Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-07-30
IFromnc Ncr York Erening Poa ]

L
GEN. WOOL AND THE VOLUNTEERS.
We insci below The warm tribute Of respect
maid by the .hel officers u The first Illinois Re
simeni andhc brave Gen. Lane, Of The lnGlana
Brigade. 10 Gen. Wool, on taking leave Of his
command Il Ruena Vista. Ii is 4 triumphant
yindicalon Of The sound military policy which
his brave md accomplished officer adopted and
vigorously pursued in his extraordinary manage
ment Of IN, volunteer iurces ot his army. lie
has proyeaLy The result Of his own example N
lhc enforcement OF discipline aud The establish.
menl al n arici but Jus; Military police, that vn-
luulee,s. when properly Differed, become The
most powcIul army that can be brought into The
field. Thy are then taught 10 acquire The oldl,
nary efficiency If regular soldiers, while they are
annealel u as cil.2ens, and retain in full visor
that Shirt. ousns sIimulant oil Stale anu Nation.
Al pride, which worked 50 magically On The bat
lle-sround ii Buena VISTA
There isanolher tact developed, not merely by
The immediate tribute OF respect 10 winch We ca u
attention, Int in the general language OF The vol,
untcers silcc The great battle, which we regard
a, HIGHLY suspicious Tor the service. II IS very
ev;drn, mn most oil Them have changed their
views cniely as 10 the necessity oil discipline
They eypaienced lis benefits in that terrible con-
aic, and uey now appreciate lis Importance
VIVA, wovld have been their late II discipline
had been previously dsresarded2 Their force on
The battle field was but AGO. Of which more than
600 wer. volunteers, who in The preceding sum-
,nrr had 5een organized into The service BY lie
neral VOL in the respective Sales OF which they
were pryile citizens
They we're now surrounded by an army oil twcn-
ty-four thousand oi the best disciplined, the mos
numorously cfiicercd and The most veteran army
ever raised in Mexico Ten thousand Of mem
kcl iran f-I, q Monterey
and there we're officers and men who had fought
agains, old Spain, and made civil war their pas
lime for twenty five wears. What, we repeat The
question would have been The fate OF our brave
and devoted lulc army, il discipine had been ne
glcclcd1 Probably in one hour hcy would have
been thrown into confusion, and then, il the san
culinary design OF The SuwarroW OF Mexico had
been carried out, seconded by his licensed as
sassiDs The inuriatcd lancers-and his Cossacks,
The rantheros-who we're placed as additional
oulposls 10 cut eff every slragsler, and were all
lhrslrs or blood ard plumber, not one man Of
our heroic band would have survived to tell The
tale OF horror.
Il is rot surprising, therefore,, that VIC find not
onlya change Of opinion as 10 The a'soinle ne
cessily Of discipline, but an out-pouring Of
grateful admiration towards General w oo ioT
his steady determination in enforcing il, and his
dum1IdDe cAdINple III ahse' - - - -
vantage on The field oil battle. lie had known
baulefelds before. But The volunteers, with The
exception Of one regiment, had never been under
fire. RE knew thai his sole dependence in the
hour OF NAL would be iiom that self-conhding
bravery which discipline alone inspires. Ac-
cordingly lie had from The moment The army was
concentrated al San Antonio IN inc later part OF
August, until (afer accomplishing march OF
nine hundred miles, he presented them in front Of
Satillo on The alarm Of General Worth in the
latter part Of December, and thence up 10 The very
day OF battle, directed The whole energies Of n
long military life 10 make his column not only
The proudes, model of an army in all its appoint
mems equipments and supplies, bn; lie best in
its discipline and military department. In Ibis
he did succeed, but il cost him his popularity
with many of the volunteers. They had dream
ed moi of The hardshps of drill and subordination,
of ordera and discipline, blu. OF The romances Of
military matches and cncampments; and conse-
ouepK. as The Sallillo Picket Guard in his plain
STYLE "a mo General ever had so many curses
for so lew offences" But now how changed is
The language of The volunteers:
81 take back" says one oil them in an Arkan-
sas paper, ''all have said against Gen. Wool"
Lille as his column liked him before The battle, .
SAYS another ",hey all now admit that be is a
splendid General" "Gen. Wool, says Third,
Telegraph & Review, Alton, April 9, ls47,I
"behayed most gallan,,, and has earned all The
country ran do for him, besides the respect, es-
TEEN and admiration Of bis brigade, who, before