The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-09-13
\ French Correspondents View of the War
in AmPrica,

in America.
The following is an extract from the trans
lation OF an American correspondence, which
appears in the Paris journal, L'Opinion Ma
| tionaIe, of The 10th August. 1t i. interesting
and obtains some importance from the fact Of
its appearing exclusively III Prince Nano-
Icons home organ--a New York paper going
| so far as to assert that the letter was written
! by the Prince himself, or ST his dictation -
| The letter is dated New York, July 3lst:
In the United States the individual initia-
| tive is every thing, Just as III France the gov
crnmcntal initiative is everything. And
| even the military organization rest naturally
among Americans on prIncl piles entirely ut va
| rltncc with those Oh which we act. | comics,
thai in this respect the system of self govern
| ment reaches almost the extreme limit of the
| possible. | p to the present the enrolment Of
| volunteers goes on pretty well, hnt il cannot
| be cXpeeted that four hun dred thousand tight
| ing men can be raised In that way. OH
! know better than any one that four hundred
| thousand fighting men is no small affair when
! they have to be raised, Supported, paid and
/ made to fight. But yet ] do not see why at
| tho rate At which things go on, the Union
| might not reassemhle sixty Thousand voluH-
| trers which would be quite Il respectable
force. AT present, within few DAYS.
| when the last OF the militia regiments shall
| have Withdrawn, there are not, or will not be
| any but volunteers under the standard Of the
mon aud III the poslti that protect
Washington. fou Will probably inquire
| among " nat classes Of the population yoinn.
| teers are recruited, ana what is the motive
| that impeis tie volunteers to emlst-patliot-
| ism OF the eleven dollars MONTH
i confess that L have seen enough .olun-
! tet.r regiments 10 hazard IN opinion on thar
! point. The opinion &C those who look upon
The worst side of things that, in cen trast with
! the personnel of the militia, which represents
| the middle, industrious, honest, but not very
| warllke class of the population, the volunteer
| army Will only present IN. scum Of ernirl;.-
| tion, and Will be recruited anon. thai fioating
] mass of adYentElrers whom Europe sends to
| the United states, and whom work disguets as
| well i'll the New As i'll the Old World Il is
certain on one side that ii is not the mil iionaire
| bankers of Philadelphia and New York that
| become simple Zouaves and on the other,
| that foreigners prevail i'll The ranks OF the
new corps.
| Hence the tendency you must have re-
! marked TO nationaiize companies, and even
regiments. France, Scotland, Ireland, Ger
many and Italy have given their names va
! ried in thousand shapes to Il great mum be,
/ of corps, the elements of which have been
! furnished by those countries respectively -
| In the clashing of wariike nationa!ties, that
| which eclipses all others is the French ma
| tlonality, personifiad, ofcourse. in the ZOuaye
| Every thing at New York is in the Zouave
| st,le-fashions, handbills, theatrical spec
! tacles. More Zouaves (the uniform of the
! Imperial Guard are met in the streets Of
| New York than in the streets of Paris
! Whole companies are really composed Of
! trcnchmen, who have served less or more
| and who seem TO look down upon all other
| soldiers-Americans, English, Germans Sc-
from the top OF the tower of Soife-
| rino or the Malakof. l should be sorry TO
| pass u rash Judgment upon brave cOmpatri
| ots, who appear to me 10 be very careless
very gay, very sociuble but l cannot help
/ rejecting upon what series of adventures
| have been able to bring these puriSiaus from
! the Place Maubert to the shores OF the Poto-
| mac, thereto risk their lives for the greater
| glory of President Lincoln, at the rate of
| eleven dollars per month. Seriously do NOT
! no lot rp a IA q, For
| thing AT first, with more ciearness of vision
| than Americans, English and Germans they
| appeared 10 me to reckon little upon the
! eleven dollars; but what can certify is. that
| they are quite insensible TO the glory Of the
! flag with the thirty-four stalls and the fate of
! the unfortunate negroes.
