Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-09-14

has been had before q government comm ee-aa iu.
scry poce ding, but which tie the pres.
tigs of the epsulette.
This i, ali vsry far from military ideaa and would ap-
pear 10 Us very raordnary and almost mcDsrous.
But We mus: fcrego occupying ourselves with the United
Sa'e we do not wish 10 lay sside the grelte- part OF
our precoDceived ides', which the traditions OF the
World have taught US snd which applicable to i.
alone.
II the United Sates the indyidu initiative ev,r7.
tng, just as in France tn governmental Initiative Is
everything. And the military organization ress
naturally among Americans pincipes entirely at VA.
rance with those which Iconiess that in this
respect the System of self governmen; reaches almost
extreme limit Of The possible. Up to the present III
cnrtl nent OF volunteers gees on pretty we'll buti
rot be expected that four hundred thousand lighting
can be raised in that way You know better than
one that four hundred thousand fighting s no small
affair when they have to be raised supported paid and
made to fight Blu. yet do no. why. at the
which things 60 on, the Union might ressembe sxt.
thousand volunteers which would be quite respect
force At present. or within few days when the last
OF the militia regiments shall have Withdrawn there a,e
not will not be- any bu. volunteers under the STANDARD
OF the Union and in the positions that protect Washirg
ton. You will probably irqlire among What classes o.
the popuai volunteers recruited and whs. is ihe
motive that impe. the volunteers to elst-paro,i m
! or the eleven dollars a month?
confess that have not enough volunteer regi
ments 10 bszud an opinion that point The opinion
Of those Who look upon the worst side Of things is that
10 contrast with the personnsL Of the militia which rep
resents the middle INDUSTRIOUS honest, tu. rot very
warke class Of the population, the volunteer army will
only present the Of emigration aud will be recrrt
ed among that h,ating mass Of adventurers whom En-
rope tends TO the Ured States and whom work tisguss
we'll in the New az n the Old World II is certain
one de that It ia not the Millionaire BANKERS Of Pill
delphia tnl New York tha. become simple Z1uayCs;
aud the other that foreigners prevail in the ranks oil
! the new corps
Henc, the tendency you must have remarked, to ma.
tonaizs companies aud even rgiments. France, Scot
land Ireland Germany and ldly have given their nam,s
varied in thousand shapes great number of corpF,
the elements CT which have been furnished by tLos
countries respectively. In the clasbng OF war.ke na
onaliiss hst which eclpes all Others Ia the French
nationality pcrsoni d, OF course in the Zouare. Every
thing at New York is in the ZousVe syle-ashions hand
bills theatrical spec cacle More Zouayes tbe uniform
of III Irperial Guard) are met in tue reefs Of New
York than in the streets Of Paris Whos companies
really composed Of Frenchmen, who faye served less
more, and who to look down upon all other soldier
Americans, English, Germans, Atom the top Of
the tower Of Solierno or the MalakCf. | should b.
sorry to pass rash judgment upon brave ccmpatriote
wko appear TO be careless, very CAV,
s,ciabe but cannot help ecting what series Of
adventures have been able bring these Paris from
tn. Place Msubert to the shores Of the Po mae there
to rsk their lives for the greater glory President Lin
toln the rate OF eleven dollars month Seriously,
d. believe that the ,.ven dors 90 for every thi1g
At irs with more ccsrness Of vision thin Americans
English and Germans, they appeared to to reckon
little upon the eleven dollar; but what certify i9,
that h,y qnte insensibs 10 the glory Of the flag
with the thirty stare and the fate OF the unfortunate
negroes
You see by this what tie weak side Of all this orgsn
zltion is it is not ahsir Of sppreciaon-iI is
affair OF arithmetic. Tho weak side-the very weak
side-is eleven dollars. For leo 900 men, and that
footing the expense is iSe aud hat millions OF flares
per month or ,xy-siI millions PR year. For iJ0O0n
men IN, expense is quadur lurdied snd six,y
four mlliors per year. AID recollect that this
figure represents OILY the sttir, pocket money
that the provisioning Of American soldiers is abu
daut and more expensive than with US by nearly double;
thai in fin the frghtir dilip daton aud disorder
confe5sedy reyl In what's called chs ltary adm1istra
ton and which is really only continuation Of measures
adopted from day to day by localities for the account OF
the Federal Government for the purpose Of supplying
prime necessities of the troops SO, the North Amer
estimate the cost of The var at over million 90!
lars day. That is uslor counuy reduced TO
about twenty millions Of Inhabitants deprived Of lis great
element Of commerce--cotton-and enjoying doubt
fu credit. 0oe thing that is certain is that the militia
so5iers Rave yet nothing OF the pay promis
them; that a; N1w York there have been disturbances
caused by the tumuuary demsnds OF soldiers wives TO
whom the pay of their absent husbands should have beer
handed and who have made useless outcry for il even
at the doors OF the CITY Hail.
As to the volunteer those who are being formed in
New York well supported, but have not touched
cent ] cannot speak Of those who are with the army
because have not seen them--but | am assured that
their wretchednes was great and that the streets OF
Washington full oil soldiers stretching out one hand
fo charity and often handing revolver with the other
But IrepeaL will tho army for a fortnight, ard
anxious Lot 10 let that which have sen be con-
founded with that which have only heard. 0:e thing
very singular for Frenchman in this military system,
aud which propose TO look at more closely Is the Az
OF all organization Superior TO the regimenal
ganziticn Thus, up to the present, have not been
able realize that regiments form brgades constituted
with u generals, that br gades are collected in dvi-
sols corps darms with generals Of division and ofeops
ddrmee and with staRs ors that are no: chapgeah..
II appears me- until there is proof to the contrary
that when t any operation having character
less specal-such the occupation Of from
tier the attack the defense Of place. even battle
the generalnchie and sometimes Congress desgua.es
general who takes the temporary command Of the re.
gimens assembled for that operation. IL is thus thai
American generals pass sHd repass before our eyes.
without the possibility of following them step by STEP
in all the places Of war, as We do with cur generals
whose military destiny is invariably linked with that Of
the constituted fractions Of which the tular command
Is copfded TO them.
When the great battle of the 2lst fought at Man.
assas Junction, the direction OF it given to a Gen
ersl hcDoSe, without its being easy to say why; and
what ia still less comprehensibe, IL that General Scott
the gereralissimo very brave, capable ard esteemed
soldier gave the order to tho whole amy TO attack the
enemy and to engage in general affair, without going
himself on the field Of battle. | reserve to myself TO
write you hereafter on the strategic position OF tne ar
mics well on the Potomac in the provinces, and
will endeavcr learn the truth the srtj ct Of the
battle Of he 2s', which so shameful an affair tor
the North. That which tell you Is that tere, at
New York, they have taken the mater very unconcsrn
edy They have not appeared the least discouraged or
bumliated Tho regiments that fed, abandoning every
thing guns, baggage, g., Tbey return TO the CITY day
because their Of service has expired, and becaue
they confess they have had enough Of war. Ne'er
minS these brave people enter and received as co'quer'
cr, with mr sic at their head, professions and acclAma
ito. Of the peope, f,wers and lluminslion' IL Is MOI
that they disseminate their retreat or rather Their rou
They relate their elowcitizens how they have been
utterly routed aud these stories inaime the imagina
aud eIalt the enthusiism OF their bearers Thas s'
doubtless one Of the traits of the American character