Duke University Libraries 
 
 The plan, and a 
 Conf Pam #691 
 
CENTRAL ASSOCIATION 
 
 THE RELIEF 
 
 ^oliliciiJ) 4 S^wi^^ Ofaroliira. 
 
 THE PLAN, AND ADDRESS, 
 
 ADOPTED BY THE CITIZENS OF COLUMBIA, 
 October 20, 1862. 
 
 CHARLES 
 
 STEAM-POWER PRESS OF EVANS AND COGSWELL, 
 No. 3 Broad Street. 
 
 1862. 
 
CENTRAL RELIEF ASSOCIATION 
 
 SOUTH CAROLINA SOLDIERS. 
 
 Dr. M. La BOKDE, Chairman. 
 Hon. JOHN TOWNSEND. 
 Hon. \VM. F. Dk SAUSStJRE. 
 Rev.'B. M. palmer. 
 Rev. p. J. SHAND. 
 
 rkv. vvm. martin. 
 
 JOHN A. CRAWFORD, Esq. 
 Dr. R. W. GIBBES, Sen. 
 E. L. KERRISON, Esq. 
 Dr. JOHN FISHER. 
 H. C. BRONSON, Esq. 
 
 i»f 
 

 PUBLIC MEETING. 
 
 Columbia, October 20, 18G2. 
 
 At a public meeting held this day, in the City Hall, to receive the re- 
 port of the committee appointed at an adjourned meetinfi, on tlie 8th Octo- 
 ber, to devise some plan lor th« relief of our sufferinji soldiers in the 
 army, Dr. M. LaBorde was requested to take the Chair, and Edward Hope 
 to act as Secretary. 
 
 Hon. John Townsend. as Chairman of the Committee, stated that they 
 
 had found it necessary to correspond with the authorities in Richmond, 
 
 and upon a moderate calculation, South Carolina had ten thousand soldiers 
 
 .in Virjrinia in a destitute condition; tliat the constant demands of the 
 
 army had well-ni<ih exhausted supplies. 
 
 The report of the committee was then submitted. 
 
 KEPORT. 
 
 The committee appointed to " devise some plan by which relPef may be 
 provided and sent on to our sufferintj soldiers in the most practicable form, 
 and with the least possible delay, and that they rej)ort this plan to the con- 
 sideration of our citizens, at a meetinn; to be called for that purpose at an 
 early day," make the followinji report : 
 
 That the situation of our army and the near approach of winti'r demand 
 immediate and prompt action. We earnestly recommend to the benevo- 
 lent and patriotic citizens of every district in the state to call moetinrrs at 
 their respective court-houses, and orL'anizc a Central District Committee. 
 
 District Committees. 
 
 This committee to appoint enerjretic and public-spirited citizens in all 
 sections of the district, whose duty it shall be to collect all articles of cloth- 
 ing and supplies for our soldiers in the army and hospitals, or money, as 
 may be most needed at the time, and see personally to the delivery of the 
 same to the Chairman of the Central Committee of their district, whose 
 duty it will be to transmit the same to the Chairman of the Central Com- 
 mittee of the state, to be located at Columbia, as hereinafter to be more 
 particularly designated. The transmission of these articles, money, etc., 
 to be made at such times and in such way as will secure their prompt and 
 safe delivery to the committee in Columbia, and to be directed and de- 
 livered to the Chairman of the said Central Committee, who will duly 
 acknowledge the receipt of the same. 
 
CcntrnJ Committee : their Duties. 
 
 We furtluT recooimoml, that a Central Coramittop. consisting of ten 
 jrcHtlenicn, bu appointed \i\ tlie Chairman of this meeting, whose duty it 
 (•hall Ix! to act for tlic City of Co'umliia and District of Richland, dis- 
 cliargiiig the same duties as are above reconuneniIe(l to the diirerent dis- 
 tricts in our state, and in addition to these duties, to secure a depot for the 
 reception an«l security of all articles forwarded to the Chairman of said 
 Committee. In the arrangenu'iit of the depot at Colnml)ia, and which will 
 be under the immediate control and direction of the Committee, all articles 
 and |):ii-ka'.ies sent ti) {•ninp'inie.t or i)}<lic!'luiils to be k<»pt separate from all 
 general contributions, so that their safe delivery will be the better secured 
 by the persons to whom they are directed. 
 
 Sow Par!;<t(jcs are to he nutrhcd and sent. 
 
 In making up tlie packages or boxes of articles, it is recommended that 
 a card, wi.h plain and full directions, be placed on the bundle or box; or, 
 what is more secure, paint the directioiis on the box or package, and one 
 with similar directions be placed inside, so that if the »ard or paint on the 
 out,-iide l>e dcstroycil, the canl within will direct the delivery. Wlienever 
 a siifiicietit (piantity of sujjplics for our army have a.'cumulated at tlie depot 
 in Columbia to make a shijinu'Mt proper, the Central Committee will lor- 
 ward the same to a de])ot locateil at Richmond, Va., under tin; immediate 
 care of an agent, sent on by the Central Connniltee at Columbia, to see 
 personally that these sup))lics are safely and promptly delivered at the 
 depot in Richmond, and take his receipt for the same. 
 
 Depot to be established at Richmond, and duties of Agent. 
 
