New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-10-28
The WAR FOR THE UNION.
Ysew OUR ARMY rs NOT AN ARMY.


cate, am inclined to think, no" n,"o
public yet appreciates the tremendous cn'' 80
Of the war in which we are engagou anu '"'
;r,man.;,v of the work we have undertaken
M iovsI man would wish, of course, thas We
.bonld attack the enemy without reasonaoie
,ro.nsot of success. The war, which is likely
20 .ont;pue several years under the most favor
able circumstances, would DO heightened at
aeast one year by an unsuccessful general
attack. Ny own opinion is that ii We hold
our own into the Winter, having secured Ken
lucky aud Western Virginia and not lost Mis-
sosri and Maryland, while recruiting our army
and navy, we shall have abundant ground for
thanksgiving.
1t is universally believed by well-iniormed
men, | think, that the enemy is in larger force
on the Potomac than we are. He has thus
far shown better generalship than we have.
His position with respect to rearward COM
municatons is superior to ours. The only
advantage which we have over him is in the
business Of our cause, in superior generalshp
(which remains to be prOyed), and in the superior
equipment and discipline of our force. Probably
We are better disciplined and equipped on an
average; yet considerable part of our force
rs very inSufiicienty equipped and much larger
part is composed entirely of raw recruits not at
MI disciplined. There is not one really uelt-
xiscipliaed regiment IN The country. Not one, reg
ular or volunteer; and the whole army of the
Potomac is yet much more mere mob than it is
IN army of soldiers.
There are almost no soldiers here as yet
Soldiers are not made in day, nor in month,
nor in two months, with such officers as we
have; and the majority of this army two months
ago were civilians, without the remotest concep-
ton of the habits of soldiers. 1t is impossible
IL state too strongly the unftnesS and inadapta-
ton to the business OF a soldier which seventy
years of peace have wrought in the habits of the
people. Neither among officers nor men do you
yet see anything Of the air and carriage which,
when traveller sees in Europe, be learns to say,
" there is a soldier" / speak of regulars as
well as volunteers. / don't mean that McClel-
hn is not a promising young General, nor that
since he has been here there has not been,
under his guidance, as much improvement III
discipline as was possible for Americans under
the circumstances. There has been mOst graft
fyiDg progress, and the troops that were here in
July are comparatively exceedingly well dis
ciplmed new. But with reference to true
standard eff disciplne-the European standard
or the American at the close of the Revolution
there are no disciplined troops at Washington,
gfieerS or men.
give utterance here only to civilians judg-
meHt, or, as said in former letter, traveller
snap judgment formed upon the most superficial
observation. But is it not true, and does
not any travellers experience confirm it, that
you can tell well disciplined soldiers at glance
Being no soldier yourself, you say Of one man,
"He is every inch soldier" aud of another,
There is no appearance of the soldier about
him" with considerable confidence, without
having seen him in action, aud upon the most
superficial observatisn and in q similar man
ner Judge the army OF the Potomac.
/ showed you how the regulars exhibited
themselves at Generals funeral some weeks
since. To-day we had similar exhibition of
The volunteers. A full programme of the form
of a general order from the headquarters of
The Provisional Brigade was published in the
morning papers. 1t was, therefore, to be a
strictly military funeral. To begin with, it
was ordered 10 march at ii O'Clock. 1t was
IL when, walking westward from the Patent
Office, discovered q regiment of volunteers
detailed az escort, in line, at rest, not few
of the men squottiRg on the grosHd--not dig
ui6ed attitude for guard Of honor, thought.
There were all sorts of Irregularities Of dress,
Of which / will only notice that among thou
saDd pairs of leggins there was no evidence
that any one had ever been properly cleansed
9Dce they were frst worn; many had lost
bxckles, which had not been replaced. / hope
their musket locks are better looked after, but
don't believe it. l wanted to see Mcclellan,
Who the order stated, would take place in
the column, for though they say he is out a
great deal. | never yet happened to meet him
IN his rides. To get good position / stood
upon a horseback, ON and near which was
already group of Down-East volunteers and
teamsters, who 1 perceived in moment
were yet far more at home with hapdspikes than
with muskets. Yet some OF their observations
were shrewd and critical. A tall man, dressed
N suit Of civil clothing, without straps, and
his black cloth PantaloOns rumplins up half
way TO bis knees, but with a military cap on
his head, rode up and down the line, appa-
senty giving orders or instructions 70 the
mounted officers. He was in military saddle
with military traPpings. l report the dialogue
j heard:
First Down Easter-Who's that chap?