Daily national Democrat., 1861-03-09
The Southern Army.


that the forces which have been called into
service by the Authorities of the Southern
States would not be sach as could long with
stand the exposure ard arduous duty of camp
life from the fact that many Of the companies
are composed principally of men unused to
the extremes Of outdoor life, such as lnen OF
more hardy frames can easily endure Be
sides, many of these men are engaged in ac-
tive mercantile mechanical and other pur-
suits, which they have abandoned at the call
of the State, and their business will more or
less suffer during their absence Being COM
| PEELED to endure also an inactive camp life,
under all these difficulties it will not be
strange il many of the companies called into
service voluntarily disband and return to
their homes. The following from the Mobile
Register, fully sets forth the inadcquacy OF
such military force to be of much service in
an arduous campaign
The time has come when every Southern
citizen bet tween the ages of 10 and 40 should
Necome a soldier. The South has taken
| stand from which there can he no back ward
step, unless the whole question at issue with
The North is adjusted to the general satisiac-
ton. We have no regular army TO maintain
our rights and fight our battles. 1t deyolves
upon the citizens, and to perform that duty
effectively, citizens must become soldiers. If
war, which now threatens, becomes realty,
each Southern State must put an army in the
field, and that army, supplied by voluntary
enlistment or 10y draft must be maintained at
the public cost This will afford occupation
and livelihood for thousands of stout men
who will be thrown out Of employment by
the war crisis. 1t will not do to rely upon
the volunteer companies already organized in
the state. These corps are rather schools for
officers and the military art and at the same
time military guard Of their respective To-
calties. As now constituted, it would he
hardly possible to send to the field as march
ing regiments, a force SO ruinously costly
not in money to the State, but in personal and
intellectual material. We have Just had an
example of it. On Thursday night seven
companies of the First Volunteer Regiment
in this city were ordered off.
The ranks fthese companies arc reeruite ed
from the flower Of the youth Of the city
They fill posts of duty and resron Utility in
almost every department of business, al d
there is scarcely mercantile house in the
: city whose routine of business has not been
dcrauged by the loss of clerk. Four have
| been taken from our own office We feel,
doubtless as every merchant feels, that we
cannot afford to pay salaries to clerks and
give their ser ices to the state to the de'ri
ment of our own business. w mention this
not to begrudge the state The present service.
but to illustrate. An accomplished book
keeper, for example whose services are
worth IS 600 a year, is certainly too valua-
ble and costly man to carry mu>ket at IS
per month aud rations lie can serve the
State better in civil capacity than as a pri
vate in the ranks; or if duty calls him to the
field, his position and hs training have fitted
him to render he most efficient service to the
public as an officer
= In the event of war, which now seems most
probable, an army must be organized by en-
listment for regular service, or the State must
call for volunteers for the war. Either plan
will speedily secure the force needed But
it will never do to expose the flower Of our
youth, the cream Of our military talent and
spirit en- masse is "iood for powder" They
would fight gallaniy, but tie laurel chapleis
which they would hang upon the arms OF the
Common wealth would be wreathod with cy-
press and carry mourning to every family in
the city. Bad economy to make private SOL
diers out of our schools for officers 1t is to
destroy the source of a fruitful Spring. in
stead of taking water from the waste OF the
stream supplied by it.
TuFRu Is Il outr hot ,vnnp piotr IIill aud tl