The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-12-12
CAVALRY TO BE REDUcEn.

/ e
tingent.
CAVALRY TO BE REDUCED.
An item of very heavy expense
the large mounted force which h,
been organized, equipped, and mac
avaiiable since the called session
Congress, and which was not compute
Tor In the estimate. While an increas
OF cavalry was undoubtedly necessar,
1t has reached a numeracle strenott
more than adequate to the wants of IN
service. AS it can only be maintaine
at great cost, measures will be take
for its gradual reduction.
In organizing our great army. I wa
effectively aided by the loyal Governor
OF the different States, and / cheerful
acknowledge the prompt patriotisr
with which they responded to the ca
of this Department.
THE CALL FOR TROOPS.
Congress, during its extra session
authorized the army to be increased b,
the acceptance of volunteer force o
100000 men, and made an appropria
ton OF five hundred millions of dollar
tor Its support. A call for the troop,
was Immediately made; but so numer
Gus were the offers that it was found
dlfhcult to discriminate in the choice
where the patriotism of the people de-
manded that there should be no restric.
ton upon enlistments. Every portion
OF the loyal States desired to swell the
army, and every community was anx.
lous that 1T should be represented in a
cause that appealed to the noblest i'm
pulses Of our people.
So thoroughly aroused was the Ma
tlonal heart, that l have no doubt this
force would have been swollen to a
million, had not the Department felt
compelled to restrict it, in the absence
of authority from the representatives
OF the people to increase the limited
number. 1t will be for Congress to de.
eide whether the army shall be further
augmented, aoith view to a more
speedy termination Of the aoar. or
whether it shall be confined to the
strength already fixed by law. In the
latter case, with the object of reducing
the volunteer force to 100000, pro.
pose, with the consent of Congress. to
consolidate such of the regiments as
may from time to time fall below the
regular standard. The adoDtion of
this measure will decrease the number
OF officers, and proportionately dimin.
lsh the expenses OF the army.
AN IMMENSE AGGREGATE.
/ tbs said of Napoleon 10y Jomini that.
in the campaign of 1915, that great gen.
eral on the lst of April had regular
army of 100000 men. On the ist of
June he had increased this force to
200 men. The proportion. adds
Jomini, " had he thought proper to in.
augurate a vast system of defence
would have raised it to zoo, 900 men by
the lst of September" At the COM
mencement of this rebellion, Inaugural
ted by the attack upon Fort Sumter,
the entire military force at the disposal
of the Government was 10000 regu-
lars, principally employed in the West
to hold in check marauding Indians.
In April, $4,000 volunteers were called
upon to enlist for three months service.
and responded with such alacrity that
77,s75 were Immediately obtained. |
Under the authority of the act of Con.
gress of July %, 1861, the States were
asked to furnish 100000 volunteers to
serve for three years, or during the
war; and by the act approved the o9th
of the same month, the addition of 25,-
900 men to the regular army of the
United States was authorized. The |
esult is, that we have now an army of |
upwards of 100000 men. If we add
to this the number of the discharged
three months volunteers, the aggregate
force furnished to the Government
since April last exceeds 100000 men.
We have here an evidence of the
wonderful strength of our institutions
Without conscriptions, levies, drafts,
or other extraordinary expedients, we
have raised a greater force than that
which, gathered by Napoleon with aid |
of all these appliances, was considered
an evidence of his wonderful genius
and energy. and of the military spirit
of the French. nation. Here every
man has an interest in the Government, |
and rushes to its defence when danger
beset it.
By reference to the records of the
Revolution it will be seen that Massa-
chusetts, with a population of $4,000,
had at one time $4,000 troops in the
field, or over one-sixth of her entire
people-a force greatly exceeding the
whole number Of troops furnished by
all the Southern States during that
war. Should the present loyal States
furnish troops in like proportion, which
undoubtedly would be the case should
any emergency demand it, the Govern
ment could promptly put into the field |
an armv of oyer three millions.
WHAT SEVEN MONTHS HAVE DONE.
1t gives me great satisfaction to refer
to the credible degree of discipline of
our troops, most of whom were, but a
short time since, engaged in the pur-
suits of peace. They are rapidly at
tanning an efficiency which cannot fail
to bring success to our arms. Officers
and men alike evince an earnest desire
to accomplish themselves in every duty
of the camp and field. and the various