CONFEDERATE STATES. 



and the cause of self-defence and self-preserva- 

 tion in which they conceived they were about 

 to fight, rapidly furnished the Government with 

 the men and munitions required. Any attack 

 upon Washington, however, was frustrated by 

 the early arrival of Federal troops in such num- 

 bers as to render its success hopeless to the Con- 

 federate force. A line of defence was there- 

 fore adopted by the Government, the object 

 of which was to prevent the invasion of Virgi- 

 nia by Federal troops. Immediately upon the 

 secession of Virginia a force was despatched by 

 Governor Letcher to seize the U. S. arsenal at 

 Harper's Ferry. This effort failed in conse- 

 quence of the destruction of the property by the 

 officers in charge of it, but it served to place a 

 considerable force in the northern border of 

 the State, which ultimately became the left 

 wing of the army in front of Washington. The 

 centre was stationed in a fortified camp at Ma- 

 nassas Junction, and the right wing was posted 

 near the Potomac River. Such was the position 

 of this force at its most flourishing period. At 

 other times, when its numbers were more re- 

 duced, the left wing held an independent posi- 

 tion, and the centre became a distinct force, 

 resting behind its entrenchments. There were 

 periods during the year when this army was al- 

 most destitute of the necessaries of subsistence, 

 and its general supplies were often of the 

 coarsest kind. This force was under the com- 

 mand of Gen. Johnston, who occupied a posi- 

 tion with the troops forming the right wing, 

 while the centre at Manassas was under the 

 command of Gen. Beauregard. Upon taking 

 command of this portion of the army, he issued 

 the following proclamation : 



HEAD-QUARTERS. DEPARTMENT OF ALEXANDRIA, I 

 CAMP PICKEXS, June 1, 1861. J 



A Proclamation, to the People of the Counties of Lou- 

 don, Fairfax, and Pri/mt William : 



A reckless and unprincipled tyrant has invaded your 

 soil. Abraham Lincoln, regardless of all moral, legal, 

 and constitutional restraints, has thrown his Abolition 

 hosts among you, who are murdering and imprisoning 

 your citizens, confiscating and destroying your prop- 

 erty, and committing other acts of violence and out- 

 rage too shocking and revolting to humanity to be 

 enumerated. 



All rules of civilized warfare are abandoned, and 

 they proclaim by their acts, if not on their banners, 

 that their war-cry is " Beauty and Booty." All that 

 is dear to man your honor, and that of your wives 

 and daughters, your fortunes and your lives are in- 

 volved in this momentous contest. 



In the name, therefore, of the constituted authorities 

 of the Confederate States ; in the sacred cause of con- 

 stitutional liberty and self-government, for which we 

 are contending ; in behalf of civilization itself, I, G. 

 T. Beauregard, Brigadier-General of the Confederate 

 States, commanding at Camp Pickens, Manassas Junc- 

 tion, do make this my proclamation, and invite and en- 

 join you, by every consideration dear to the hearts of 

 freemen and patriots, by the name and memory of your 

 Revolutionary fathers, and by the purity and sanctity 

 of your dome'stic firesides, to" rally to ttie standard of 

 your State and country, and, by every means in vour 

 power compatible with honorable warfare, to drive 

 back and expel the invaders from your land. 



I conjure you to be true and loyal to your country 

 and her legal and constitutional authorities, and espe- 

 cially to be vigilant of the movements and acts of the 



enemy, so as to enable you to give the earliest authen- 

 tic information at these head-quarters, or to the officers 

 under this command. 



I desire to assure you that the utmost protection in 

 my power will be given to you all. 



G V T. BEAUREGARD, 

 Brigadier-General Commanding. 

 Official. THOMAS JORDAN, 



Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. 



To oppose this force, Federal troops were 

 concentrated at Washington, who soon took up 

 a fortified position on the Virginia side of the 

 Potomac, opposite the city. This force was 

 under the immediate command of Gen. Scott 

 until his retirement, and subsequently under 

 Gen. McClellan. Another force was stationed 

 farther up the Potomac, opposite the left wing 

 of the Confederate army and on the Maryland 

 side of the Potomac. Frequent skirmishes oc- 

 curred between the opposing forces, none of 

 which were of such a serious character as to 

 exert a decisive influence upon the campaign of 

 the year, except the battle of Bull Run. (See 

 BULL Rux.) 



Meantime, as a state of hostilities had be- 

 come fully developed between the Federal and 

 Confederate Governments, both powers now- 

 resorted to those extreme measures which fol- 

 low in the hideous train of War. 



In the first place, Congress, on the 21st of 

 May, passed an act prohibiting all persons in- 

 debted to individuals or corporations in the 

 United States, except the States of Delaware, 

 Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and the District 

 of Columbia, from paying the same to their 

 respective creditors during the war. These 

 debtors were authorized to pay the amounts so 

 due into the Confederate Treasury, for which 

 they would be entitled to receive certificates 

 bearing like interest with the debt, and payable 

 on presentation after the close of the war. 

 Texas, Georgia,*and some of the other Confed- 

 erate States, passed similar acts. 



It was generally estimated that the amount 

 due from citizens of Southern States to citizens 

 of Northern States was two hundred millions 

 of dollars. The payment of these debts ceased, 

 as a matter of course, upon the development of 

 the contest, and the necessary cessation of all 

 imports and exports between the hostile coun- 

 tries. The act of Congress was designed to 

 transfer a large portion of the amount of these 

 debts into the Confederate Treasury. In this 

 respect it was a failure. Very few individuals 

 would acknowledge their indebtedness, much 

 less pay the amount into the hands of the Gov- 

 ernment. On the contrary, those who found 

 favorable opportunities, and anticipated the ulti- 

 mate defeat of the Confederacy, were generally 

 willing to acknowledge and pay their debts to 

 Northern citizens. 



Congress, at its session in July, also passed 

 an act, banishing, within forty days, all persons 

 who were not citizens, from the limits of the 

 Confederate States. The following proclama- 

 tion was issued by President Davis, in compli- 

 ance with this act : 