 Your (;onmiittee further recommend that a depot be secured at Rich- 
 mond by the Central Committee, for the sole use of the people of our state, 
 ami for the benefit of our own citizens who are now in the service in Vir- 
 ginia; that this depot be under the care and control of a gentleman who 
 will have, and who deserves, tlie confidence of the people of our state. It 
 will be nnde the duty of the gentleman appointcil to take charge of the 
 de])Ot at Richmond, to give to the officers connnanding the soldiers from 
 South Carolina, as well by general notice in tlie newspapers as by special 
 notice to our officers, inforniation of the establishment of our (h'pot, and the 
 objects proposed to be accomplished Ijy the location of said depot at Rich- 
 mond, ami re(iuesting that they would, when nei-essarv, detail a member of 
 their company or re'.rimcnt, to be sent to the de])ot at Richmond, with a 
 written statement of the articles needed in their companies or regiments, 
 and which detailed soldier sent to Richmond would be able to take to the 
 resuectivc comi>anies or regiments a portion of tlie general contribution, as 
 well as the private contributions intended for persons in the said companies 
 or regiments. 
 
 May send a special Agent. Private packages to be kept separate 
 from General Contributions. 
 
 Or, that tiu; superintendent of the depot adopt such other method of 
 ascertaining the wants of the army, and the mode of transmitting sujiplies, 
 as his judgment and experience may suggest. In the depot at Richmond, 
 the same arrangements of separating the general contributions from the 
 
private packages as is recommended in the central depot at Columbia, to be 
 observed. It will further be tlie duty of the agent for the state, at Rich- 
 mond, to cause to be faithfully delivered all articles sent to the patients in 
 the hospitals in and near Richmond, and whatever of tlie general contribu- 
 tions he may think advisable and necessary, and to send by a special and 
 reliable agent articles and supplies to our soldiers in the diiferent hospitals 
 in the State of Virginia, and that he take such measures as will inform him, 
 from time to time, of tlie wants of our sick soldiers in said hospitals, situated 
 at a distance irom Richmond. 
 
 Jlaij retain h the depot in Columhia a portion of the Genera! Con- 
 tributions for our Soldiers in South Carolina. 
 
 That the Central Committee, in Columbia, acting upon the best informa- 
 tion they may be able to obtain, may retain in the de]>ot in Columbia such 
 a ])ortion of the general contributions as they may thiidv will best serve the 
 purposes which avl' wish to a;'comj)li8h. to i)e turnislu-d to our soldiers in our 
 own state, or in the other states, as exigencies may reijuire, either in service 
 or in our hospitals; and, also, to receive at our depot all private packages 
 sent to men m our state or elsewhere ; said contributions to be sent by 
 special agents, by said Central Conmiittee, or delivered to persons sent by 
 their resj)ectivi> oflicers from our anny, as the said Committee may hi^ieafter 
 determine. And it is further recommended, that the Central Conunitt.ee at 
 Columbia allow to the agents under their direction such reasonable com- 
 pensation as will be just ami proper. 
 
 Your Committee further recommend tlie adoption of the following resolu- 
 tions : 
 
 1. Resolved, That the address and report to the. people of the state, here- 
 with submitted, be adoi)tcd by this meeting. 
 
 2. Jiesolverl, That all the jiapers of this state be refjucstcd to publish the 
 same, and that three thousand copies be published in j)amphlet form for 
 general distribution. 
 
 ii. licsolcrd, That copies of the above named pamphlet be furnished to tlie 
 officiating ministers of ail religious denominations throughout the state, with 
 a recjuest that they be read to their congregations. 
 
 ADDKESS 
 
 TO THE PEOPLK OF SOUTH CAROLI.NW IN UHHALF OF THEIR ])ES- 
 t TITUTE SOLDIERS. 
 
 FrI'oir-citizrnx : Less than three months have passed away since the capi- 
 tal of our Confederacy was beleagiiei'cd by the most formidable army which 
 has ever been massed together on this continent. It was equipped with 
 every M-(.»apon of war of the latest improvement (in ordnance, ammunition, 
 and small arms) whi(di modern science could invent, or the most lavish 
 expenditure of money could provide ; its apj)ointments were complete in 
 everything which the most powerful nation on earth, assisted by an unlimi- 
 ted commerce, could supply ; the perli-ction of its discipline, after eighteen 
 months drill, by masters in the art, made it the admiration and boast of its 
 countrymen; and it was assi^jted in its movements by one of the most pow- 
 erful navies in the world. An army like this, thus Ibrmidable in everything 
 which could make war destructive, and swanning over our country in num- 
 bers like the locusts of Kgypt, was well calculated to create anxiety lor the 
 safely of our capital. 
 
 ^^ 
 
Our Army inferior to that of the Enemy in their J-Jquipinents. 
 
