The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-12-08

bove alluded to, from making the number and
Grade of the company officers also equal. In
the regular army there are one Captain, one
lrst, one second and one third Lieutenant,
one Ensign, five Sergeants and four Corpo-
.a,s to each company of 90 privatcs of Infan-
try. The militia law Of Congress directs
+" that there skaH be to each company one
Captain, one Lieutenant. one Etisign, four Scr
Jcants and four Corporals." 1t this arrange
n,ent OF the companies should be objected to,
IN consequence of the e:rie,it which would be
given to the company bounds in the western
md northwestern sections of the state, the
propriety of dispensing with the company
masters, and substituting in their pieces, mere
frequent battalion and regitneutal musters,
might deserve consideration. The other OBJ
lection which may be urged agaiust this ar
rangement is, that the number * grade Of the
Company officers cannot be made to cores
pond with the organization of the regular ar
my. 1t viii be recollected, in considering this
objection, that one officer, (if not more,) from
each company in the regular army, is usually
kept on the recruiting service.
Should these objections prevail, it follows
that the proposed organization must affect
or1gades and divisions only. But whether they
prevail or not, the brigades & divisions might
be new modelled. Let each brigade consist,
as near as'Practicahle,. of two Thousand five
hundred men, and two brigades form one d.
VISION he state would then be arranged in
to thirty two brigat.es and about fifteen divi-
sions, allowing that two divisions must, neces-
sari.y, consist of three brigades. The advan-
taSes which would restil. from this partial
organization would be soon manifested in the
improvement of the officers and men. The
brigades being smaller, the Rrigadier General
could, more conveniently, attend the regimen
talParades, as directed by the law of the last
session the orders of the Executive would be
more eXpedtionsiy communicated Ito the
eommandants Of regiments, and consequent
ly, less sime lost in their execution, than here
tofore. Every thing relating to the good order
and discipline Of the men would come imne-
diately under the superintendent of the Ge-
neral Officers; from whom military informa-
ton and instruction could be obtained with ia
clilty. The militia of most of the states ia the
union are organized into similar brigades and
divisions
2. Reduce the ni,p,5ey Of Cavalry. j..
There are, at present, about one hundred
and twenty troops in the state, which are ar
ranged into four regiments of an unusual and
unwieldy size, and exercised bv their cap
tams agreeably to different systems oftacticks.
III this number be permitted to remain, the
other parts of the militia will have served Sc
Veral tours of duty before the whole Of the ca
valry serve one, agreeably to the proportions
heretofore called out. This Inequality in the
service, might BIZ avoided by dividing the third
regiment (Which is composed of all the coun-
ties on the other side of the blue ridgeI into
two regiments, and making each regiment in
the STATE consist of ten troops-By this ar
rangement we should have fine regiments
composed OF fifty troops and making an aggre-
gate OF about four thousand men. The troops
to be retained as cavalry might be selected in
the fsiiowing manner: The comniandant of
each regiment of cavalry should be directc.'
10 inspect eVcV troop in his regiment, and re-
port to the AdJt. Generals Office the strength,
condition and discipline of each, frem which
report the Executive could make the selection.
j he residue might be converted into compa-
MES. OF fyalg arHlts,y and mounted rifenien,
having regard TO an equal distribution of each
denomination among the different brigades
1t, on the contrary, the surplus cavalry are to
De reduced to the general mass Of the militia
the oihcers could be declared supernumerary
ana permitted to avail themselves of the pro-
visions OF the militia law of the last session.
Whatever course adopted, in relation to the
cavalry, the field officers ought to be given
something to do: They might be compelled
to attend the company drills of each troop
once year, for the purpose of introducing an
uutfo1m system of discipline throughout.
5. Much difficulty has occurred in relation
to the manner Of enlisting cavalry and artille-
ny whether the former are to be enlisted in
the bounds OF any particular regiment of In
1antry, orr the brigade-And whether en-
hstnents OF the latter are restricted in ibri-
gades CT dlvislons--my impression is, that it
would not be improper to settle these oues-
tons by legislative interposition, and also. to
authorise the Executive to issue commissions
10 companies of artillery to be raised qyittin
the bounds of such regiments as they think
proper.
4: Authorize the appointment of general
staff On the we'll appointment and oreani-
cation of the staff the whole military opern-
lions OF the government depend. in a great
measure, Tor their execution The waste of
public property, under present arrangements,
is immense, and Cannot be well avoided, with
out The establishment of Quarter Masters
department, with powers and duties co..
extensive with the state--A eo1n1sissory of
ordnance IS, also. much wanted
$. The law makes no allowance 70 the
troops IN the state service, of straw, fuel, Ste
tionary, &c.
{. We have no rules and regulations, for
the different departments of the staff, nor
Jo7n7s OF any description, possessing the sane
ton vt law. Would it not be advisable to
authorize the Executive or the Aditant-Gen-
eral to prescribe such as may be NECESSARY. To
De lad before the Legislature At the next ses-
sion! those of the Department of Wan
might be adopted, with such alterations and
additions as grow out of the difference be-
tween the regular and militia service.
z. The Act of Congress passed the 18th A.