USA > Georgia > The Confederate records of the State of Georgia, Vol 2 pt 2 > Part 2
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By reference to the General Order herewith pub- lished, it will be seen that a draft will be had on Tues- day, the 4th day of August next, in each county in this State which neglects or refuses to furnish the quota of men required of it.
Though some few of the counties have exhibited too little interest, I can not believe that a single one will have its character stained by the necessity for a draft for men to defend their own homes.
To those counties which have nobly and promptly responded, and especially to those which have tendered much more than their quota, I return my sincere thanks.
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While the militia officers of this State have generally responded promptly and willingly, I regret to hear that some of them, in contradiction of all the professions they have made, that they remained at home for home de- fence, now refuse to volunteer. To all such, I hereby give notice that if they fail to connect themselves, as vol- unteers, with the organizations now called for and to enter the service as invited in my proclamation calling for eight thousand troops, by the fourth day of August next, the protection of the State against conscription will be withdrawn from them and they will be turned over to the enrolling officers under the conscription act. If, how- ever, any militia officer, when approached by the con- script officer, will make an affidavit that he has not heard of or seen this proclamation or had notice of it, he shall have five days from that date within which to join one of the companies now called for, as a volunteer.
This rule does not embrace any one connected with the Staff of the Commander-in-Chief, as they are ex- pected to hold themselves in readiness at all times to obey his orders, and are not expected to join these com- panies. All justices of the peace and constables are to be subject to the same rule as militia officers, as their offices are not now so important that they can not be spared to do local and temporary service in the defence of the State.
In protecting State officers against conscription, I have acted upon what I considered an important prin- ciple. If any of them now refuse to aid in defence of their homes, it will be proper that the State withdraw this protection from such in the future.
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Let no one despair of our ultimate success. We should not expect to be victorious upon every field. The splendid achievements of our armies in the past have made us an historic people and clearly foreshadowed the final triumph of our arms and the future glory and gran- deur of the Confederacy. Such a people, inhabiting such a country and having such mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, need only be true to themselves and humbly trust in Almighty Powers, to be invincible.
Given under my hand and the Seal of the Executive Department, this July 17, 1863.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Milledgeville, Georgia, July 28th, 1863.
To the Commanding Officer of Baldwin County:
Should it become necessary to draft men on Tues- day, the 4th of August, to fill the requisition made on said county, you will not draft any of the officers of the State House or any one regularly employed in any of said offices or any of the clerks employed in issuing State Treasury Notes or Change Bills. Nor will you draft any of the officers, overseers or guards in the Penitentiary or the State Armory or the Card Factory, nor any of the officers or necessary employees of the Lunatic Asylum, who were employed there one month prior to the draft, nor any of the officers or operators in the Factory in the city, nor those regularly employed as editors or other-
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wise of the newspapers of the city. All the above, ex- cept the State House officers and those employed by them, are expected, prior to the draft, to unite in one or more military companies and tender and be mustered into the Confederate service, under my proclamation for the de- fense of Baldwin county, including the interests with which they are connected and the Capitol of the State.
In case of attack, it will be the duty of the State House officers and clerks to see that the Treasury, the Public Records, Papers and other valuable articles in the State House are removed to places of safety. If any of the persons above mentioned, except those connected with the State House, fail to join a company for the local de- fence of the county before the draft commences, they will be subject to draft.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
Milledgeville, Georgia, July 29th, 1863.
To the Commanding Officer of Richmond County:
You will exempt from the draft on the 4th day of August next, should one become necessary in your county, the editors and all other persons connected with, and necessary to the publication of, each and all newspapers in your county, upon their furnishing to you evidence that they have united themselves with one of the com- panies formed under the orders already issued for the local defence of the county of Richmond.
JOSEPH E. BROWN,
Governor of Georgia.
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PROCLAMATION.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
September 5th, 1863.
To the Arms-bearing People of Georgia:
Thus far you have experienced but little of the hor- rors of war ; and while you have been obligated to dispense with luxuries which you might otherwise have enjoyed, you have suffered comparatively little privation, except the loss of friends on battle fields in other States. Now, a powerful army, commanded by one of the most un- scrupulous of the Generals of the enemy, is advancing upon your Northwestern border, threatening to violate your homes, lay waste your fields, destroy your cities, desecrate the graves of your fathers and the altars where you worship the living God.
If the enemy is successful, you must flee from your native country and, as outcast paupers, wander in foreign lands; or you must submit to tyranny, with chains of op- pression the most galling that were ever worn by an enlightened people.
