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194 THE COUNTRYMAN. — I "ME . A—L TUKNWOLD, GA., MARCH 7, 1865. Message of Gov. Andrew To a called Session of the Massachusetts Legislature, read before that body on the 15th day of February, 1865. To the, Senate and House of Representatives : Since your adjournment in November, «ur army of invasion, led by a bob! and skillful general, have passed through the Territory of Georgia, laid waste her fields, burned many dwelling houses, destroyed county records, applied the torch to gin- houses, cotton, and other property, occu pied her capital, and now hold the city of- Savannah, which gives us a water base, from which we may, in future, operate upon the interior of the ill-advised Terri tory mentioned above. Such has been the success of our bold and skillful general (Sherman) that the distinguished rebels Hunter, Stophens, and Campbell, are now thundering at our doors for readmission into the best gov ernment the world ever saw. In the read- m ssion of these quondam states into the union, as subjugated Territories, there is a great question of state rights to he con- aideied, and therefore I convene you, in Heneral Assembly, in order to consider upon what terms the sovereign state of Massachusetts will consent to assist, through her federal agent, the government of the United States, in ruling over the re volted provinces. In order to determine what are the just deserts of the subjugated Territories with which we have to deal, I beg to call your attention to the enormous crimes commit ted by the revolted provinces, through their so-called president, the rebel chief, Jeff Davis. And when I shall have point ed out to you his crimes, you will have a bird’s-eye view of the crimes of the so- called confederacy which be was unani mously called to represent, by the wicked rebels : and you will have no difficulty in agreeing with me, that the severest pun ishment, wt.ich we can get our consent to inflict, will be too good for them. As it is the policy of our government, just at this time, to soft-sawder the Terri tory of Georgia, I will show you how that province has been treated by her so-called president. The army of Tennessee, which contain ed a large number of Georgia troops, and was relied on, as the only barrier to Sher man’s advance, the removal of which left Georgia at our mercy, was ordered off be yond the Tennessee river,upon a campaign which has terminated in disaster to the rebels. In the midst of these misfortunes, Georgia has been taunted by some of the publicjottrnals of other Territories, because her people did not drive back, and de stroy our army. Those who do this injus tice, fail to state the well-known fact, that of all the tens of thousands of veteran in fantry, including most of the vigor, and manhood of the Territory, which she had furnished for the so-callled confederate service, but a'single regiment (the Geor gia Regulars) of about three hundred ef fective men, was permitted to be upon her soil, during the march of General Sherman from her northwestern border, to the city of Savannah; and even that gallant regiment was kept upon one of the islands most of the time, and not permit ted to unite with those who met our troops. Nor were the places of Georgia’s absent sons filled by troops from other Ter ritories. One brigade of so-called confede rate troops was sent, by Davis, (torn North Carolina, which reached Georgia, after her capital was in our possession. Thus abandoned to her fate, and neglec ted by the so-called confederate authori ties, the Territory was left to defend her self as best she could, against a victorious army of nearly fifty thousand of the best- trained veteran troops of the United States, with only the Georgia reserves, and militia, consisting of a few thousand old men, and boys, while her army of able-bodied, gallant sons, were held for the defence of other Territories, and de nied the privilege to return, and strike an honest blow for their homes, their proper ty, their wives, and their children. While the so-called confederate reserves, in other Territories, have been but little of their time in the field, on active duty, and the militia, consisting of boys, be tween sixteen and seventeen, and old men, between fifty and sixty, and agriculturists detailed by the so-called confederate gov ernment, have not, in roost of the Territo ries, been called out at all, the so-called confederate reserves, the reserve militia, the detailed men, the exempts from the so-called confederate service, and most of the Territorial officers, civil, as well as military, have, in Georgia, been kept in the field almost constantly for the last eight months. These troops, of classes not ordered out elsewhere, were placed under the control of the so-called confederate general, com manding the department, and participat ed in every important fight, from Kenne- saw, in Georgia, to Grahamville, or Hon ey Hill, in South Carolina. The impor tant victory, at the latter place, vvas achieved by the Georgia militia, the Geor gia reserves, the Georgia state line, the 47th Georgia regiment, and a very small number of South Carolinians, all com manded by that abie, and' accomplished officer, Major General G. W. Smith, of the Georgia militia. As I have seen no so-called confederate official account of this important engagement, which gives the credit where it is justly due, I mention these facts as part of the history of Geor gia. If all the sons of Georgia, under arms in other states, of which nearly fifty reg iments were in Virginia, besides those in the Carolinas, Florida, and Tennessee, had been permitted to meet the foe upon her own soil, without other assistance, Gene ral Sherman’s army could never have passed from her mountains to her seaboard, and destroyed their property, and their homes. He had nearly four hundred miles to march over an enemy’s country ; and he was entirely dependent upon his wagon-train, which he carried with him, for a supply of ammunition, witnout the possibility of replenishing, after what be had was consumed. Had he been resist ed, from the start, by a competent force; and compelled to fight, his ordnance stores, must soon have been exhausted,, and he' forced to an unconditional surrender.- Such another opportunity to strike our' troops a stunning bliYw, will not probably occur during, the war. The destruction of this army, would have re inspired the rebels with hope, depressed the spirits of unionists, and might have prepared ther way, speedily, for the negotiation of peace, upon rebel terms. It could havo been done by the Georgia trodps, if per mitted. It shoutd have been done at the expense, if necessary, of the evacuation of Richmond, and the use of Gen. Lee's- whole army thrown rapidly into Georgia,, lor that purpose. No one woijfd rejoice more than I, to see that city, which has- been so long, and so nobly defended, sur render to our arms : but, it must be ad-' mitted, since the devastation of the coun try beyond, that it is now only a strong out-post, of little military importance; compared with the great interior. It must also be admitted that Richmond is render ed insecure by the successes of General Sherman, in the interior, and the position he has gained in the rear of that, and other strongholds, which were relied on* for defence. If his unobstructed move ment, through Georgia, must result in the loss of Richmond, how much better it would have been for the rebels, if they had given the evacuation of Richmond, for the destruction of our army. I have felt it my duty to refer to these facts, in justice to Georgia, of which it may be safely said, she has had a larger proportion of her white male population under arms, for the last eight months, in defence of the rebel cause, than any other Territory in the so-called confederacy. On account of the attachment of her people to the cause of state sovereignty, and con stitutional liberty, and their remonstrances- against unjustifiable usurpations of power, by the so-called confederate government, Georgia has been systematically, if not wilfully misrepresented by rebel officials, and organs, who give circulation to the most reckless and unjust comments upon the conduct of the people of the Territory, and her government, without the magna nimity, or common honesty to publish the facts, when laid before them, which show their statements to be without any real foundation in fact. As an instance, I mention the fact that it has been industri ously circulated that the governor of the Territory had kept fifteen thousand men out of service, under the exemption acta. He corrected this misrepresentation by & published statement, which showed that he had put into service classes of persons not ordered out in other rebt-llious Terri tories, and that the whole number of ter ritorial officers in Georgia, who have been held, under the legislation of the Territo ry, to be exempt from military seryice, was only 1,450, of whom a large propor tion are over military age. This correc tion was passed in silence, by many who had given publicity to the groundless charge, which was intended to be injuri ous to the governor of th* Territory, to