 If, wa^ known that we could oppose to tliis host an army inferior to theirs 
 in evcrvthiiiJi, exeej)! courajre and dijicipline ; and, altliougli we lind every 
 eonfidtnce in these (pialities of our soldiers, yet to every rellectiiij; man in 
 the South, eontenipialinjr the fearful odds a^rainst us, there was an unde- 
 fined dread for the result, which pressed like an overwhelming load upon 
 his heart. " Wliat if fiur army be overpowered, routed, destroyed, and 
 Kiehmond taken V" was the anxious problem which every man pondered in 
 his heart. "What if that barrier of bjave h»'arts should be broken down 
 bv OTir enemies, and havinjr nothing to oppose them they should sweep 
 down over the fSoulh, leaving desolation behind them, as they have done 
 ill NortJiern Virginia, to be followed by other Northern hordes, greedy for 
 plunder, burning with lus-t, and raging with fanati<-ism ?" These were the 
 painfully anxious musings of tiioughtful men. as they eontemjilated the two 
 armies eonfionfing each other betbre lliehmond, and the enemy possessing 
 so many and such vast advantages over us. 
 
 • Our Military Reverses ivere calculated to Discourage us. 
 
 The military reverses which had befallen us one after another for several 
 months previous, had cast a gloom over the public mind, and had greatly 
 intensified their anxiety about the fate of our army. The fall of Forts 
 Donelson and Henry, and those near Port Royal, the occupation of Beau- 
 tort and the sea islands in this state, and several of the sea-coast towns in 
 North Carolina, the surrender of New Orleans and Nashville, their occu- 
 pation of large portions of Tennessee and Kentucky, and the Mississippi 
 river, the evacuation of Pensacola and Norfolk, and tlie blowing up of the 
 Merrimac — these, and other reverses, hung like a murky cloud over our 
 political horizon, and caused many to desjwnd, and a few even to despair. 
 And now the enemy, with their vast and well-appointed army, is advancing 
 upon Richmond. The peninsula is overrun, and their fortifications are 
 l)lantcd iihnost at the gates of our capital, while their immense fleet is occu- 
 pying all ilie approaches by water. But our army is there to meet them at 
 every point. 
 
 At a spectacle which was so full of momentous consequences, both na- 
 tions stood agaze, and men held their breath under the intenseness of their 
 anxiety, while the pious raised their supplications to God for His blessing 
 \M$on our arms. 
 
 Our Trust in. the Army of the Potomac for Deliverance. 
 
 And now, fellow-citizens, can any man forget that, amidst the undefined 
 fears, and doubts, and anxieties with which his mind was then distressed, he 
 fixed his trust in our arniji of the Potomac as the only instrument, tlirougii 
 God, to bring to us d(diver:iiu!e — the. very army (or what is left of it, after 
 the killed, and the wouiuleil and sick in the hospitals are deducted) which, 
 having heroically performed its work, stands now before their country, in 
 their destitution and sufferings, and demands of her J iistire as the evidence 
 of our gratitude. And have tliey not a claim to both, in fullest measure? 
 Consider the condition of tin; country imm(;diately ])receding the battles 
 before Richmond, as it has been briefly presented to you — consider the 
 fearful odds against us everywhere and in everything, shut out from assist- 
 ance, as we were, from all the world — consider the feverish temper-of the 
 pulilic mind, under the influence of these discouraging circumstances, as it 
 
•waited, from day to day, for the bursting forth of the tempest which was to 
 A decide, perhaps, the fate of our country, and then form some ftstimate of the 
 
 immeasurable benefits which that army secured to us, and the lively grati- 
 tude which was then felt, and which will ever be due to it. Carry your 
 mepiories back to the time when, during that ominous calm which preceded 
 the terrible storm, every man awaited the tidings from Richmond Avith 
 breathless anxiety. 
 
 Their heroism. The gratitude of the Ration. Their clair^is upon 
 us for. Relief. 
 
 At length it comes. Wiiat sounds, are these which shake the earth ? It 
 is the booming of deep-mouthed cannon and the rattling of ten thousands 
 of musketry, and the shouts of armed men contending in deadly strife. 
 The battle is begun! But here comes further tidings llashing over the 
 electric wires, and what do they tell V " Victory, victory to the South! " 
 And after seven days fighting, in which our soldiers poured out their blood 
 like water, and performed deeds of valor which have made them . the ad- 
 miration of the world, still Avas each day's report, " victory " to our arms,' 
 slaughter and rout to our enemy, until they find shelter under the guns of 
 their fleet ! Who of you, then, fellow-citizens, did not feel proud of this 
 • army V Who of you did not then feel deeply grateful to them for the de- 
 liverance they had wrought for you, and the security which they had 
 thrown around }ou ? llcmember, then, that the same army, althoygh sadly 
 reduced by death, wounds, and sickness, now confronts again the advance 
 of our enemies on the banks of the Potomac. Remember the dangers and 
 hardshijis they have suffered, in order that you, your families and property, 
 -^ might be safe ; and then let the sentiment of gratitude and justice in your 
 
 hearts, inspire you to remember their pressing wants, and urge you to sup^- 
 ply them. 
 
 ^yhat say the IFomen of the South? 
 
 And now, citizens of South Carolina, what is your response ? We will 
 not ask this question of tlie women of the South. jSIany of them have 
 their cherished ones, their husbands, their brotliers and their sons, in one or 
 the other of our armies; and God lias put their hearts in the right place, and 
 they have not allowed them to be warped aside by avarice or selfishnessw 
 The sp%L-ulator, the monopolist, or the extortioner, cannot live within the 
 
 }>ure atmosjdiere of woman's nature, and we know that their response will 
 )e all that liberality can devise, or patriotic industry accomplish. 
 
 What say the Rich Men, and every citizen resolved to be free? 
 
