HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF
THE MISSISSIPPI,
Corinth, Miss.,
April 3, 1862.
Soldiers of the Army
of the Mississippi:
I have put you in motion to offer battle to the invaders of
your country. With the resolution and disciplined valor becoming men fighting,
as you are, for all worth living or dying for, you can but march to a decisive
victory over agrarian mercenaries, sent to subjugate and despoil you of your
liberties, property, and honor. Remember the precious stake involved. Remember
the dependence of your mothers, your wives, your sisters, and our children on
the result. Remember the fair, broad, abounding land, the happy homes, and ties
that will be desolated by your defeat. The eyes and hopes of 8,000,000 of
people rest upon you. You are expected to show yourselves worthy of your valor
and lineage; worthy of the women of the South, whose noble devotion in this war
has never been exceeded in any time. With such incentives to brave deeds and
with the trust that God is with us your generals will lead you confidently to
the combat, assured of success.
A. S. JOHNSTON,
General, Commanding
SOURCE: The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of
the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Volume
10, Part 1 (Serial No. 1o), p. 396-7; John Witherspoon Du Bose, General Joseph Wheeler and the Army of
Tennessee, p. 64
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