I therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by ste statute of this State, hereby order a levy en masse of the whole free male white population residing or domiciled in this State, between sixteen and fifty-five years of age, except, such as are physically unable to bear arms, which physical defects must be plain and indisputable, or they must be sent to camp for examination, and except those engaged in the legislative or judicial departments of the Government, which are by the recent acts of the Legislature declared exempt form compulsory service. All others are absolutely required, and members of the Legislature and judges are invited to report immediately to Major General G. W. Smith at Macon, or wherever else in Georgia his camp may be, for forty days' service under arms, unless the emergency is sooner passed. The statute thus declares that all persons hereby called out shall be subject after this call to all the rules and articles of war of the Confederate States, and on failure to report shall be subject to the pains and penalties of the crime of desertion. Volunteer organizations formed into companies, battalions, regiments, brigadies, or divisions will be accepted for forty days if they even approximate the number in each organization which is required by the militia laws of this State which were in force prior to the late act.

All police companies formed in counties for home defense will report, leaving at home for the time only those over fity-five years of age; and all persons haivng Confederate details or exemptions, who, by the late decision of the supreme court of this State, are held to be liable to State militia service and bound to obey the call of the Governor. All such refusing to report will be arrested by the police force or by any aide-de-camp, or other officer of this State, and carried immediately to the front. The necessary employes of railroads, now actively engaged, and the necessary agents of the express company and telegraph operators are, from the necessity for their services in their present positions, excused. All ordained ministers of religion in charge of churches or synagogues are also excused. All railroad companies in this State will transport all persons applying for transportation to the front, and in case any one refuses, its president, superintendent, agents, and employes will be immediately sent to the front. All aides-de-camp and other State officers are required to be active and vigilant in the execution of the orders contained in this proclamation, and all Confederate officers are respectfully invited to aid State officers in their vicinity in sending forward all persons hereby ordered to the front. The enemy has penetrated almost to the center of the State. If every Georgian able to bear arms would rally around him he could never escape.

JOSEPH E. BROWN,

Governor.

[44.]

Proclamation by Joseph E. Brown, Governor of Georgia.

While our nobl earmies are doing everything in their power to defend our homes and property and are entitled to the lasting gratitude and active support of the people of this State and of the whole Confederacy, and while the militia have left their homes unprotected and have taken up arms and acted with the gallantry of veterans upon almost every battle-field from Powder Springs to Griswoldville, it is a matter of extreme mortification to know that a large part of our cavalry force, which should hang around and constantly annoy the enemy as he passes through our State and cut off his foraging parties and impede his march, have left their commands and are now scattered in squads