Ecuador. 

 (See COLOMBIA, UNITED STATES OF.) In Ven- 

 ezuela, the Federalists, who had been at war 

 with the Government, concluded a treaty of 

 peace with the latter, at Coche, near Caraccas, 

 upon the following conditions : an armistice ; 