 We call next upon you, rich men — ye m'Iio have tens of thousands of pro- 
 perty to protect, and thousanrls or hundreds to give, if ye will but forego 
 your luxuries, and follow the promptings of your better nature. What is 
 your response V We forbear to answer for you all as a class ; the sequel 
 will dis:4ose your acts. AVe call upon you, citizens of every class, and of 
 every degree in wordly goods — ye who have your wives and daughters to 
 protect against a ruHian soldiery — who have your homes and property to 
 save from confiscation — who have your personal rights and liberties to de- 
 fend against the vilest and most vulgar Ivranny on earth- — the tyranny of 
 the ranting Fanatic, and Abolitionist, who aim to degrade the white man to 
 ^ the level of the negro slave ; what is your response V We will not doubt 
 
but tliat it will bo liberal, and that you will come up to the norossities of 
 this {Treat emergency, witli the pronij)tness of men who, haviu'r determined 
 to protect their families anil property, and preserve their liberties, have re- 
 solved to keep our armies in a state of the highest elHciency, as the best 
 means of securing these ends. 
 
 The " Sneaks " icill he mxUe. 
 
 But there is one small class^ whom we would especially call upon — wo 
 allude to the ".sneo/>-," who are to be found in every community ; men who 
 are loud-mouthed in tlicir ])rofe,ssions of attaoliineut to our cause, and per- 
 haps really "wish its success," but success, at the expense, and toil, and 
 sacrifices of their neighbors; who will dodge the Conunittee who may call 
 upon them for their contributions, or be "not at liome," or, "unfortunately, 
 just out ot" lunds," althougli tiicy be ri..h men, and can command as much 
 money as they want for any other purj)ose. Out upon all such for their 
 meanness and selfishness, and if they have no nulile motive to prompt the 
 act, let them at least contribute from tlie selfish principle, which induces 
 them to buy a policv of insurance against fire, or pay for the town watch- 
 man to guard their premises against thieves — evils which they will find 
 dwindle into insignificance, conmared with the loss of their liberty, and 
 the confiscation of tlieir property 1 
 
 ff'hat response do the Capitalists and Bankers make? 
 
 And now, capitalists and hankers, we call upon you, who have millions, 
 and tens of millions to invest, or to preserve in security, ^^'hat is your 
 response 'i Remember that your pecuniary interests are deeply involved 
 in this issue. If the South is reduced to subjection, what becomes of Con- 
 federate bonds, and Confederate stocks, ami Treasury notes V Will they 
 ever be paid ? By whom V If the Southern States accept the boon gra- 
 ciously tendered to them l)y tlieir masters, and again become a part of the 
 "glorious Union," will tin- debt contracted by us in conducting the '■'rehel- 
 liun," be acknowledged, and provided for by the '■^paternal " (iovernment, 
 as a part of the national debt? If not, can the South ever pay it V • HowV 
 Only by a direct tax. She will have no ])ower to resort to the custom- 
 house ; that will belong to our masters. lUpuilialion will become a neces- 
 sity. Tlie Confederate Government promised to pay, but the Confederate 
 Government will no longi-r exist. Look to it well, then, and see what 
 interest you have in sustaining the war. There is not a bank in the state 
 but holds a large amount of Confederate bonds, stocks or currency — so 
 large that they nuist go to the wall if these are repudiated. What capi- 
 talist has not made large investments in this way V Let these parties look 
 to it in time, and pursue the course which tlie instinct of s^lf-j/rcser ration, 
 if notiiing higher, suggests, and support the war liberally, vigorously ; and 
 that is best done by proviiliug for the soldiers, and keeping up our armies 
 in a state of the highest efiiciency. 
 
 "Reconstruction of the old Union? or Subjugation?" 
 Ask the Exile. 
 
 Let us not shut our eyes, fellow-citizens, to our true condition. The 
 terms ollerc<l to-us by our enemies are — "Reconstruction of the old Union," 
 on their own terms ; or, " Subjugation ;" to be followed by political slavery, 
 and confiscation of our property. What is your answer to these insolent 
 
9 
 
 demands ? If there be one man in the whole South, who, after the cruel 
 malignity practiced upon us b_y our enemies, is still i^o craven as to desire 
 reconstruction, let him go to the exile who has been driven from his home ; 
 who has been comjxiUed to abandon his property, and has been reduced 
 from affluence cilmost to beggary ; and inquire of him what is his answer, 
 and he will find it one of indignant scorn at the proposal. Let him next 
 inquire in those regions of our countrj- in which were once the pleasant 
 abodes of abounding plenty and Southern hospitality — now laid waste and 
 desolate by the enemy; where their old men have been shut up in prisons; 
 the wives and maidens who once graced these homes, insulted and expelled 
 by a brutal soldiery ; their servants and their means of subsistence taken 
 away from them, and all cast upon the cold charities of the world, and ask 
 Ihexe what is their answer. 
 
 Ask those suffering the lyrivations of the TTrt/-. 
 