| You see by this what the weak side of all
| this organization is: it is not affair of APP
! probation, il is an affair of arithmetic The
weak side, the very weak side is the fii For
| Toe. 600 men, and on that footing, the expense
! IL five and half millions of francs per mont H.
or sixty millions per year. For 4oo, ,00U men the
expense is quadrupled-two hundred and six
| ty-tour millions per year. And recoIlect that
this enormous figure represents only the sol
diers' pocket money; that the provisioning o f
| American soldiers i more abundamta and more
expensive than with us by nearly double
F! that, in fine, the most friIhtful dilapidation
and disorder confesscdiy reign in what is cali
| ed the military administration, aud which
is really only continuation Of measures
| adopted from day TO dav by locaitie, for
| the account of the Federal Governlnent for
! the purpose of .upp yiug the prime necessities
| OF the troops 50 the North Americans t~ti-
| mate the cost of the war ut over Il million
| dollars day. That is cnorlnoug for a coun-
| try reduced TO about twenty millions of in
| habitants, deprived Of its great element OF
| commerce-cotton-an enjoying q doubtful
! credit. One thing that is certain is that the
militia soldiers have vet seen nothing Of
| the pay promised them; that at New York
| there have been disturbances caused by In.
! tnmutuaTy demands OF soldiers wives 10
Il fhA .l1 I. eA..r. T.
! have been handed, and y no have made a use
less outcry for 1t even At the doors of the City
| Hall. e..
! As 30 the volunteers those who ara being
! formed in New York are well supported, but
| have not touched cent. / cannot sneak of
| those who are with the army-because I have.
not seen then-but am assured that their
| wrelchedntss Was great, and that the streets
| OF " tshington We're full of soldiers stretching
! out one hand Tor charity, aua often handing a
! revolver with the other. But repeat | will
not see the army for Il fortnig gl.t nnd am
! anxious not TO let thar which nave seen be
coniounded with that which i have ONLY
heard. One thing very singular for a French
man IN this military system, and " nich pro.
pose 10 look al more closely IS the abseu ee oil II
organization superior to the regimental or
gani2auon. Thus. up 10 The present have not
| been ahle 10 realize that regiments form brig
AIDES, constituted with titttlar generals thai
brig;.drs are collected IN divisions in corpg
! d'a'7aee, with generals of division aud of cer9s
| d'drmse, and with stat-malors that are not
! cildheftbie. II appears 10 me, until there is
proof of the contrary, that when ii concerns
| anS opera ation having a achdractcrmorc or less
speciaI-saciI as the occupation OF frontier
tle attack OF the defence oi q place even Il
hattie-the general in chief. and soIItrt ines
congress designateS general who takes the
| temporary command of the regiments s.,se IN
| bltd for that operation. il Is thus that A,nc.
rican generals pass tnd repas> before our eyes
| without the ossiDiiity ot blowing them stem
by step, in all the places OF a war, as we do
| With our generals, whose military destiny ia
inVaria bly, linked with that of the cons iitutea
| fractions, Of which the utuiar command *
| eoniided TO them
! When the great battle Of the 2lst was toueht
at Manassa Junction. the direction ol IL was
| given 10 iSnerai Mcdowell, Without its be.
ing easy 10 say why and what is s,lu less
| comprehensive, is that General Scott the
/ generalisslino, very brave. capable and es-
| teeIied soldier, gave the or,er to ths Mhuie
| army 10 ATTACK the enemy. and 10 engage ia
| general aniitr, without going nialseif on the
\ ielu oi batde. / reserve 10 nlysuit TO write
you hereafter ON he strategic position OF the
| armles, AZ Well on The Potomac as in the pro-
| viAess, and VII endeayor 10 Iearn ID. truth
on Inc subject OF the battle OF the ?ist, which
was 50 shaIaefol la affair for the North. That
| *hicn can tell yon Is that here, al New YerS
| the5 nave take tlie matter very uneoneerned-
! is'k khey nave not appeared the ltas; els