Let no one hope to escape by mean abandonment of our cause, in the midst of our troubles, or by swearing allegiance to a government that has wantonly shed so much precious Southern blood and laid his friends and relatives cold in death. Our noble dead, slain by the enemy, would rebuke such dastardly conduct from their bloody graves. Let none hope to save their property by favoring a reconstruction of the Old Union or by any
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re-union with our wicked and heartless invaders. All such dreams are worse than delusions. Three quarters of a century of experiences has proved that no covenant. agreement or Constitutional compact will bind the people of the Northern States, as communities, longer than it is their interest to observe the obligation. It would take all the property of the South to pay the immense war debt of the North and to satisfy Yankee cupidity in pos- session of unrestrained power. Reconstruction is noth- ing but submission; and submission plunges us into the deepest degredation and the most abject poverty and misery. If there be any who favor such means to secure peace, let them remember the sentiment of the great Carolina statesman: "It is the peace which the kite gives to the dove, the wolf to the lamb, Russia to Poland, and death to its victim." If we prefer to die free rather than live slaves, we must put forth our whole energies in this crisis of our fate.
Georgia has never failed to respond to every call made by the President for troops, from the commence- ment of the war to the present day, and has, in every case, when a call has been made for volunteers, tendered more than the number required. In response to the late call for 8,000 men for local defence, I shall have the grati- fication to tender to the President over 15,000 without counting the drafted men. The draft was only necessary in a few localities to compel cach county to do its just part, when some had tendered three times the number required, and to compel a few men to enter service who could not otherwise be influenced to do so. The result has been a triumphant vindication of the character and volunteer spirit of the State. There yet remains in our
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beloved State, including the organizations formed for home defence, over forty thousand men able to bear arms in an emergency. If but half this number will reinforce the Confederate army now on our border, we can drive the enemy out of East Tennessee and free our State from threatened invasion.
Georgians, you who remain in the State owe this to the gallant men who have left their homes and gone to distant fields to meet the foe. You owe it to the or- phans of the immortal dead, who have lost their lives in your defence. You owe it to the noble women of Georgia who, with hearts full of patriotism, have by their untiring energy clothed the naked and contributed millions of dollars to the support of our cause; and who, like guardian angels, have ministered to the com- fort and soothed the agony of the sick and wounded of every State, who in their passage over our territory, have come within their reach. You owe it to your wives and children, to the families of our soldiers now in service in other States, and to unborn posterity. Will you not rise in your might and put forth all your manliness for this glorious consummation ?
Having been asked by the authorities at Richmond to call out the Home Guards to assist in this emergency, I invite their attention to the order of the Adjutant and Inspector-General of this State and direct that it be promptly obeyed.
Men of Georgia who have stout hearts and strong arms : when you leave your farms and your merchandise to assist in driving the vandals from our borders, the remembrance of the fate of New Orleans, Nashville, and
STATE PAPERS OF GOVERNOR JOS. E. BROWN 473
other places which have surrendered to the enemy, must unalterably fix your determination that they shall not occupy Georgia's territory and tyrannize over Georgia's citizens; and must nerve your arms for the contest and impel you to strike for the preservation of your homes, the protection of your property, the purity of your wives and daughters, and the transmission of your liberties to the latest posterity.
Dark clouds hang around us and we are passing through a trying ordeal, but truth and justice are on our side; and if every man will put his trust in God and do his whole duty, our cause will triumph and we shall not only conquer a peace, but we shall establish Constitu- tional Liberty without which our struggle will have been in vain.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
PROCLAMATION.
To the Civil and Military Officers of Georgia:
ยท It becomes my duty to notice the complaints which frequently reach me from different parts of the State of the outrages and abuses which are being committed by those who profess to have power, under the Act of Congress, to make impressments of private property for public use; and to afford to the citizens of this State all the protection in my power against the robberies which are being committed by unprincipled persons, under pretence of legal authorities.
I am informed that subaltern officers of the army, without authority from the General in command of the
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Department, not infrequently make impressments of pri- vate property and give certificates which will not bind the government to compensate the owner for his prop- erty, as they are not authorized by the Government to make impressments. Stragglers, deserters and refu- gees are daily impressing horses, cattle, provisions or other property, under pretense of authority to do so for the public service. Those professing to be agents of the Quartermaster's and Commissary Departments are also making impressments. In some instances, the per- sons above designated, without legal authority, sense of propriety or feelings of humanity, have taken the last yoke of oxen or cow in possession of the aged and infirm and have deprived soldiers' families of the scanty means of support for which they have labored and without which they must suffer.
Such practices of persons professing to be Govern- ment Agents are alienating the affections of our people from the Government at a time when it is very impor- tant to the public safety that it have the confidence and support of all good citizens. I am quite sure the Presi- dent approves of no such injustice and outrage.
While I entertain no doubt of the Constitutional power of the Government to make such impressments of private property for public use, upon the payment of just compensation, I am satisfied that this power should never be exercised by subalterns without written instructions from the Government, in which the powers they are to exercise should be well defined. Nor should any citizen be deprived of his necessary means of support.
