13 not ready until then. And now, having gone by far too discursively over many of these pointe Which I desired to bring to your attention, let us return to what has been done, in the Department Of the Gulf, to which you have so flatteringly alluded, and to which I will answer. While I am Very much gratified at the kind expression of your regard, whether that expression is justified can be told in a single word. When I left the Department of the Gulf, I sat down and deliberately put in the form of an address, to the people of that Department, th« exact acts I had done while in their Department; and I said to them, * I have done these things,” and I have now waited more than three months, and I have yet to hear a denial from that Department that these things were done. [Applause.] And to that, sir, I can point alone as a justification of your too flattering eulogy, and to that I point forever as an answer to every slander and every calumny. The ladies of New Orleans knew whether they Were safe; has any one of them ever said she was not I The men of New Orleans knew whether life and property were safe; has any man ever said they were not? The poor of New Orleans knew whether the money which was taken from the rich rebels, was applied to the alleviation of their wants ; has any man denied that it was ? To that record I point—and it will be the only answer that I shall ever make; and I only do it now because I desire that you shall have neither doubt nor feeling upon this subject—-it is the only answer I can ever make to the thousand calumnies that have been poured upon me and mine, and upon the officers who worked with me for the good of our country. [Applause.] I desire now to say a single word upon the question, what are the pros, pects of this war ? My simple opinion would be no better than that of another man; but let me show ybu the reason for the faith that is in me that this War is progressing steadily to a successful termination. Compare the state of the country on Jan’y 1, 1863, with the state of the country on Jan’y 1, 1862, and tell me whether there has not been progress. At that time the Union armies held no considerable portion of Missouri, of Kentucky, or of Tennessee; none of Virginia, except Fortress Monroe and Arlington Heights; none of North Carolina save Hatteras, and none of South Caro, lina save Port Royal. All the rest was ground of struggle at least, and all the rest furnishing supplies to the rebels. Now they hold none of Missouri, none of Kentucky, none of Tennessee, for any valuable purpose of supplies, because the western portion is in our hands, and the eastern portion has been so run over by the contending armies that the supplies are gone. They hold no portion of Virginia valuable for supplies, for tha^ is eaten out by their armies. We hold one-third ol Virginia, and half of North Carolina. We hold our own in South Carolina; and I hope that, before the Uth of this month, we shall hold a little more, [Applause.] We hold two-thirds of Louisiana in wealth and population. We hold all Arkansas and all Texas, so far as supplies are concerned, so long as Farragut is between Port Hudson and Vicksburg. [Applause.] And I believe the colored troops held Florida, at the last accounts. Now, then, let us see to what the rebellion is reduced. It is reduced to the remainder of Vir. ginia, part of North Caorlina, all of Georgia, Ala- bama and Mississippi, and a small portion of Lou* isiana and Tenness e; Texas and Arkansas, as I said before, being cut off. Why I draw strong hopes from this is, that their supplies all come either from Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, or Texas, and these are completely now beyond their reach. To that I look largely fop the suppression of this rebellion, and the overthrow of this revolution. They have got to tha end of their conscription; we have not begun ours. They have got to the end of their national credit; we have not put ours in any market in the world. [Applause.] And why should any man be de- spending ? why should any man say that this great work has gone on too slowly ? why should men feel impatient? The war of the Revolution wag seven years. Why should men be so anxious that nations should march faster than they are prepared to march-—faster than the tread of nations ha« ever been in the Providence of God? Nations in war have ever moved slowly. We are too impatient—we never learn anything, it would seem to me, from reading history—I speak of myself a8 well as you—I have shared in that, impatiencd myself. I have shared in the various matters of disappointment. I was saying but the other day, to a-friend of mine, “It seems strange to me that our navy cannot catch that steamer Alabama; there must be something wrong in the Navy Department, I am afraid,” and I got quite impatient. I had hardly got over the wound inflicted by tha capture of the Jacob Bell, when came the Golden Eagle, and the Lady Jane, and as one was from
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