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A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
Journal of the Confederate Congress --THIRTY-NINTH DAY--SATURDAY, February 28, 1863.
OPEN SESSION.
The House met pursuant to adjournment, and was opened with prayer by the Rev. Mr. Duncan.
The Chair laid before the House a communication from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
Richmond, Va., February 27, 1863
To the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit a communication from the Secretary of War, containing a list of the civilian prisoners now in custody at the military prison at Salisbury, N. C., in further response to your resolution of the 5th instant, and invite attention to the recommendation in regard to a class of officers to be charged with the special duty of inquiring into the cases of prisoners arrested by military authority. I think such officers would be useful, they being selected for special qualifications and invested with specific powers.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
which was read, laid upon the table, and ordered to be printed.
The chair also presented a communication from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
Richmond, Va., February 27, 1863.
To the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit for your information communications from the Secretaries of the Treasury, of War, and of the Navy, in reference to claims for vessels seized for public use, in response to your resolution of the 5th instant.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
which was read and, with its accompanying documents, was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
The chair also presented a communication from the President; which is as follows, to wit:
Richmond, Va., January 30, 1863.
To the House of Representatives:
I herewith transmit for your information a communication from the Secretary of War, forwarding copies of "orders of impressment," in reply to your resolution of the 15th instant.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
which was read and, with its accompanying documents, was laid upon the table and ordered to be printed.
The Chair also laid before the House a bill of the Senate entitled "An act in relation to substitutes;" which was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
The Chair also presented a bill of the Senate entitled "An act to provide and organize engineer troops to serve during the war;" which
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was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. E. M. Bruce, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to which was referred joint resolutions of thanks to Gen. J. H. Morgan and the officers and men under his command, reported the same back, with the recommendation that they pass with an amendment.
The question being on postponing and placing the same upon the Calendar,
The same was decided in the negative.
The resolutions were taken up, and having been read as follows, to wit:
Resolved, That the thanks of Congress and the country are due to General John H. Morgan and the officers and men under his command for the many heroic and gallant deeds performed by them since the commencement of this war; but more especially are they entitled to the love and gratitude of their countrymen for the magnificent feat accomplished by them in October last, whereby middle Tennessee was preserved to this Government, marching, in forty-eight hours, one hundred and ten miles, fighting a battle, capturing and paroling several hundred prisoners within the enemy's lines, and afterwards destroying seventy miles of railroad, thereby preventing the Federal general from concentrating his forces in Tennessee until General Bragg had withdrawn his army from Kentucky and was prepared to meet him at Murfreesboro; and for their recent raid into Kentucky, where they marched through a country swarming with enemies, and, after capturing many prisoners, destroyed about sixty miles of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad to within eighteen miles of Louisville, this being the road by which the immense supplies necessary for the support of the army of Rosecrans had been, prior to its destruction, transported,
The committee moved to amend the same by striking out all of the original and inserting in lieu thereof the following, to wit:
Resolved by the Congress of the Confederate States, That the thanks of Congress are due and are hereby tendered to General John H. Morgan, officers and men of his command, for their varied heroic and invaluable services in Tennessee and Kentucky immediately preceding the battles before Murfreesboro, services which have conferred upon their authors fame as enduring as the records of the struggle which they have so brilliantly illustrated.
The amendment was agreed to, and the joint resolutions as amended were engrossed, read a third time, and passed.
Mr. E. M. Bruce also offered the memorial of sundry citizens of Boone County, Ky., praying compensation for property lost in Confederate service; which was referred to the Committee on Claims, without being read.
Mr. Moore offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That two bills from the Committee on the Judiciary, on the subject of the election of members to the next Congress of the Confederate States, be printed, under the direction of said committee, for the use of this House;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Chrisman offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved (the Senate concurring), That the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate adjourn their respective Houses on Monday, the sixteenth day of March, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, at twelve o'clock meridian.
Mr. Breckinridge demanded the question.
The demand was not sustained.
Mr. Jones moved to lay the resolution upon the table.