 Let him next go over that broad territory in the South which has not 
 been visited by the enemy, and contemplate the ]irivations to which our 
 people have been reduced ; let him witness with what unmurmuring cheer- 
 fulness (as an evidence of their devotion to our cause) they have given up 
 one comfort or luxury after another; nay, with what stern resolution they 
 
 f)art with those things, which, from long familiarity, have ceased to be 
 uxuries, and have become almost necessaries; their srii/ar, tha'ir fa mil 1/ mer- 
 chandise, their coffee, and even their salt: let him contemplate the Avomen 
 and the young girls barefooted, guiding the plows, to obtain the food which 
 was formerh' provided by the sons and brothei's now gone to the wars ; and 
 then let him first ask himoelf, if a ])eople with such a spirit can be con- 
 (piered ; and then ask them, if they are willing to be again brought into a 
 political union with a people, who have inflicted upon them such injuries ; 
 and their indignant answer Avill be, " never! never! " 
 
 Those who have been made Widows and Orphans bij the War. 
 
 Let him next enter those domiciles now draped in mourning, which are 
 dotted all over our land, and which were once the happy abodes of parental 
 and filial love, and let liim inquire of its weeping inmates if they are wiUIng 
 to have association or conne-tion with a people who have sent forth their 
 armies to slaughter their husbnnds, their brothers and their sons, and from 
 their heaving bosoms, oppressed with grief, hear their piteous cry — "nerer ! 
 
 Ask the Yeoimniry of the South. 
 
 Let him, finally, attend those assemblages of our people, where every 
 class and condition of our citizens are to be found, and inquire of all ages, 
 from the gray-headed sire down to the beardless stripling, if the}' desire a 
 reconstruction of the old Union, or will consent to lice and be subjuga- 
 ted, and with one mighty shout of scorn and defiance, their cry will be, 
 *' Never ! never ! never ! We loatlio an alliance with men who liavc war- 
 red upon us from motives so vile and mercenary, and we fling defiance at 
 the vulgar tyranny which attempts to subjugate and enslave us. Tlie blood 
 of our sUtughtered kinsmen calls upon us for vengeance, and the impover- 
 ished and homeless exile claims from us, as his countrymen, piotection and 
 redress." 
 
10 
 
 War an'} the efficiency of our Armies our only altcrnatir^e. 
 
 If then, feIlow<'itizens, such be, as it undoubtedly is, your fiini and unal- 
 terable purnosc, then tln-re is but one way to aieoni|)!ish it, and that is, by 
 mcepiin<; the alternative Ibricil upon us by our enemies — war- — fierce, and, 
 if necessary, bloody war, until we shall eonijuer an honorable j)eace and 
 achieve our independence. Our armies of pi-otection and defence must be 
 c<pial in cfliciency to their armies uf inva4«ion and attempted subjugation; 
 and if our government be incapable of providinp everylliing for tlieir elli- 
 ciency, we should endeavor, to the extent of our ability, to supi)ly the 
 deficiency. And here is the jirecise point to which we would invoke your 
 earnest thoughts and j)atriotic eirort8. 
 
 Cause of the Destitution of ovr Soldiers. 
 
 It is known that after the seven days of battles and victories around* 
 Richmond, which resulted in our driving the enemy discomfited to the 
 shelter of the guns of their fleet, that they took the earliest opportunity to 
 abandon t,hat base-line whicii they said they of choice had selected ; and 
 leaving the peninsula, they massed their troops around General Poj)e in 
 the neiglil)orhood of" Manassas. There, our armies, by rapid marches, fol- 
 lowed tliem, like eager blood-liounds in ])ursuit of their prey. In doing 
 this, with the celerity wliiili tlic movement reipiired, it became necessary 
 that our men should disencumlier themselves of most of their baggage. In 
 some Divisions, it is said, their knapsac-ks were lef^ by order of theii- oHicers 
 in huge piles, under the uncertain protection of a few sentinels to guard 
 them. The severe service during the seven days fighting near Richmond, 
 the rapid marching to the Uaj)pal»annock in search of the enemy, the pur- 
 suit o/' ^//e»» from that place to iManassas, the three days fighting in that 
 neighborhood, the slaughter and utter rout of our enemies there, and our 
 rapid pursuit until we drove them out of Virginia, our crossing the Potomac 
 into Maryland, tlie frequent and severe battles there fought, and our subse- 
 quent returning across the Potomac, occupied a space of a little more than 
 a month, during which it is said, by one who was present, that " our army 
 rested but tour daii's." The unj)aralleled severit3- of these rapiil marches 
 tested to the e.vtreme the endurance of our soldiers. Thousands fell <lown 
 exhausted l)y the wayside ; oilier thousands struggled on with the army, 
 throwing away one article, alter another of their clotliing, to ease them- 
 selves of their burden, until many of them were left with but a single suit, 
 and many without a blanket. In that one suit tliey marched liy day, and in 
 tl»at one suit they fell down upon the cold ground, loot-sore and exliausted, 
 and sle])t by night. These painful sacrifices our gallant sokliers heroically 
 endured to advance the success of our arms. But their patriotic anlor was 
 greater than their capacity of endurance, and nature at last gave up under 
 the accumulat(ul sufferings of scanty food and long marches — both aggrava- 
 ted teirlbld by tlie want of shoes to shield their feet from tjie .stones, and the 
 want of clothing to protect their bodies from the ciiilly dews of night. 
 Owing to these causes, chiefiy, and to the sickness incident to these expos- 
 ures, it is estimated that there were from thirty to l\l\y thousand stragglers 
 (so called) who wei-e absent from the blooily battle of Sliarpsburg, the most 
 of whom were broken down, and although eager for the fight, were phi/si- 
 cally unable to go upon the field. 
 
