The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-01-22

CARRYING on THE JV.fR.

tude aud amplitude of provision, which are neeessa.
ry oprevent the recurrence of evil, are not sufs-
e'entiy perceived We are not disposed to ming e
IN the hateful passions which put afoat by fac
tous and prob ate men. A supple recurrence 10
opinions warnings thrown out in this PAGER, year
after year for fourteen years past, would he enough
10 devslore the true OF the partial OF
our military operations
Hut when men who ought TO be enli-htened, ~ d
who being the elected representatives of the people
90 not perceive how mach Of tn. Evil rests upon
their own impruyidenee---upont their narrow. par
us' and restricted me Nsures-up1n he inslilieency
Q. tile meansip am TN end m nner sc r visi ~
Whsn the @os; pal able causes % eli aster an oI
Jeets otreprobatioa ate Nessed oyer witruut almost
an .''usop-when what -. nv nan who spesks and
thnss viii admit, what it il now 100 >ts o,ie,rv
the total ms Efficiency of troops n ~ d;sri dime
AMI irocps -'seiphoed without Ecats to lead them,
snd w'thoai sulhoritv to enfor-e snbort, naticn--
wien gentlemen risr IN Congress, with no doubt the
oasf Intentions, but cr I'll most fatal IF decisions
aad while they will allow, in debating on one ques-
oon, tne tnth.'y OF armies without Discipline, will
yet propose measures o. defence with ilitia called
out on tours o! three months only, in debating ano
Their question. The greatest of The errors o. TIE
hs year, was the es'sb'isnment of ccrrs for only
one yedr--wheu all expert need men kaow that
th- hrst year OF soldiers Ia. siekens a:J the SCI
cond oriy reconeiles and fits him for military s.r.
wee In raising our mitsry force, the expsrisnes
81 al ages aud the counsels of common sanse were
useless under blind instusIion, persons Of the
ages which OF all other are best adsptef for deus We
and effective enterprises persons between I s and
years, we're, with rnonstrUus blindness psohi6:t
ca Ironi beng enlisted--while the law spthorized
tne enatns.at of fathers of families and thus from
the ne,e7ss'y Operations of war, placed a heavier
pressure upo3 society, Wy exoud ng from the srmy
those who wcuid leave no pressure--Consress ex-
eluded tie youth, the very class which in al, AGE,
and 10 all armies where skill and wisdom presided
NE been preferred TO every other. Csn we mar
Fs atthe neihciency OF our military Undertakings
ted.
This error OF raising one year regiments was mot
eonned to the nsufciecy of such cor ps in point of
habits and discipline, but il had the nieiicty of be-
sng iatai To the recruiting service Tor corps of more
efho'ent duration. At the very moment that ner.
zoas between is and 81 years Of age were within Id
from the service of their country; the recruitin, ,
Tor the hve year, corps cut up at the root; Ss
an iast both descriptions OF orps crippled-w
the knnwiedgs OF the writer of this article the Off
GERS ci the years corps uniformly complained that
1t was IN win to att mpt recruiting f five yeai 5
where men were eusted for one year--everv man
VINO "a mad experience, knows that it there were
no nv't tins o. one a., n:een of every tweu
q n nwho ri 81 would tor the longer ~ Rod re-
ther ;h'n no 20 a all. rhe system o IS mo.ths'
m n, ~ss equally inProvdent: in existing for is
mon IS thu whole erpsnee of c thing for t7yo
years WAS thrown away for IS months inefficient SER
vice
Al he atoms of the oh world W. On have had
IT starry IS ati 'hmerts. have formed dapos where
IN yon:g "eeruits are Taught thu first exercises
but .ur ini'it,ry egisiston sppeaEs to have beeri
tau ed upon presumption that soldiers. could he
ra'setl, lie the soldiers Of Caimus az by n ,,-aL n
vi mage ron easth IL has taken the cpaeseed
powers OF furope 20 years tn learn how to NEE;
meR who understand ih art of war--btt olr mill;
tary legisston appears TO be calculated TO accom-
piish between April and October, what others ccs,id
not effect in years.
Bot there is VT an error equally extraorIparv
WIZ any one o. these it is tie blindness of ne pre-
sent g.n ration TO the experience OF our own his.
tory 81 ght perusal os the journals of Congress
and fhe historical details of the revolution SonId
rspfth s
The war: u would shew also where and how We
we're most successful In arms
Ii has not been the fashion to read history---the
elegant bat debauchc6 pages of Hume, and the re-.
titled profiiEacy OF British journals are more in
fashion than the annals Of the national elory in tn.
Gontemporsry history Of modern Europe, if read
with view to example, which is the use {apd I'm
Fortunately the ahuse) of history we mieht Iear1
from the spirit OF fr'tifdtion of our ,evoitiounrv
meth .of Svar, by The nations Of Europe during
the wars OF the eventful tim es in which we live we
naish. n European history discover, that those ns-
tons have adopted from example the USE Of
fiShf troops, the powerful arm of ,iReansn- anil
We have cast it off, because the French have USE
Il with efsct-for we have been row near e teen
months At war without than one repi,nenf of
7Uftprsn and that scattered over the continent in
smel deta:hments--Vhen we should have had Of
Is.st two breadss of that arm.
inns has been fatal neglect let members Of Con
Ereei enquire OF those who were 1T York with Pile
gallant and elorioas Pike, let them enquire ybat -
fecta the rifle corps produced there IL they v-;sh
10 learn how fatal the want Of rinemsn "a well
a an accurate discipline generally was, LEI them
enqure OF those officers who in the affair of
the 1lih November, on the Canada eide of the ST.
Lawrence
It is indeed, truly astonithing, how men, entrust
60 with such hi;h trusts can nave overlooked the
IHost papoble errors in the means Of carrying ON
war
These remarks nigh; be extended to other point.
the general sor'ler of the military establishment
at 'ht ops'ips Of lie last csmpa En--vheD in n OF
every hing was to re created out OF chaos-the u n
ayoidaole isteness pi tlf season AID the rash sub
IN ss w. hrawng rsiI Ices, which coul send
men into the ~ - .arsi dtcipine n tro, ms
ua.i'r Oh wthont fscPliue or habits of sui Or
nation; On 8 mans IF whom from tie very mode
ut Their ec..on end sppointneut we're inferior to
v,tn wnon - y e ~ d o command
Tie + lure &c orr mlit ry operations in
the pss year, p in fct strihuieJ 10 All
there ssoc "a here others stiIl m r. fatal
found d i the 1T Of human selfshness and he
nai OF power, vhieh prefers TO military command,
p1en thout any qualification " atever; unless eo-
Hficd( influence or weight at en- Erection
This las hecnt verest of all errors of the
Sy7fen-N Will : oh.errofs pre59H in DE- nc OF
the ccarcst dictates Of vision and experience II is
IN in Co 60 ia search Of sunshine with q feeble
taper Of q committee Of enquiry Truth like these
ere not calculated To- please te conceIhed-bEt tbc
writer Of them is accustomed 10 speak Of thirgs rs
they are, f he speaks az sll--e3en hough Il must
raend many whom he respects---and excite the
wrath Of Others about whom he nothing.
aurora.
EARTHQUAKES.