Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-05-24
The British Army.

Lord RAGLAN, after all the abuse heaped
on him from all quarters, may turn out to be
only the scape- goat to bear the sins of the
vicious organization of the army. The army,
saws the Westminster ReUie,0 were without
clothes, shelter or food Yet this want of the
necessaries of life, these hungry men and
starving horses, merely arose from its not
having been decided ehe;her the Supenntend-
ence ofaie Commissioned should be vested IN the
Treasury, the Var Office, or the Ordnance
1t would seem that the COMMANDMENTS
Chief is mere shadow, an automaton TO be
moved by the holders of the wires at home.
The Secretary of War; the Master General
of Ordnance and his Board, and the Com
missariat which was at one time consolidated
with the Treasury, all share the duties, and,
of course, paralyze the energies of the Com
mander-in- Chief.
The pay of the array abroad belongs to the
Commissariat the clothing of the army is
assigned to the Colonels by separate contract,
except the matter of great coats, which is re-
served for the Ordnance the hospital ex-
penditures appertain to the Secretary of War
&c. These departments quarrel among them
selves. Not even tallow candle, says the
Reviewer, could be issued without the Ord
nance and Commissariat quarrelling as to who
should do it; and at last the Secretary of
War had to satisfy them that the one should
do it at home and the other abroad. In the
meantime, the Commander in Chief cannot
recommend men for pensions or promotion /;
cannot direct the proceedings of courts mar
tial has no authority for the apprehension
and escort of deserters, and cannot even di-
rect the movement of troops.
| In reference to the blame cast upon Lord
/ RAGLAN, the Reviewer says
That he, accustomed from his boyhood
to consider himself but as the amanuesis of
one of the greatest warriors that ever lived,
should have turned out, when left to himself,
to be but soldier, is very probable. But did
he ever lead the British people to imagine
him otherwise ? He had always been accus-
toned to receive orders and see them obey
ed so when he went to Constantinople, he
obeyed orders when he went to Varna to
see his army rot by thousands, he obeyed
orders; when at last, without any definite
plan, he landed in the Crimea, to take Sebas-
topol, he still obeyed orders. For let it not
be forgotten that, if we send armies and gen.
erals, our ministry at home will rule the ope-
rations-playing at soldiers is so interesting i
pastime."
Commissions, as is well known, are bought
and sold, and the prices are fixed. A Lieu
tenant Colonel pays six thousand one hun
bred and seventy-fve pounds, more than thir-
ty thousand dollars, for his rank. One reason
for retaining this system is that it gives the
government a security that the officer will be
more strict in doing his duty, for if he is cash
tered for any misconduct he loses not only his
income but his capital the whole sum paid
! for his commission is forfeited. From the
first formation of the British army, the com
) mission of an officer has been his private pro.
perty he bought it, and he has right t.
sell it. The following are the regulation pri