 Tliis destitution nearly ocrasioned the defeat of our army. 
 
 In reviewing the incidents of that momentous struggle, the mind shud- 
 ders at the thougiit of the extreme peril to which, at one time, our army 
 
11 
 
 was exposed; and we are taught a lesson which it will be profitable to lay to 
 heart. Weakened by tlie extraordinary defections Ironi onr ranks, to 
 which we have just alluded, and pressed upon by the whole power of oin- 
 foe ill overwiielniinsr numbers, we were saved from utter defeat only by 
 tiie indomitable courage of our soldiers. And who does not know that de- 
 feat, at tliat time, would have been the ruin of our army, to be followed 
 by the most disastrous c'onsequences to our whol<? country? 
 
 Upon causes apparently, tlien, so trivia!, does the iate of "a people fre- 
 quently depend! Had our army been routed at Sharpsburg, it woulil have, 
 resulted in its ruin ; and the only barriei' would thus have been broken 
 down which prevented the enemy from taking possession of Richmond; and ■ 
 then would liave followed all the deplorable consequences to the Con- 
 federacy, and especially to the Atlantic stafes of:the South, which such a 
 calamity would have flooded upon us. 
 
 But if we are indebted, for detiverance, to the prowess of our troops. 
 who fought on that day with a bravery and determined resolution like to 
 which soldiers never before fought, let us remember that tlie xaiite cauxe.t 
 now exist which then weakened our army — by keeping out of the field tens 
 of thousands of our troops, and wliich nearly brought us to ruin. 
 
 Extent of this dcstUuiion. ^ 
 
 It Is stated by one who was present on the oecaeion, that of those who 
 fought that battle, "one-fifth of tliem Avere barcf footed, and one-half of 
 them in rags;" and such we may infer was the condition of«most of those 
 who fill oif by the way, and have been branded as"'^ sti-agglers." We here 
 have an amount of destitution, which Is deplorable to think of; and in the 
 near a])proacli of winter, the exposure of our soldiers in the open field, in 
 tliat ii*liosj)itable climate, calls upon every feeling within us, of duty, hu- 
 manity, gratitude, and patriotism, to come forward wltliout delay and send 
 them relief. 
 
 We come now to inquire how shall that relief be provided ? And here 
 the <'onunittee would premise that, in a claim of such magnitude, our people 
 should ])repare themselves to make sacrifices. To limit themselves to mere 
 superfluities, in making up their oflerings, would often fall very far short 
 of just exjiectations, and tiieir duty toward our sutfering soldiers. They 
 need shoes, blankets, socks, shirts, coats, ^ants, drawers, and, in a few 
 cases, liats«;ind great-coats. These must be purchased already made, or the 
 materials purchased and made up by our wives and daughters. 
 
 ;# 
 Ilow shall it be relieved ? 
 
 A large amount of moui-y wilj then be recj^ired to make these purchases. 
 Let tliose, then, give liberally of their money who have it; and they who 
 have not, obtain t!u> materials If they can, and work them up into sliocs or 
 garments; and if these sources fail, then let us resort to our domestii; sup- 
 ply, and divide with our soldiers nrir own clothes and blankets. Let no one 
 oljiject to the "motley uniibrm" which our various wardrobes will inapart to 
 our army. We may take to ourselves the consolation of knowing tliat we ' 
 have done the best in our power; and that It is better to have in our army 
 the uniformity of variety, than the "uniform" of rags or nakedness. If 
 necessary to the keeping up of our army in the field, and, therefore, 
 to the success of our cause in establlsliino; our independence, it would 
 be a false pride, and a silly one, to object to sharing our blankets 
 and our wardrobe with our soldiers. It Is but transferrins: these from 
 
12 
 
 friends at home to relatives in the nruiy; and if noeil bo, we will divide onr 
 clothes again, and yet again, with our bretliren thtre, nnlil we shall be C 
 
 rcduiL'd ourselves, ncit ti) rags (for Southern women will not allow iVionds 
 at home to eome to tint), but to darns and patches, which may yet become 
 the honorable badges, by which to distinguish the patriots ot" onr second 
 Revolution. TIk" man who ha.s unalterably resolved that this Conle<U'r;u-y 
 'shall be free and indcj)cndcnt. has no place for so unwortUy a sentiment as 
 shame, if it stand in tlie way of its honorable accomplishment. 
 
 The New mat^iah in the hands of Speculators, Monopolists, and 
 Extortioners. 
 
