The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-09-07
PRINCE NAPOLEON ON the WAR.
Our Volunteer and Militia Systems Under
French Imperial Rcvlcw-The Men OF
Three Months Ago and To-day Com
pared-The Causes, Objects and
Prospects Of the War,
&C., &C., &c.
TRANSLATED from LOphon Rationale, Of Paris, Of August
10, for the New York HERALD

formation to give you.
As yet have very little of and Affairs yet
such is the absolute ignorance which results from geo
graphical separation such is tho inevitable falsy Of all
opinions the object of which is separated from him who
entertans them by seventy degrees of longitude that
the bare sight Of New York, and the crowd which Ais
its streets, exchange of words en- passan with Am
orleans have produced the effect Of unexpected
revelation, and enlightened me in few days ques-
tons which years of reading would have exrcated
for me from the thickest darkness.
The impressions and advices which send You arc my
first Next week will go to Washington Twin the
Northern army and the pickets of tho Southern army
since both parties are face to face at tho very gates Of
Washington II is possible that my next letters may have
an entirely different character from these of now written
naturally after Incomplete data II change my opinion
II wbprove to you that have taken no side and that IL
my opinions not reliable they least sincere
Let US commence with tho military organization Of the
North, because that is question which, in France
always appeared to me the most confused buried
under vague expressions and correspondents anec
does Let endeavor to put forward nothing bu,
The armed force of the Union is composed of three ele
men,s, which must be carefully ds,inguished-,he regu
lar army which in time of peace well time Of war
belongs exclusively to the federal governments the mill
tia which in time of peace belongs 10 the States and
time of war to the government Of the Unon and finally
the volunteers who are raised only by the Union gov
ernment)
Iony mention the regular army here the sake Of ac
curacy and in order not 10 omit Of the elements Of
the question for 1t presents more difficulty in being
described than 1t does Of importance In reality. The
gular army an army recruited by voluntary engage
mens and by bounty ike that Of England 1t does not
exceed general effective force OF fifteen sixteen thou
sand men which, as movable force, cannot show more
than eight on ten thousand fighting men.
AT the time the broke out those troops scat
tered in the stone FORTS such Sumter Charleston For
tress Monroe In the Chesapeake Fort Pckens Pensaco
la Bay and on the borders of the immense Territories
where the most advanced pioneers have to contend
against the remnants Of Indian trt"a, The federal 20
vernment bad then almost no r.g force at hand when
it became necessary TO cover Washing n against the
menaced aggression Of the South.
In all there 800 federal soldiers at
Washington; the remainder could not be recalled from
the distant posts whore they stationed. II that
army presents Insignificant resources regards effective
il has not had TO exercise the conduct Of tho
and its due guidance Of the warke instincts Of the nation
the influence which considerable body OF ccnrs in
tive service or on half pay disposed to impress the c
zen force with military nrdor, might have done. The
greater part OF the officers OF the army belong to the
South in origin and sentiment. Some have entered the
service of the Confederate States others have
neutral attitude in their position of action I'M
der the flag, the passive conduct of military obedience
In the danger which the seat OF government ran il
necessary then TO have recourse 10 the militia The Anne
rican militia has complete analogy with National
Guard, only its organization general popu-
lar and more important. With the Americans, with
u.s. every is bound TO in the citizen guard with
them with u.s. this legal obligation evaded by great
number OF citizens so that there elective militia
men bat those who are animated by exceptional desire
for the fulncnt of civic duties by natural taste for
military exercises or who arc moved by some motive Of
vanity or ambition.