Mr. Miles demanded the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Baldwin, Barksdale, Boteler, Boyce, Eli M. Bruce, Horatio W. Bruce, Chambliss, Chilton, Conrad, Dupré, Ewing,
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Farrow, Foote, Garland, Gray, Hanly, Harris, Heiskell, Hilton, Holcombe, Jones, Kenner, Machen, Menees, Miles, Moore, Perkins, Preston, Sexton, Simpson, Staples, Tibbs, Villeré, Wilcox, Wright of Texas, and Mr. Speaker.
Nays: Atkins, Batson, Breckinridge, Chrisman, Clark, Clopton, Conrow, Dargan, Davidson, Foster, Freeman, Gardenhire, Gartrell, Hartridge, Hodge, Kenan of Georgia, Kenan of North Carolina, Lewis, McDowell, McLean, McQueen, McRae, Pugh, Ralls, Read, Royston, Smith of Alabama, Smith of North Carolina, Strickland, Swan, Trippe, Vest, Wright of Georgia, and Wright of Tennessee.
So the resolution was laid upon the table.
Mr. Read offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the Committee on Rules be instructed to consider the propriety of so amending the rules of this House as to make all motions for the reconsideration of any vote by which a bill or resolution shall have passed this House take precedence over any special order, and that it shall be the privilege of any member to call up such motion of reconsideration whenever the State shall be called of which he is a member, for memorials and other business, and that they report their deliberations thereon;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Conrad offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs inquire into the expediency of increasing the pay of medical officers of the Army on duty in the field;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Conrad also offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the Clerk of this House return the papers sent to this House, in response to a resolution in reference to the case of Lieutenant-Colonel Broadwell, to the President, and respectfully call his attention to the fact that no answers to the interrogatories contained in the resolutions have been sent, and respectfully request that the omission be supplied;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Dupré introduced
A bill relative to the subsistence of officers and enlisted men; which was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. Perkins offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Treasury be requested to inform Congress the amount of cotton purchased for the Government in Louisiana, specifying the names of the individuals by whom bought, and whether paid for in bonds or notes, and at what average price, together with the names of the agents that have been heretofore, and are now, employed by the Government in purchasing cotton in Louisiana, and whether any discrimination has been made by them in their purchase between the producers of the article and those who hold it on speculation. Also the regulations which have been adopted by said agents under instructions from the Department, either for the purchase or security of said cotton;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Perkins also offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That, the Committee on Medical Department be instructed to inquire into the expediency of so amending the law as to permit the Surgeon-General to direct any surplus of funds on hand in the hospital fund to be expended in the purchase of such articles as he may deem required by the sick and wounded of the Army;
Mr. Marshall offered the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That, in the opinion of this House, such guarantees of the indebtedness of the Confederate States as may be made by the separate States should apply first to bonds and Treasury notes that may hereafter be issued;
which was read and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
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Mr. Perkins introduced the following resolution, viz:
Resolved, That the President be requested to furnish Congress with copies of such portions of the correspondence between the State Department and our commissioners abroad as can be communicated without detriment to the public interest;
which was read and agreed to.
Mr. Barksdale introduced
A bill to be entitled "An act authorizing the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus;"
which was read the first and second times.
Mr. Barksdale moved that the rules requiring a reference of the bill to a committee be suspended.
Mr. Baldwin demanded the yeas and nays;
Which were ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Atkins, Barksdale, Batson, Boteler, Bridgers, Horatio W. Bruce, Chambers, Conrad, Conrow, Currin, Dargan, Elliott, Ewing, Freeman, Garland, Gartrell, Goode, Gray, Heiskell, Hilton, Holcombe, Jones, Kenan of Georgia, Kenner, Lander, Lewis, Lyon, Machen, McQueen, McRae, Menees, Miles, Miller, Moore, Munnerlyn, Pugh, Royston, Sexton, Smith of Alabama, Swan, Tibbs, Trippe, Vest, Villeré, Wilcox, and Mr. Speaker.
