The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-01-28

lilu lt was lici.Shtilliy MAGE tsnown that III,
I lXiiiary .crce SPOKEN OF, WAS 10000 regu
| n TROOPS.
| II then provision had been immesliatc,y
! made by law iorraishs O00o regular roopsA
| and also tor raising volunteers, tnosc troops,
ow would be IN IA state OF preparation ; {.
lvons.t!erabic number OF The regular troops
would ere now have been enlisted, and the
| ;hance OF getting tho who.e nuinbe. great
| Y increased. ii time had been afforded, as
:, oNght to have been, the laws passed with
IN two or three weeks after Congress met,
which might have been done, sufficient
regular force would. in all probability, have
oSen Ii, 4 state Of readiness in ali me ,nonth
,t April and the number of volunteers
which might have been IT iuircd TO make
up the necessary force, would no doubt Ions.
since have offered their services, and the
who'e have been i'll state of preparation
TO Like the tcll Ill time. Ii have performed
INC ardious services contemplated Inv the
president. But instead of that course ma
wing been purs ned, what has been done p
1 our first military bill, reported only u few
days ago, is now under coasacr1,ion the
session now almost half expired, and at this
late period, the honorable member, to who u
as chairman otthe committee, sc. the whole
management OF the military business was
referred, insists upon raising twenty five
De 20 make descent upon Canada, in all
che month OF May Can the gentleman, be
scHous Does he believe it prao ticable q
ii he does, Mr.. A. said he should be obliged
20 believe, that the honorable member was
IN earnest some days ago, when he assured
,Ae senate that he knew veiy little of mill
taiy afairs. MIA. said, from the proofs
we nave repeatedly had, of the difficulty of
obtaining men by enlistment for so long
nc. IN ..
try oil those kinds of materials of which re-
gular troops are made, he did not believe
that one half the number proposed to be
raised by the bill could be enlisted within
the time required. Mr.. a. said, that altho'
ne was not rs mach in the habit of prophe-
sylng as the honorable member, he would,
under all the circumstances, adventure to
predics, that the scheme of no7c raising TWEEN
ty hve thousand regular troops, to perform
the araHoks 8erUice contemplated in the
PRESIDENTS message, would entirely fail, *
that the course pointed out by the President
must az last be adopted that is, to unite vo-
iunteers with regular troops.
Mr.. n. said, he trusted that the honora-
bic member and himself had in view the
same object, but differed as to the means of
carrying 1t into effect the means proposed
by the honorable member were regular
troops only. 1t then the bill should pass to
raise twenty five thousand, entire DEEPEN
dence would, in all probability, be placed
nPcn the regular troops, ordered to be rails
ea j; the consequence, as he had before said,
You'd be, that the whole object must fail.
lie was therefore for taking all the regular
troops that could be raised in time, and sup
plying the additional number of men, which
'nngnt DC wanted, by volunteers: fifteen or
| twenty thousand of whom could, he had no
doubt, be brought into the field, before ten
,nouSand or the regular troops contemplated
by the bill, could DE enlisted by this mode.
notwithstanding SO much time had been
lost, an efficient army might yet be provid-
Ell In time CO carry into effect the objects of
the government, which, MIR. a. said he did
not believe, could or would be done if de-
,.ehdence were placed only upon the regular
troops. Notwithstanding the little conf
ience which the honorable member seems
disposed to place i'll the volunteers, Mr. A.
sad, he had no hesitation in giving it, as his
most decided opinion, that at least as much
dependence might be Dia ced upon the volun-
| teers, as upon the newly raised regular
troops The volunteers could have the
same Chance of discipline that the new re-
| sulars would have. A sufficient number of
chose who offered their services, might be
| called into the field, as early as the season
would admit, and placed under strict iisci-
piine (; to which, for their own honor they
would readily submit nay require. if left to
| their own choice for the first object they
would have in view, would be to acquire
military skill and they would not only be
| very soon prepared to perform field duty,
out might be entirely depended upon for any
| other service. Witness the proves of the
volunteers at the battle ON the Wabash, and
these had not been disciplined at all. Mr. A.
sand, he expected the honorable member
/ would admit, that the materials of which the
J volunteers would be composed, would be at
least equal to those of which the regular
troops would be formed and the officers oS
the volunteer corps being appointed by the
President would, he had not "a doubt, faith
fully perform their duty. These, said Mr..
A.are means completely In our power; and
he considered it our best policy, as well as
our duty, to bring them into action. Mr.. A.
sad, III addition to the efficiency Of the
means winch he proposed to bring into the
held, 1t would have one very considerable
advantage over the regular army Of the hon
orabe member ltwould be more conform
able TO the tr1eprinciples of the constitution,
and would consequently be more acceptable
to the nation. The Confidence with which
he had Spoken OF volunteers, was not foun-
deG upon visionary theory, but practical eX-
lPcr eBce: he had often in the revolution III ad
opportunity to witness their military ardor
| aud persevci1nS iirmneSs on two occasions,
III particular, the one at Connecticut Farms
the other at Springfield, in the Spring oil
1850. The enemy had advanced, In force
about two ttpucat1d m q nj f-aIin6 (