While I consider it the duty of every good citizen to furnish to the Government, at reasonable prices, all the
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supplies of provisions for the army which he can pos- sibly spare and support his family, I consider it the duty of the State authorities to protect such, as far as pos- sible, against unauthorized seizures and open robberies. To this end I hereby inform the citizens of this State that it is their right and duty to resist all impressments of their property by persons who cannot show legal au- thority to make the impressment, and to use all the force, in such cases, which is necessary to the protection of their persons and property. And I hereby direct all civil and military officers in this State to assist all persons who are defending their property against illegal seizure; and they, in connection with the Home Guard Companies of this State, or any of them separately, are hereby di- rected to arrest and lodge in the nearest secure jail all
persons making impressments without authority, until warrants can be sned out against them for robbery and they can be bound over to attend court and answer for their offense, as the law directs. All persons should be arrested who attempt to deprive the citizens of this State of their property by impressment, unless they can show written authority to do so from the President of the Confederate States, the head of one of the Depart- ments at Richmond, the General in command of a De- partment, or the Chief Confederate Quartermaster or Commissary in this State.
In the latter case the written authority must show upon its face that the Chief Quartermaster or Commis- sary has instructions from the head of the Department to exercise this power and to delegate it to others. In all cases, the person who is to make the impressment must be named in the written authority and the prop- erty to be seized must be described, of the kind and quan-
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tity of property to be impressed by such person must be distinctly specified. The person making the impress- ment will, in all cases, be required to produce and show his authority as above stated, or he will be arrested.
This order is not intended to embarrass Government Agents in the just and equitable execution of the Im- pressment Act of Congress, but only to protect the peo- ple of the State against the outrages of thieves, robbers and other bad men who are not agents of the Govern- ment, but represent themselves to be such, to enable them to plunder and rob with impunity.
Given under my hand and the Seal of the Executive Department, this 23d day of September, 1863.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
HEADQUARTERS,
MARIETTA, September, 1863.
To the Home Guards now called into service:
I have had a correspondence with President Davis upon the subject and he has decided, that, as you were organized under his requisition upon the State for troops for home defence and have been mustered in to Confed- erate service, it is his right to appoint the General Offi- cers to command you. He therefore denies my right to command you and advises me that he has directed Briga- dier-General Howell Cobb to attend to the organization of the troops now called out.
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STATE PAPERS OF GOVERNOR JOS. E. BROWN
Whatever may be my opinion of my rights or the rights of the State in connection with the command in the present state of the organizations, I can have no conflict with the Confederate authorities in the face of the enemy, when they are upon our soil, threatening our homes. I have therefore, in compliance with the direc- tions of the President, turned over the command to Gen- eral Cobb, an eminent Georgian well known to all, who is now in Atlanta, to whom all future communications in reference to supplies, details and other matters connected with the organization should be addressed. I shall ren- der General Cobb all the assistance in my power and am ready to do all I can for your comfort and to share with you any danger, or serve in any capacity where I can best promote the public interest. Let every Georgian rally to the rescue and let us bury all past differences of opinion and personal jealousies till we have driven the wicked invader from the sacred soil of our beloved old State.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
ATLANTA, October 10th, 1863.
It is agreed between Joseph E. Brown, Governor of Georgia, and A. K. Seago, of the firm of Seago, Kennedy, Palmer & Co., that said Seago shall proceed to Virginia and have the engine "Texas" belonging to the State, now in the possession of the Virginia and Tennesseee road, repaired, and that he shall use the "Texas" and all the cars now in Virginia belonging to the State, in the ship- ment of the salt now at Saltville or other points in Vir- ginia, which is the property of the State of Georgia or of said Company of which said Seago is a member, until
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the salt now in Virginia belonging to either the State or said Company is shipped.
It is to be shipped by the Southern route; and said Seago is to give his own individual attention closely to the business until it is done, and is to ship by each train an equal quantity of salt for the State and the Company.
The State and Company are to share equally the ex- pense of the repairs of the engine and all the expense of transportation of the salt of the State; and said Seago and such other member of the Company or other person as the Company may select, are to put in their whole time and energy in getting the salt through, their time to set off against the use of the train.
This contract is to be subject to the right of the State to take the train for other uses, at any time, after five trains of salt have been shipped, one-half of State and the other half of Company salt. Mr. Seago is to exhibit the contract to Mr. Q. R. Wikle, the State Agent at Salt- ville, who will deliver the rolling stock to him and will see that the shipments are made as herein agreed, and that as much salt is shipped for the State as the Com- pany.
The salt is to be consigned to J. I. Whitaker, Com- missary-General, at Atlanta.
(Signed) JOSEPH E. BROWN,
Governor of Georgia.
A. K. SEAGO.
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STATE PAPERS OF GOVERNOR JOS. E. BROWN
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA,
October 28th, 1863.
