Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-11-06
The Standard s'''s'
Rnr the Stand r,l.
THE MILITIA LAW OF ,NoafH,eaRoLlaAs.

THE MILITIA LAW OF INoRTH>G.AiseLlSAgi
Nix EpiFoR: desire to call the attention OF tue
pubic OF that portion OF it subject to bear arms 70
the new militia law, and opont ont lew oil It's ae
fects omSsiensi IN few seftlNpS Of that act. by
this Ave years arc added 10 the Time over the'r
taxable age when are required 10 do Qillila uu-
". Tkefe Is no hsode pointed put how ceptainS or
other Company officers are to ascertain the age oil
the pcrSon after he is 45 wears Old after which age
he ceases 10 IL thissseH taxable poll. Suppose
4. B. 10 be over IS years old and under 90, he may
V so Disposed, lin order to etaie military duty de-
cline or refuse to give his age to the captain or or
derby sergeant Of the company, and thus PLAIN pro
vision Of the aet,may by, evaded-the law oelng
blank AZ to the duties OF captains in this respect
By the new law the office Of Major General is vir'
tually abolished and the elasScat0nS OF the mIlI-
tia in dfrisions%repealed unless two hrgades snail
he necessary to act together. See Sec. ID. Inns
officer is not be elected like other Generals or held
officers but is to be appointed and commissioned oy
the Governors FFJ - 'eEN. II "'@.s.
Section 5ISt,t requires officers of the militia to
wear the uniform prescribed for the army OF the
Confederate States. How are they to know what
that uniform is? The law fails to furnish the mill
tia officers with copies of it, and the same is not
given in the regulations now in use, and may be
omitted in the work directed by the Ilth resolution
of the Convention of May last to DE furnished by
the State In the old United States regulations all
this was given and explained.
After dIligent examination of the new law, the
writer can lind no penalty forfeiture on the part
of non commissioned officers musicians and prlvateS
for neglect failure to attend reviews, regncntaI
or battalion muSterS Section 25th which preScrI6eS
the penalty OH officers for fang to attend reviews
resimenta and battalion musters is plain and ex
plicit Also the penalty on officers and privatcs fail
ing to attend company uusters, but no penalty as
the writer find for failing or neg ecting to attend
1cgimental or battalion musters and reviews. .l
BY the new act, Section 26th, the militia are re-
quired to drill by lardees tactics. In all the tao
tics heretofore used by the militia of the States the
infantry exercise has been the school in which the
militia have been drilled Such wol ks as SCOTS,
MacombS s, Cooper and other tacticianS, which are
nearly the same now taught by Gillian, Richardson,
j. b. Lee and others, except the change made by
the latter authors Tor percussion lock musket instead
Of flint and steel muSket. Now as the militia are
the regular Infantry, and are to military Organiza-
ton what the alphabet is to English literature the
fnundatiVu Of uh other discipline and exercise, it
to De departure from long and universally
established custom, to adopt system of tactics for
infantry. devoted exclusively to light infantry and
rifle tactics. In none of the numerous editions
al Hardees works published by Lippincott, Kirk
Goet7el and Others has the writer been able to find
the infantry nluSket exercise adapted to the per-
cuSson lock in the manual Of arms. Yet the "Nol-
unteerS Home Book which does give it, Processes
have overlooked it perusing those works. which
is not likely. \ copy containing the musket eAer-
else was anXiOusy sought for, and to all inquiries
made at the hook stores of Raleigh, Newbern, Will
mington, Petersburg and Richmond, the answer was,
we have Harlees light infantry and rifle tactics,
but others OF his works" would suggest if there
Is edition of i1artlceS works containing the
ket exercise percussion lock for the infantry or mill
tia, that the State authorities have edition pub
li>hed containing the musket exercise taken from
GIlhamS, Richardson's CT Lees works, (all standard
works and similar in this rcspecO TO distribute
among the officers of the State "
The regulations now in are very imperfect
No description of uniform. arms of Confederate
States, flags, standards, guidons &C., is given We
should have uniformity least in uniform, coat of
arms Of Confederate States, coloIs, flags, DC. None
al these TO be fonnd in the present regulations
In many counties the militia are only partially
sanized, there being no officers except company
officers. The Adlutant General will probably have
this matter attended TO soon. Section 18th, vests
in that officer the authority to order the election for
field officers Of regiments Until this is done and
brIgadier Generals elected for the several brgadcs
the organization will not be completed. %
Lastly, difficulty presents itself in the collection
OF fines and foIfeitures under the stay law Of the
cent extra session of the Legislature No exception
Is made TO The operation of said act except it be for
the collection of State and county revenue See sec
tinn 10th Of said act Its doubtful an over
oeer Of the pubic road can recover penalty frOm
delinquent who fails or refuses to work on public
roads under the operations of the present stay law
have thus in rough and disjointed manner,
without reflection presented few of the defects of
fle militia law, and trust better qualified
'., through the medium of the press, enlighten the
lublic on the subject by showing that the writer
errS in his construction and views of the sucject,
and Correct any nrisapprehension that the public
1Iay labor under in regard this useful branch of
Ine public service. The writer's object in this conf
lnunication is to have all defects and omissions, if
any IN regard to the militia law passed by the late
Legislature reniedied and supplied by an ordinance
or ordinances of the Convention soon to assemble,
if the same be within the sphere of their duties
-..-.-. SOLDIER.
October 2lst, 1861. ,.gg f-tF4 .EFEsf- $50.
no 80 --------- -----------. % ... -