The President's tour through the South.
On Wednesday last
President Davis, accompanied by
Generals Beauregard,
Glimer,
Blanchard, and
Rains,
Bishop Lynch,
Governor Bonham, and others, visited the fortifications around
Charleston.
The
Courier gives the following description of the visit:
The party started from headquarters in Broad street and proceeded to the headquarters of
Col. Rhett on South Commercial wharf, preparatory for embarkation in the boats ordered for the occasion.
On arrival at the wharf a brief period was spent in the examination of specimens of the various kinds of Yankee shells thrown into
Sumter, collected by
Col. Rhett on his visit to the fort Tuesday night, and brought to the city.
These specimens embraced shot and shell of every size and shape from the fifteen-inch Monitor, three hundred pounder
Parrott, rifled and
Willard shots, down to the smallest description of projectile.
The party then embarked for the
Island, passed on their way two of our gunboats, the
Chicora and the
Palmetto State, the crews of both vessels turning out and greeting the
President with loud and long cheering.
On arrival at
Fort Johnston the party was met by
Col. Harrison, commanding the post.
A rousing salute was fired by the Chatham Artillery, attracting the attention of the
Yankees, who crowded and lined the parapets of
Gregg and
Wagner, seemingly anxious to learn what unusual even had occurred to cause such a demonstration.
The President, after a close inspection of
Fort Johnson, batteries Simkins, Cheves, and
Haskell, proceeded to
Secessionville.
The troops of that post were drawn up in line and inspected by the
President, after which he visited
Fort Lamar and other works around
Secessionville, besides the memorable battle-ground of the 16th June, 1861, in which the
President felt greatly interested.
He also visited and inspected the whole length of the new lines down to battery Pringle, where he was received with another thundering salute, and warmly cheered by the troops composing
Gen. Hagood's and
Gen. Colquitt's brigades.
Battery Tynes and
Fort Pemberton were next visited, and another salute given from the latter.
The troops at each post were drawn up all under arms, in the positions that they would occupy in case of an attack or an engagement.
Having inspected every nook, corner, and bomb-proofs in the batteries and forts, the
President and party crossed the bridge at Wappoo and passed
Gen. Wise's brigade in review, which concluded the work of the day.
The whole party then started on their return to the city.
The President expressed himself exceedingly gratified at the position, character, and strength of the works, as well as the fine appearance of the troops.
The party returned to the city a little before dark.
The President left
Charleston on Thursday morning, and arrived in
Wilmington, N. C., that evening.
Upon arriving there he was welcomed by a great throng of citizens, and made them a short address.
We extract a portion of it as reported in the
Journal.
The President said that in
North Carolina, as elsewhere, the contact of the
Yankees had thoroughly extinguished every spark of Union feeling wherever they had come.
The eastern portion of the
State, which had suffered most from the enemy, was perhaps the most loyal and devoted portion of the whole State, and
North Carolina, as a State, had not been behind any other in the number of troops she had given to the armies of the
Confederacy.
In every field, from Great Bethel, the first, to
Chickamauga, the last, the blood of North Carolinians had been shed and their valor illustrated; and, if she had fewer trumpeters than some others to sound her fame, the list of killed and wounded from every battle-field attested her devotion and bore witness to her sacrifices.
North Carolina might well be proud of her soldiers in the armies of the
Confederacy.
We are all engaged in the same cause.
We must all make sacrifices.
We must use forbearance with each other.
We are all liable to err.--Your
Generals may commit mistakes; your
President may commit mistakes; you yourselves may commit mistakes.
This is human, and for this proper allowance must be made.
We must cultivate harmony, unanimity, concert of action.
We must, said the
President, beware of croakers — beware of the man who would instil the poison of division and disaffection because this section of that section had not got its full share of the spoils and the plunder, the honors and the emoluments of office.
Did we go into this war for offices or for plunder?
Did we expect to make money by it?
If so then he and others who, like him, had lost all — had seen the product of years swept away, had been woefully mistaken.
But we had not gone into this war from any such ignoble motives, and no such narrow considerations ought to control appointments.
Merit, and merit alone, should be the criterion.
And merit had been found, and North Carolinians had received and now held a full proportion of the high positions in the army.--He here alluded to
Gen. Bragg, a native son of
North Carolina.
If there were those who yielded to despondency, who despaired of the
Republic, who were willing to submit to degradation, they were not to be found in the ranks of the army, where all was confidence and determination.
Those who complained most were those who had made the fewest sacrifices, not the soldiers who had made the most.
In the changing fortunes of war, we may for a time be driven back; but with a resolute purpose and united effort we would regain all we had lost, and accomplish all that we proposed.
Freed from the shackles imposed upon us by our uncongenial association with a people who had proved themselves to be ten times worse than even he had supposed them to be, the
Confederate States would spring forward in a career of happiness and prosperity surpassing the dreams of the most sanguine.
The President again returned thanks for his enthusiastic reception and withdrew.
