Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1825-12-10
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
TIE ARMY.

nave heard that II was in contemplation at
Washington, to effect an exchange of the stations
OF the Artillery Regiments, but az such a measure
was calculated to produce important sacrifices To
INDIVIDUALS, without any beneficial result To the
pubic, we Were induced to doubt the authenticitv
oil the report, until II was confirmed by the COM
mendations bestowed by the National Intelli en-
Ger, on - the enlightened policy which characteri-
" ses the present administration of he War DEPART
ment, TO whose wisdom this measure is attri-
ou'ed. The Integenccr disdains TO consider the
useless sacrifices which nne-tenths of the officers
Oh ARTILLERY are destined TO sustain by this opera
ion, as worthy of argument, because s from patri-
" ouc Individuals it may be expected that domestic
" predictions will readily be compromised for
g the public veal Why not then adduce some
reason to prove in what manner the public
= veal Is TO be promoted, by this contemplated
movement! and the devotion of the officers TO their
couniry's service would evnce how capable they are
o making these sacrifices. The only argumea, ,r red
on the occasion, is drawn from premises which are
not less erroneous, than they are degrading 10 the
Veterans of the Army. Who, beside the writer of
that article, can " testify 10 the enervaing inau-
g ence OF garrison life, upon the moral and intel
" iectlal energies, and the comparative imbeclity
" which IL sure 10 ensue, i'll proportion as il is pro-
" longed! Or has . witnessed with this gradual
" decay of military spirit and enterprise, the grow
" ing seeds OF sell-nterest, which, once planted in
" the soil, need only time, to be ripened into per
" ncious maturity? We are told that on a
Z" more general and expansive view of the subject
. arguments may suggest themselves, OF a military
. and national character which would and ought
"to be paramount, to every consideration of ndi-
- vidual comfort and private convenience" If
the arguments in favor of this measure are of a
military and national character why was not the
principle extended TO the Regiments of Infantry
many OF which are entirely cut off from all civiz-
edlntercourSe, whereas the Artillery posts are al
most universally located in the vicinity of our
most popuous towns, and none ofthem can be said
to be & isolated?" They are uot military, because
the objecl cannot be effected without producing
il-arransement almost amounting TO dsorganiza-
uon they are not national, because they do rot
apply to the service generally. Suppose that Con-
gress should be liberal enough 10 appropriate a
portion oil the public treasure, for the transportation
OF troops in time OF profound peace, for 40 other
reason than, because i'll the opinion of that writer
Officers like vegetables, improve by being trans
planted, or that yellow fever sometimes prevails in
New Orleans, and mosquitoes abound at Petit Co.
guile: What part OF the marine frontier is first to
be lett undetendcd! l. the movement TO be stimuli
taneous from n orlh to South? This would at once
produce temporary abandonment of all the Post +,
aud Arsenals situated on the seaboard PerI,ap,
II may be contemplated TO effect q gradual EXCHANGE
oy The detachments oil the several regiments which
compose the Artillery of practice Fortress
Monroe, the organization of which requires six
years, before any regiment can have passed
through its course of instruction AgreeabIy TO
tins plan, 1t would be necessary, in order 10 avoid
tile " lethsrgic apathy resulting from being too sell
dom moved that the reiieD6tg regiment should he
refteUed, before the relief of the fret could posi-
bly, be effected Independent of the vast expence
which must inevitably TO the Nation, by
the introduction of this 90 military and national''
principle, it is impractcabe in relation to the re-
mote posts, (where the claim TO relief, would be
most lmperious) without diminishing in great de-
gree the efficiency Of the military establishments of
the country, and 50 far from considering the con-
tempISted change, as proof Of the " enlightened
po'cy winch " characteristics the present admins
uaJon oil The War Department" we have no he
s'taion IN Pronouncing it impolitc, expensive and
unnecessary. R6PP.