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Chapter 14:
- Military laws and measures -- agricultural products diminished -- manufactures Flourishing -- the call for Volunteers -- the term of three years -- improved discipline -- the law assailed -- important Constitutional question raised -- its discussion at length -- power of the Government over its own armies and the militia -- object of Confederations -- the war powers granted -- two modes of raising armies in the Confederate States -- is the law necessary and proper? -- Congress is the Judge under the grant of specific power -- what is meant by militia -- whole military strength divided into two classes -- powers of Congress -- objections answered -- good effects of the law -- the limitations enlarged -- results of the operations of these laws -- act for the employment of slaves -- message to Congress -- “died of a theory” -- act to use slaves as soldiers passed -- not time to put it in operation.
The agricultural products were diminished every year during the war. Its demands diminished the number of cultivators, and their labors were more extensively devoted to grain crops. The amount of the cotton crop was greatly reduced, and numbers of bales were destroyed when in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. The manufacturing industry became more extensive than ever before, and in many branches more highly developed. The results in the ordnance department of the government, stated elsewhere in these pages, serve as an illustration of the achievements in many branches of industry. During the first year of the war the authority granted to the President to call for volunteers in the army for a short period was sufficient to secure all the military force which we could fit out and use advantageously. As it became evident that the contest would be long and severe, better measures of preparation were enacted. I was authorized to call out and place in the military service for three years, unless the war should sooner end, all white men residents of the Confederate States between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five years, and to continue those already in the field until three years from the date of their enlistment. But those under eighteen years and over thirty-five were required to remain ninety days. The existing organization of companies, regiments,