Whereas, at the instance and request of the Inferior Court of the county of Harris in this State, I did, on the 18th day of May last, issue a license to Thomas H. Moore of said county, under the Act of the General Assembly of this State, passed the 11th day of April, 1863, entitled, "An Act to alter and amend an Act to prevent the un- necessary consumption of grain by distillers and manu- facturers of spirituous liquors in this State, approved 22d November, 1862," authorizing the said Thomas H. Moore to distill fifteen hundred gallons of whiskey for said Inferior Court, to be used by the people of said county for medicinal, hospital, chemical and mechanical purposes : And Whereas, the said Inferior Court have notified me that the said Thomas H. Moore has en- tirely failed to distill and deliver to said Court the said whiskey, or any part thereof, as he had contracted with them to do, and have let a contract to another person to distill said quantity of whiskey for said county, and have rescinded said contract with said Moore to distill as aforesaid for said county, and have requested me to li- cense Mr. J. Hudson of said county, to distill for said county of Harris fifteen hundred gallons of whiskey, in- stead of the quantity to be made by said Moore, which license to said Hudson has this day been issued to him, Therefore it is
Ordered That the said license issued as aforesaid to said Thomas H. Moore on the 18th day of May, 1863,
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being license No. 49, be, and the same is, hereby revoked,. and that the sheriff or his lawful deputy of said county of Harris, do serve personally upon said Moore a certi- fied copy of this order and return the order, with his entry of such service thereon, to this department.
Given under my hand and seal of the Executive De- partment this 28th day of October, 1863.
JOSEPH E. BROWN.
By the Governor, H. H. WATERS, Sec'y. Ex. Dept.
1
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, .
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA,
October 29th, 1863.
Whereas, at the instance and on the recommendation of the Justices of the Inferior Court, and of certain county officers of the county of Lincoln in this State, I issued, on the 11th day of March last, a license to Wil- liam H. Davie of said county, under and by virtue of the statute in such case made, authorizing him to distill in said county, five hundred gallons of whiskey, to be used by the people thereof for medicinal, chemical and me- chanical purposes; And Whereas, from information which has been furnished me, I have reason to believe that said license has been abused or perverted from the uses intended by the Act authorizing its issue, It is therefore,
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STATE PAPERS OF GOVERNOR JOS. E. BROWN
Ordered, That the license issued as aforesaid to the said William H. Davie, being license No. 6, be, and the same is, hereby revoked, and that the sheriff, or his law- ful deputy, of said county of Lincoln, do serve personally upon said Davie, a certified copy of this order, and that he return to this department the order with his entry of such service thereon.
Given under my hand and the Seal
By the Governor, of the Executive Department, this H. H. WATERS, 29th day of October, 1863. Sec'y. Ex. Dept. JOSEPH E. BROWN.
The following annual message of his Excellency, Jos- eph E. Brown, was this day delivered to both branches of the General Assembly, to-wit:
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA,
November 5th, 1863.
To the Senate and House of Representatives :
Since the last annual meeting of the General Assembly our noble State, in connection with her Southern sisters, has passed through the vicissitudes of another year of bloody war, waged with more than savage cruelty, by a revengeful and unjust, though powerful enemy. Thou- sands of her most gallant and chivalrous sons have poured out their life's blood upon the battle field or yielded to the stern messenger upon the sick couch of the soldier; and
,
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as they have entered the dark valley of the shadow of death, covered with wounds, or emaciated with disease, they have cast a lingering look back upon the land for whose freedom they have fought; and in the heaving pangs of dissolution have exhorted all who survive to emulate their example and die as they have died, sooner than permit their descendants to be enslaved. These noble men have risked and lost all in their own and our defense, and we should merit and receive the scorn of the civilized world if we should permit their orphan children to pass under the yoke of bondage, for lack of manliness on our part to meet the foe face to face and grapple with him hand to hand while he invades our ter- ritory and we are able to maintain an army in the field, or to strike a blow in freedom's cause.
No one can doubt what his duty is if he reflects upon the nature of the contest in which we are engaged and the motives which impel the people of the two Govern- ments to action.
We of the South are fighting for the great principles of self-government bequeathed to us by our fathers of the revolution of 1776. We are fighting for the land of our nativity, our homes and our property, our wives and our children. We have waged no aggressive war upon the people of the Northern States. We have not denied their right to govern themselves or to adopt such form of Government as they may prefer. We have neither insulted their wives, destroyed their cities, stolen their property, desecrated their churches, nor the graves of their ancestors; but we have conceded their right of self- government, respected their private property and treated
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STATE PAPERS OF GOVERNOR JOS. E. BROWN
as sacred the altars of their religion and the resting pla- ces of their dead. All these have been violated on our soil by their vandal armies.
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