Nays: Ashe, Baldwin, Boyce, Breckinridge, Eli M. Bruce, Chambliss, Chilton, Clark, Clopton, Davidson, Dupré, Farrow, Foote, Foster, Gardenhire, Hanly, Harris, Kenan of North Carolina, Marshall, McDowell, McLean, Perkins, Preston, Ralls, Read, Simpson, Smith of North Carolina, Staples, Strickland, Wright of Georgia, Wright of Tennessee, and Wright of Texas.
Two-thirds not voting in the affirmative, the rules were not suspended, and the bill was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. Barksdale also introduced
A bill to provide for the compensation of persons employed by commanding generals as provost-marshals from civil life;
which was read the first and second times and referred to the Committee on Military Affairs.
Mr. McRae presented the memorial of Capt. A. C. Van Benthuysen, praying a relief from his indebtedness to the Government; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, without being read.
Mr. Chambers presented the memorial of Joseph McGuire in reference to loss of his property by the enemy; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, without being read.
Mr. Chambers also introduced
A bill to increase the salaries of females employed in the Treasury Department;
which was read the first and second times.
Mr. Chambers moved that the rule requiring a reference of the bill to a committee be suspended, and demanded the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered,
Yeas: Arrington, Ashe, Atkins, Barksdale, Batson, Boteler, Boyce, Breckinridge, Horatio W. Bruce, Chambers, Clark, Conrad, Currin, Elliott, Foote, Foster, Garland, Gartrell, Goode, Gray, Hanly, Harris, Heiskell, Holcombe, Kenner, Lander, Lewis, Lyon, McQueen, McRae, Menees, Miles, Moore, Munnerlyn, Pugh, Read, Sexton, Simpson,
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Smith of Alabama, Staples, Tibbs, Trippe, Villeré, Wilcox, Wright of Georgia, and Wright of Tennessee.
Nays: Baldwin, Chambliss, Chilton, Clopton, Conrow, Crockett, Dargan, Davidson, Dupré, Ewing, Farrow, Freeman, Gardenhire, Hilton, Kenan of Georgia, Kenan of North Carolina, Machen, Marshall, McDowell, McLean, Perkins, Preston, Royston, Smith of North Carolina, Strickland, Swan, Vest, and Wright of Texas.
Two-thirds not voting in the affirmative, the rules were not suspended, and
On motion of Mr. Chambers, the bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
On motion of Mr. Royston, leave of absence was granted to Mr. Lyons, on account of sickness in his family.
On motion of Mr. Jones,
The House resolved itself into secret session; and having spent some time therein, again resolved itself into open session.
And on motion of Mr. Royston,
Adjourned until 12 o'clock Monday.
SECRET SESSION.
The House being in secret session,
On motion of Mr. Kenner, resolved itself into Committee of the Whole, Mr. Russell in the chair, on a bill to provide for the further issue of Treasury notes, and for other purposes; and having spent some time therein, the committee rose and, through their Chairman, reported that they had had under consideration the matter referred to them and come to no conclusion thereon.
Mr. Lyon moved that the rules be suspended to enable him to introduce a resolution.
The motion was agreed to, and
Mr. Lyon offered the following resolution, to wit:
Resolved, That the debate on the bill and amendments now pending in Committee of the Whole, entitled "A bill to provide for the further issue of Treasury notes, and for other purposes," be closed on Monday next, at three o'clock postmeridian.
Mr. Foster moved to amend the resolution of Mr. Lyon by striking out the word "Monday" and inserting in lieu thereof the word "Tuesday."
The amendment was lost.
And the question being on agreeing to the resolution of Mr. Lyon,
The same was adopted.
Mr. Curry moved that the House resolve itself into open session.
The motion did not prevail, and
The House, on motion of Mr. Kenner, resolved itself into Committee of the Whole, on a bill to provide for the further issue of Treasury notes, and for other purposes, Mr. Russell in the chair; and having spent some time therein, the committee rose and, through their Chairman, reported that they had had under consideration the matter referred to them and had come to no conclusion thereon.
Mr. Moore moved to suspend the rules to allow him to introduce a bill for reference.
The motion was lost.
And on motion of Mr. Foote,
The House resolved itself into open session.
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