Ia country where conpainants defendants noni-
nate their judges for two years, it needless say
militia themselves nominate their officers. They arc
clothed their own expense but armed at the expense
Of the State. Thus constituted they form baitaons
eight companies which called regiments, after the
English custom, which number from six to eight hundred
men. The militia man, like our National Gaard Is only
obliged to take up arms in defence OF his home. II he
leaves his town or district it only be by his
Ia ordinary times the militia is the armed force
of tho states, as the regular army is Of
the federationan essential distinction, and which is
continually reproduced and under every FORM when
cndeavors to make himself familiar with the political or
ganization Of the United States
President Lincoln and the Congress threatened in Wash
ngton three months since by the Southern uprising ap-
pealed TO the militia and required of the several loyal
states to mobilize certain number of militia regiments
and send them as quickly as possible to the capital
of the Unions The manner in which that mo-
bilZaton was done folows:--The militia
regiments disposed to 60 entered into engagements
for from one TO three months, and the regiments
reduced rcnodeed and recognized in Consequence of
this preceding which caused considerable variation in
their effectiveness passed under the orders Of the general
government. II was then the newspapers Of both
tincnts filed with long enumeraticns of tl those
regiments distinguished at by number and the
of their State which the railroad bore each day 10
the banks Of the Potomac.
Beginning from the day Of their mobilization, the
militia received, rather had right receive addi-
ton to military ouit-that is TO say, clothing arms
and food-the enormous pay Of eleven dollars MONTH
more than fifty five francs.
such Is the army which arrested The daring march of the
South. But the termination u rs engagement
Every day militia regiment returns home because il has
finished its time. In general, il may be said that as
body, the militia did no service beyond that for which
they had originally agreed individuals may have con.
nued TO by entering volunteer corps bat the reri
constituted composed like our baaiions Of The
National Guard, Of easy burghers, of property
and heads Of .familes-those regiments / say, left
the army on the appointed day, returning home
any too much the appearance Of being troubled
with what was to become Of the Union army after the
withdrawal Of the last Of the corps which composed at
first
1t foreseeing that result-9ue in keeping Nth
american hdbtand consequently OF the lengthy charac
ter which the war has come 10 assume that the federal
government took measures to have a permanent army
There one Of two things to cheose either increase
enormously the regular army by means Of active re-
teers President Lincoln inclined to the former measure
Congress adopted the latter and, to do things by
halves, yotedfve hundred millions Of dollars and the
raising Of five hundred thousand volunteers
livery much doubt whether the government can fill up
By volunteers the contingent of 100000 men; but what is
certain u.s. IL could have done sim less BY regular sol
diers. SO, apart from the figures, which, from their for
midobe eraggerdtion Of nature 10 uroo ridue
the DEGREES OF the federal government Think Congress
has been right than the President
Herein consists the mechanism Of the volunteer sys-
tenn citizen, Of ,a.atcer notorfdy, announces to tho
a brigade, Of which he is TO be cap
TAIN colonel or general. lie publishes, IN patriotic
handbils the conditions which this government offers
enthusiastically, engagement for three years, cloth
ing, arms food and the famous eleven dollars month
II the handful and the of the enterprising indi
vidua satisfactory to the public excite enhu-
ssm proporonate 60 the strength OF the corps intended
TO be raised enrolmens rapid in the recruiting
Office Then tho enrolled nominate their officers AND
finally the happy captain, colonel general offers,
aetly as IN feudal times, bis company, regiment
brigade to Congress. Congress hastens ~ accept,
only it is supposed not to recognise the officer. nominated
deliver them their commissions till after exani-
nation IN regard to efficiency aud morality has been had
before government committee-dn Mao,y p,uceedi,tq
b,a ptich lite The prestige of tie epdutette
This is all very far from military ideas, and would
appear very extraordinary and almost monstrous
But must orego occupying ourselves with the United
States If do wish to lay aside the greater part Of
preconceived IDEAS which the traditions OF the Old
World have taught and which applicable TO 1t alone
In the United States the individual initiative is every.
thing, just in France the governmental initiative is
everything And the military organization rests
naturally among Americans principles entirely at va
rance with those which act. confess that this
respect the system Of government reaches almost the
extreme limit q the possible. Up TO the present the
enrolment Of volunteers goes on pretty well,
but it cannot be expected that four hundred
Thousand lighting men can be raised in that way.
You know better than any that four hundred thou
sand fighting men is small affair when they have to
be raised, supported paid and made to fight But yet
do not see why, at the rate at which things go on, the
Union might not reassemble sixty thousand volunteers
which would be quite respectable force Al present
within few days, when the last Of the militia regiments
shall have withdrawn there not, will be any
but volunteers under the standard Of the Union and In
the positions that protect Washington. You will pro-