MISSOURI. 



MONROE, FORTRESS. 



497 



or claim? to service, except so far as may be 

 authorized by the laws of war or acts of Con- 

 gress. When not so authorized, they would 

 avoid all interference with such questions. 



The Legislature, which assembled at Neosho, 

 finally obtained a quorum by the appointment 

 of proxies. 



There were 23 members in the upper, and 77 

 in the lower House. An act passed unanimous- 

 ly on Nov. 2d, to ratify an arrangement between 

 certain Commissioners of the State and the Con- 

 federate Government, by which Missouri was to 

 become a member of the Confederacy. That 

 agreement was as follows : 



Whereas, it is the common desire of the State of 

 Missouri and the Confederate States of America, that 

 said State should become a member of the Confeder- 

 acy ; and whereas, the accomplishment of their pur- 

 pose is now prevented by an armed invasion of the 

 territory of said States. by the United States; and 

 whereas, the interests of both demand that they should 

 make common cause in the war waged by the Unit- 

 ed States against the liberties of both; now, there- 

 fore, for these most desirable objects, the Executive 

 power of the State of Missouri has conferred full pow- 

 ers on'Edward Carrington Cabell and Thomas L. Snead, 

 and the President of the Confederate States of Ameri- 

 ca, on R. M. T. Hunter, their Secretary of State, who, 

 after having exchanged their said full powers in due 

 and proper form, have agreed to the following ar- 

 ticles : 



ARTICLE 1. The State of Missouri shall be admitted 

 into said Confederacy, on an equal footing with the 

 other States composing the same, on the fulfilment of 

 the conditions set forth in the second section of the 

 act of the Congress of the Confederate States, entitled 

 " An act to aid the State of Missouri in repelling inva- 

 sion by the United States, and to authorize the admis- 

 sion of said State as a member of the Confederate 

 States of America, and for other purposes," approved 

 August 20, 1861. 



ART. 2. Until said State of Missouri shall become a 

 member of said Confederacy, the whole military force, 

 material of war, and military operations, offensive and 

 defensive, of said State shall be under the chief control 

 and direction of the President of the Confederate States, 

 upon the same basis, principles, and footing, as if said 

 State were now and during the interval, a member of 

 said Confederacy, the said force, together with that of 

 the Confederate States, to be employed for their com- 

 mon defence. 



ABT. 3. The State of Missouri will, whenever she be- 

 comes a member of said Confederacy, turn over to said 

 Confederate States all the public property, naval stores, 

 and munitions of war, of which she may then be in 

 possession, acquired from the United States, (except- 

 ing the public lands,) on the same terms and in the 

 same manner as the other States of said Confederacy 

 have done in like cases. 



ART. 4. All expenditures for the prosecution of the 

 existing war incurred by the State of Missouri, from 

 and after the date of the signing of this convention, 

 shall be met and provided for by the Confederate 

 States. 



ART. 5. The alliance hereby made between the said 

 State of Missouri and the Confederate States, shall be 

 offensive and defensive, and shall be and remain in 

 force during the continuance of the existing war with 

 the United States, or until superseded by the admis- 

 sion of said State to the Confederacy, and shall take 

 effect from the date thereof, according to the provi- 

 sions of the third section of the aforesaid act, approved 

 August 20, 1861. 



In faith whereof, we, the Commissioners of the State 

 of Missouri and of the Confederate States of America, 

 have signed and sealed these presents. 



Done, in duplicate, at the city of Richmond, on the 

 32 



31st day of October, in the year of our Lord one thou- 

 sand eight hundred and sixty -one. 



E. C. CABKI.L. 



THOS. L. SXKAD. 



B. M. T. HUNTER. 



The same body elected as Senators to tho 

 Confederate Congress John B. Clark and R. L. 

 Y. Peyton, and Thomas A. Harris, Casper W. 

 Bell, A. II. Conad, Thomas Freeman, George 

 Vest, Dr. Ilyer, of Dent, and William M. 

 Cooke, of St. Louis, Representatives in the 

 Congress at Richmond. 



MONROE, FORTRESS. This is the only 

 fortress in the United States. It was con- 

 structed for the defence of the important navy 

 yard at Gosport, and the city of Norfolk. The 

 United States have expended upon it, thus far, 

 the sum of $2,500,000. The area embraced by 

 its outer works is about 65 acres. Within is a 

 fine parade ground of 25 acres in extent, regu- 

 larly laid out and finely shaded by live oak 

 trees. It is a bastioned work, an irregular 

 heptagon in plan. The walls are chiefly of 

 granite and 35 feet in height. The embank- 

 ment backing the walls is of sand and clay, . 

 and of such great thickness that it can hardly be 

 breached. The casemates are bomb-proof and 

 shot-proof. The embrasures are of a size to 

 admit the largest columbiads. A moat faced 

 with dressed granite surrounds the whole 

 work, through which, when the gates are open, 

 the tide ebbs and flows. The water is, accord- 

 ing to the state of the tide, from 8 to 15 feet 

 deep, and from 75 to 150 feet across. 



The water battery which faces the sea is 

 built of stone, and of sufficient thickness and 

 solidity to defy the heaviest shot. Its embra- 

 sures are of the most substantial character. 

 They are forty-two in number, and have the 

 same number of 42-pounders. The slope of the 

 battery is covered with a green turf, and is a 

 favorite promenade. A redoubt leads from the 

 northern extremity of this battery, round to 

 the points of the bastion near the principal 

 magazine. In the centre of this redoubt is a 

 sally-port or postern, leading to an outer work 

 for the protection of the land side of the fort. 

 The only continuous land approach to the fort 

 is a strip of sandy beach not exceeding 40 rods 

 in width, which might be readily cut through. 

 A full armament of the fortress is 371 guns, 

 consisting of mortars, columbiads, and smaller 

 guns. Its possession has been of immense 

 importance to the United States during the 

 year, and it has been made the final head-quar- 

 ters from which all the military and naval ex- 

 peditions on the coasts took their departure. 

 Its possession has also given the Federal Gov- 

 ernment the entire control of the waters of 

 Virginia, and relieved it in a great degree from 

 the necessity of maintaining a blockade. It 

 can control the commerce of Richmond, Nor- 

 folk, Alexandria, Washington, and Baltimore. 

 Situated on the extremity of Old Point Com- 

 fort, the peninsula of land which is between 

 the York and James rivers, it protects for 



