The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-05-08
Guerilla Ferces.


hitting one great mistake-that they are rely
Ing too much upoa the State authorities in
their preparations to resist the invader
This policy carried too far would be fatal.
The State authorities cannot do everything.
They have had but three weeks to prepare
munitions and defences, which may we'll have
employed four times as many months. The
State herself has been taken in some respects
unAwaree. 1t Is not meet that we should be
specific on this subject. We would say only
enough to excuse any temporary delay and
disappointment which the gallant young men
In the interior may have experienced in their
expectations of assistance from Richmond.
Much can be done By the country itself
witheu. the help of the State. The young men
can form into companies. They can perfect
themselves In the drill. They can organize
thoroughly. The counties can do much to-
wards supplying them with clothing and pro-
visions. The citizens can do very much TO-
wards supplying them with arms. There are
many arms In tho country which would Go
terrible execution upon an invader, but which
An inspecting officer would reject There is
no better arm for execution than the long,
heavy rife Of the Virginia sharp shooter
That was tho arm which drove the stealthy
savage from the Western Virginia forests
That was the arm which won Kings noun
tain and turned the tide Of battle against the
cnemy which finally swept him from our
shores at Yorktown. There is great virtue i'll
that good old rife of blessed mem.ry. 1t can
speak a terrific rebuko to the invaders Of d
free country. There is not county from
ude-water to the Big Sandy that could not
arm one or two COMPANIES Of . hundred men
with this deadly rifle. 1t would be heavy to
carry /; but the boys would not feel weight
they are 30 accustomed to bear. If We can do
NO better, this is the arm for our impromptu
infantry who may fail in procuring muskets
from the State. An invaded people must not
be too fastidious about the weapons they use
against narauding foe.
interior Virginia affords. The double-barrel
shot gun, charged with complement of buck
shot, 10 the best Of all arms for mounted
rangers On the frontiers Of Texas the Fede-
ral Government had adopted this arm for
operations against the Camanches, in prefer
enee to all the excellent improved carbines of
modern invention. Mounted rangers, guerillas,
are terribly harassing to an invading force
The invader will only be formidable by his
numbers and bis flying artillery. The ubiqut-
Gus mounted ranger, hanging around his
skirts, wounding his men every hour, but not
quite killing them with his buckshot, imposing
apoa him tho burden Of taking care of his
disabled, never appearing in mass to form
. target for his artillery, and yet ever
threatening artillery, baggage and army,
proves even more effective for his destruction
In the long run than formally organized and
disciplined troops. The moment the invaders
fsot touches our soil, that moment should the
land swarm in every direction around him
with rifemon and mounted rangers.
Our people neod not visit for the action of
State authorities to prepare for and provide
the means Of this moGe of defence. Tho State
will have q well disciplined and thoroughly
provided army to meet the invaders in front.
Those will conduct the formal and scientific
measures and plans of defence. These will
keep the enemy busy in his front But she
worst calamities Of invasion are those which
are inflicted by marauding bands of the enemy
attacking farm houses and intruding them
selves into domestic households. If his line
OF march is made to swarm with our gueril-
Las, who will pick of every man and every
squad that dares to leave the main body of the
Invading column, his very success in the field
viii prove bis ruin for they will tempt him fur
Their and further into the interior, and involve
him more and moro inextricably in the meshes
and snares Of guerilla warfare.
1t becomes the people Of the interior to look
well to this subject. We know not on what
day the column of the enemy may defle into
the State. We know not in what quarter or
quarters his entrance may be made. But
every county may in . week or ten days have
o force in readiness to send forth to meet him.
Whatever companies may not be supplied With
regular arms and ordered to join the su'ar
army Of defence, may be ready, notwithstand-
Ing, with their own weapons, and upon their
own hook. to take the field. They may pro-
coed to the sosne Of invasion by twos and
threes; they may form on the ground and conn
mence, with orders or without the lawful duty
Of shooting down the invader in his tracks
A brave soul will compensate anywhere for
percussion lock. A daring patriotism will
at any time make up much distance in tho
range of a gun. A daring aud dashins guer-
lila cavslry, with buckshot and broad swords,
will terribly disorganize the best batteries Of
artillery.
Our object is to impress upon the good peo-
pie Of Interior Virginia the Importance of self
reliance aud sslf-exertion. We would implore
them to take no encouragement from any de-
lay VI disappointment they may encounter in
procuring modern arms from the State autho-
rites. If We have not suggested the best
means of substituting these, their own good
sense will point out to them better substitutes
A hundred thousand men have rendered their
services to the State; and, in the nature Of
things, three weeks time has not been sufficient
- provide the necessary equipments for SO vast !
. force The best thing that can be done is |
Tor the people and the counties to aid in pro- |
s'dins ouch arms as the interior country af- |
sords We should not measure the force We |
snail oppose to the invader by the number We !
can supply with improved arms. We should
make up in numbers Of determined men what
We lack in quality of arms. We must not on
~ meet the invader in front, but We must en-.