 We have enlarged upon tliis point, becanse it is sadly manit'cst to us, 
 fellow-citizens, that the stock of material to be wrought up into shoes and 
 clothing is not so much sranli/ as it may be beyond onr reach, from tiic ex- 
 travagant j>ri(<'9 at wiiif'h tlicv are held. Tiiey are in the hands of specu- 
 lators, mono])olists and extortioners, whose .-iouls are so steeped in avarice, 
 as to 1k' insensible to any appeals of humanity or patriotism. They care 
 nothing for the soldier, whether lie pei'ish for lack of cluthing. They care 
 nothing for the soldier's wife and family whom he has lett at home, but 
 grind out of their 'necessities the extrcmcst prices for the few articles 
 (their >/an>, their cloth, their .su(/ui; and their .salt) which are iiidispeiisriblc 
 to them. In procuring, tiicu, supplies for our soldiers, we cannot depend 
 upon the stores in the hands of such voracious corinorants, but leave them 
 to the judgment which God has denounced upon tiie extortioner, and 
 under the full persuasion tliat the sighs and the tears of the poor, which ^ 
 
 have been gathered in with tiiose treasures, will eat them up like a. canker, '^ 
 
 and leave, in the end, nothing but barrenness in their collers. , 
 
 If, then, we cannot j)urcliase irom the public wai-ehouses the shoes and 
 garments needed lor our soldiers, and if we are debarred the use of the 
 unwrought materials in the hands of monoi)olist.s, then our only resource is 
 to call upon our own wardroi)es and Ijlankets; which, with diligence in 
 collecting, and industry in repairing them, would go far in relieving the 
 present necessities of our soldiers, h there one who will deny his share of 
 these, or refuse to make up his bundle ? The supposition is not to be 
 entertained. » 
 
 The soldier guards each man's home, althouijh he may be vn the 
 frontier of Virginia, or our oicn iSca-coiist. 
 
 Remember that our soldiers who arc guarding our frontier, no matter 
 where may be that frontier, may justly be considered aa standing sentinel 
 at eacli man's gate, tio matter where that man's home may be. The defence 
 of the frontier is necessarily the protection of all within it; and the army 
 of the I'otomac is no more the guard of our capitol at Richmond, tlian it is 
 the guard of the town of Columbia, and of every plantation and hamlet 
 between whird), and the enemy, it interposes its powerful shield. It would 
 be an ignorant and short-sighted view to suppose that, in guarding our t'ron- 
 tler in Vij-gmia, or on our own sea-coast, we are guarding Virginia or our 
 own sea-coaxt alone. The frontier, which is in Virginia, or on the sea-coast 
 to-day, if not guarded by a sutlicient army, may in due time be transferred, 
 by an advaneing enemy, to Columbia or Greenville, to Yorkville or Spar- 
 tanburg. The intelligcjit mind, then, can readily contemplate the sentinel 
 who keeps watch and ward for us on the banks of the rotomae, or on I 
 
13 
 
 tlie sea-coast, as substantially doinpf the same thing for every town and 
 family, between those frontiers and his own home. Let us, then, fellow- 
 citizens, familiarize ourselves to this undeniable truth. Let us realize the 
 fact that, although in person our armies may be in Virginia or on the sea- 
 coast, they are virtually, and for all the purposes, for which the army is 
 raised, protecting each man's home in the interior, no matter where that 
 home may be. 
 
 Contemplate, then, the faithful sentinel, doing at your own gate what he 
 is doing in Virginia or on the sea-coast — pacing his weary rounds by day 
 and by night, neither slumbering nor sleeping — eyes to the army, to warn it 
 as well as yourselves, of any danger that may be approaching. Contem- 
 plate him performing this dreary duty, without murmuring, witliout reward, 
 or hope of reward, and at much peril of his life, and consider that he under- 
 goes all this, that you may enjoy your home in peace, that your family may 
 be protected from insult, and your property be preserved from spoliation. 
 With such motives jjrompting him, and with such priceless favors conferred 
 upon you, could you jiass that man without admiration, gratitude, respect, 
 and without having feelings of the kindliest good will springing up toward 
 him? 
 
 Who can then refuse to relia'e his icantsf 
 
 Should you pass him at your gate, while performing these arduous duties 
 which redound so greatly to the safety and comfort of those who are dear 
 to you, and see that he was fihnelesx and in rar/s, would not the immediate 
 impulse of justice and gratitude be, to hasten into your dwelling and set 
 your wife and (laughters about the task, so grateful to them, of making him 
 a warm and comiortablc suit ; or, if you had no materials with which to 
 make these, would you not resort to your own wardrobe and share with him 
 your own garments and shoes ? 
 
 Again, should ynw, from your ow7i sheltering domicile, behold tliis faithful 
 man, exposed to all the inclemencies of winter, drenched witli rain and the 
 driving sleet, still ]>aciiig his dreary watch before your gate ; should you seb 
 him next, tluis cold and wet, and in his tattered or threadbare clothes, 
 throw iiimself upon the cold ground, without covering or shelter, to seek 
 for rest and sleep, what, let us ask, would be the promptings of every gener- 
 ous mind, but to send to him instant and sufficient relief? Who would not 
 send him, if he could, a great-coat to shelter him while on duty, and a blan- 
 ket to cover him at night ? Who could find peace within his own bosom, 
 although surroui\ded by all the comfoi'ts of a luxurious home, so long as he 
 reflected that the henofactor, to whom he was indebted for all these enjoy- 
 ments, was suffering so many, and such severe privations on his account? 
 The pit'rcing cold, and the howling storm which were raging without upon 
 the soldier's unsheltered head, would be l)ut so many angry messengers of 
 conscience to rej)roach him of his ingratitude and meanness, and to drive 
 sleep from his eyelids. 
 
 Let no one say that this is an exaggerated representation of the case. It 
 is only necessary to consider the army in its true functions — and that is, as 
 the defender of every man and ever}' man's family and ])ropertv, at Jiia ovn 
 door, no matter how remote the frontier may be, which is actually oci-upied; 
 and then every man will feel (as it is his duty to do) that he has a personal 
 interest in making that army as eflicient as possible, for his onm defence and 
 securiiv. 
 
