The national Republican., 1861-08-31
DRILLING MILITIA.

There never was a. more transparent humbug
than this thing Of driRing' as it is called. ap
piled to militiamen, or volunteers. by way ol
preparation for fighting. II is equally con.
demned by reason. and by our experience in
all our former wars. In the present war,
it Is shown to be worthless. by the double
proof Of successes without 1t and failure with It,
A mere military martinez, who follows his
book rules without understanding the philoso-
ply upon which they rest aud Of course, with
out knowing where they are applicable and
where they are napplicable, assumes, that be-
cause what is called " drilling improves regu.
lars, it must therefore improve militiameL
Nothing can be more shallow. The longer
regular soldier is kept under drill, the more
completely he is reduced to that condition Of
habitaal and instructive obedience. which con.
stitutes bis great value in the field. The longer
a militiaman is kept under drill the more
homesick, dissatisfied and mutnous he becomes
A regular enlisted man settles down to soldier
ing as a business The miitiaman has shoul.
dered his musket under an impulse Of patriot.
ism, or from love of excitement, and the i'm
pulse loses its power with each succeeding day
ness OF discipline which converts man into a
machine, and he loses more m:rdle under
the degree of discipline to which he can
be made TO submit, than be gains by it.
The best fighting by militia in the Revolu
ton, was done by them, when they were fresh
from their homes. If the militiamen on Bun.
ker's Hill had been drilled three months, they
hQ run af tha 6rct fro Tpeto n
being enthusiastic patriots as they were full
of courage and zeal, they would have been
soured enfeebled, and demoralzed men. The
three months drilling would have ruined them.
In the present war, where freshly organized
regiments have been put into immediate ser.
vice, as in Missouri and in Western Virginia
they have behaved admirably. No regiment
for example, ever fought more heroically, than
the Kansas regiment at Wilson Creek and that
was with such troops, equally fresh, that Gen
Mcclellan liberated Western Virginia.
By way of contrast, is the case of Gen. Pat
terson's army, which was forbidden to fight
until within week Of the expiration of the terms
Of service of nineteen regiments. 1t had then be-
come essential to operations desired to be made
that these regiments should volunteer to over
stay their time few days, but urgent as was the
appeal to them to stay, only four regiments
responded to it favorably. II the same appeal
had been made to them six weeks before. the
whole nineteen regiments would have demand
ed with cheers to he led to battle, and would
have fought like heroes. 1t was the fatal delay
in camp which had destroyed all their enthu
siasIn, and they went home to avoid the yer,
Thing which they had left home three month
before to seek.
All sound reasoning and all experience
prove that when militia regiment is organ
ized differed equipped, and provided will
transportation the sooner it is brought into
battle the better. The longer it is drilled tn
more inefficient it becomes not that drilling /
IN itself injurious but that inactive camp lit
is demoralizing to all soldiers except regula
soldiers
There is still another aspect of this case
which is that even il drilling is useful We gai
nothing by waiting TO drill as in the same tim
the enemy can drill also. We can either pr,
cipitate undisciplned troops upon undisc
plined troops, or We can drill them yea
and then send them against men who have ais
drilled year. Preparation is 4 game whic
TWO can Dlay