Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-06-20
State and Confederate Force

character and end no man may predlct- The probabilities are, that it will terminate with the assembling of the northern Con gress on the 4th of next July, or else be prolonged indefinitely, and result in the most desperate and most calamltous con Aict on record. Our State too, from her exposed position, is likely to come in for her full share, alike of the dangers, trials, privations and glory of the contest. It then behooves us, warily and wisely, now to lay the foundation for system of sue cessful defence; bearing in mind the while that no mistake can be more productive ot evil, TO folly more ruinous than to oVertask our strength, exhaust our resources and wear out our energies at the very outset.- On the other hand, we should by every possible means husband our resources, eS- tablsh, at convenient and protected points, dcpots of provisions, of arms, and ot muni- tions of war; prepare, by an energetic Sys- tem of home drilling, companies, ready at m oments notice to take the field. Guard expo sed points with just such amount oi force as the State is abla to support, officer el bv Iuen who understand their business, relying upon the home reserve and Con federate assistance for effective aid in case of attack; and by all means avoid expensive and unprepared armaments and expeditions tending only to waste the means of the State, damp the ardor of the people and ending in tie speedy diabandment of the troops. Disaster and defeat now, or even expeditions and movements resulting in the attainment of no real good, will inevitably entail upon us, q thousand fold increased, the suffering of foreign war, aggravated by domestic dscofd; and will surely indefi- nitelv prolong the conflict While thorough preparation and skilful conduct, will on the one hand give confidence at home, 1t is on the other the surest and only road to victory, and through victory to peace.
 No people have ever gathered to the call of their country with more alacrity; none have ever hurried to join the standard of battle with higher hopos with purer mo tives or with a more animated enthusiasm, than the people of the South. Let then this grand enthusiasm, this high hearted bravery be but properly directed, and we have nothing to fear. But destroy 1t by maldirection, by defeat, by privation and lllering and more is done for our ultimate de feat than all the armed hordes, our enc nies may throw upon us, can effect The temper, character and enthusiasm of the oldiers, the moral of the army, Napo- leon characterised as it's divine portion, its spirit and soul; the arms and equipments as the physical, material parts-the body. And the vigor of the soul must to great extent depend upon the health and effective ness of the body Fever may give rise to spasmodic efforts of desperate character; but only health and strength can produce sustained effort. Our prime duty then is by every means to incite to the highest l point the soul of the service and hand in hand herewith to keep as perfect as possi- ble its physical part.
 To do this, it is necessary firstto encour- az 3 enlistment, arouse and excite the arder of the people, enforce trictdiscipline, per feet the drill, and appoint or select bold and capable officers. For without discipline and drill, an army is little better than an q, med mob, and without skillful officers the best army Is daily exposed to destruc- tion. Ten thousand we'll officered, well drilled, thoroughly disciplined, enthusiastic soldiers are worth, as all history proves, five times their number, untrained to service and ofhcered by incompetent men. In the second place, we must not forget that the soldier carries his body, and particularly his stomach with him to war; hence food, cloth hing, camp equipage and hospital arrange ments are necessary. He also needs some thing with which to fight; hence ammunition and arms are necessary, and as 1t Is impos- sible he should himself transport all these things, transport train is essential.
 Such being the case, what are we doing? We have the men, and at present, we have the moral force and confidence, the enthu- siasm and courage, to make them incom- parable soldiers. We have the soul of the finest army the world has ever seen. IHat Me people mtst and have .farnished. It is the duty of the government to clothe that soul with it's body, educate and prepare 1t for service, and direct it upon it's object.
 We have now in the field, or preparing therefor, under State orders, about five thousand men, portion of them unarmed, no general officer in command of this force, no plan of operation determined on, no magazines of provisions prepared, no de- pots of ammunition established, no trans port trains organized, no hospital arrange ments made, few tents, and an entire insuf- ficiency in many companies ofcamp equip age; a large number of arms in the State held by companies, not in service, and no move made to place them in the hands of of men ordered out. The soul IS Mere ia- deed, bm aH disem5odied and poweless.- Between four and five thousand men in ser vice and two hundred and twenty thou sand dollars in hand, with which to feed, cloth, furnish and pay them! How long will it last?