^14 
 
 What should be Contributed. 
 
 Let ovory one, tlion, como forward, as we have before said, and i intribute 
 liberally, in money if lie have it, to puichase elothinjr and material to be 
 wroujiht up into elothiiijr; in cloth if he have it. and in blankets, or woolen 
 carpels as a substitute for blankets. The f|uilted "eomforts," so ealled. are 
 not eonsiderefl so useful to the soldier as the blanket, whirh is easier dried 
 after beiiifr wet. Let the " eoniforts." then, be retained for use at honie, 
 and our blankets be sent to our soldii-rs. Hut some one, percliance, poor in 
 this world's {roods, may say: "I have no blankets to fj:ive, and no carjjets to 
 cut up as a substitute ; I have but this coarse ' comfort ' to contribute : it is 
 the best, nay. it is all I have." Then give that, thou penerous one, and a.s 
 God bles'^etl the ()(Tenn<r of the indicent widow, aithouyh it was iiut a mite, 
 so your country, in the name of the soldier, will bless you. Let no one, 
 then, consider her oflering too small, or insi<rni(icant — be it ouly a pair of 
 socks, or a cotton shirt, or a pair of drawers, it w ill help to clothe at least 
 one soldier. 
 
 Shouhl be sent without Delay. 
 
 But whatever you do, fellow-citizens, do cpiickly, Before the earliest 
 contributions can reacdi our men, winter, with all its horrors, will be upon 
 them : with its pleurisies, its pneumonias, and its rheumatisms, to fill our 
 hospitals, and to thin our rnnks. The condition ni' our South Carolina sol- 
 diers in the army of the I'otomac is represented to be deplorable, and 
 should make us blush for shame, as their countrymen. It is stated in the 
 puljlic jirints, "That since they started on this campaign, they liave 
 marched hundreds of miles, and fought, and helped to win battle after bat- 
 tle ; and now they are nearly naked, having lost and worn out the little 
 clothing and blankets they had." "I have seen (says the same eye-witness) 
 many a South Carolinian gi^ng about without the sign of a shoe, or a coat, 
 or a blanket ;" and he testifies that "the South Carolina troops are the 
 worst clad troops in the (icKl." And private letters, we grieve to say, fully 
 iiorroborate tluise public accounts. 
 
 This scalding re])roacli should not for a day be allowed to rest U])on the 
 fair name of" our state. Listen not to the preachings of those who may say 
 that " it is the duty of the Confederate Guvernment to clothe our troops ;" 
 or, that it is owing to the carcles.^tiess of our troops that their blankets and 
 clothes are worn out. This is the "rat-hole" of the virtuous .vji^'a/.N, the penu- 
 rious, and mean-sj)irited (into which they retreat), to a\"oid the duty of con- 
 tributing their proper share. Suppose we a/lmit the correctness of the 
 propositions in the abstract, which we may do in the first case. What 
 then y The fiicl l)cing imdeniable, that our .soldiers are witliout shoes, ami 
 in rags, and witliout blankets ; wouhl these virtuous casuists leave them in 
 that condition, when the government may be uimlih' to fulfd its duties to 
 them, or would tlicy. exact of soldiers, for weeks on rapid marches, to-day, 
 fording rivers in their shoes, to-morrow engaged in raging battles, or ])ur- 
 suing the enemy, in their wet shoes, so uni)n)i>itious to their durability — 
 ■would they, we ask, exact of our soldiers, under such circumstance!*, the 
 same austere jirudenee, and economy, which they might be expected to 
 practice if at their j)eaceful homes, siuTOUuded by their daughters and 
 wives V Surely no reasonable man would insist upon such a measure of 
 exact bidiavior. 
 
 Let us then, fellow-citizens, spurning these mean subti'rfugcs. and i-eject- 
 ing all trivial excuses, come up to our great work with manliness and can- 
 
15 
 
 dor ; and then, if every man will do his duty, many weeks will not have 
 passed away, before the troops of South Carolina in the army of the Poto- 
 mac, from being as they are now, the " worst," will be the best clad in the 
 field. 
 
 J. TOAVNSEND, Chairman. 
 J. L. REYNOLDS. 
 J. C. LYONS. 
 S. R. BLACK. 
 WM. REYNOLDS. 
 JOHN FISHER. 
 THOMAS DAVIS. 
 
 W. A. HARRIS. 
 
 W. F. DeSAUSSURE. 
 
 ANDREW CRAWFORD. 
 
 C. R. BRYCE. 
 
 J. AV. PARKER. 
 
 WM. MARTIN. 
 
 Rev. R. W. Barnwell moved the adoprtion of the report and address. 
 Hon. Wm. F. DeSaussure, in secondin;i the motion, addressed the meeting 
 a:t some length, when it was moved that the Central Committee consist of 
 ten; and, on motion, the Chairman of this meeting was added as Chairman 
 of the Central Committee, with power to appoint at his leisure. 
 
 On motion, the meeting adjourned. 
 
 M. LaBORDE, Chairmftn. 
 
 Edw'ard Hope, Secretary. 
 
Hollinger Corp. 
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