Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-09-05


situation or force. 1t is presumed the prop
Of officers know, but they very properly
keep it TO themselves. You have much
better means of knowing there at Wheeling
than we here, as TO things 10 that direction.
Besides the orders of the War Department
stand in the way of people tell
ing what little they do happen to know.
Four companies of the Twelfth Virginia
received marching orders yesterday even
ing, and left last night at ten o'clock under
command of Lieut.. Col. Northcott, for
or Beverly, most probably the
latter. They were the two companies from
Harrison, Capts. AoifiItt and Mercer, Capt.
of Marshall, and Capt. Brown's
of Hancock. The order was very uncx-
pected, both officers and men expecting
that they were to remain at this point a few
days Mt least for drill. But instead of that
this fine regiment which never had u bat
talliOn drill or dress parade, which was or
ganized one day and received orders to
march the following night, is now divided,
and no one can say when the parts will
come together again.
am not insensibie that unmilitary peo-
Pile are presumed not to know any thing
abont military business, but nevertheless
submit it to the plain sense of common
sense people, whether such measures (if 9TH
ere hkeit are to follow are not, to say the
least, injudicious. Here is regiment COM
posed OF as good material for soldiers as
any ever organized in the State, ordered to
the theatre of supposed danger before ever
having had an hours drill in regiment
On the way arms are for the first time put
into their hauds-a kind of arms to which
none of them had ever been accustomed,
which they cannot handle with any sort of
dexIerity, and can scarcely load-several
of them having actually rammed home
cartridges with the ball downward. More
than that, fully oue-third of these arms are
absolutely worthless. have seen men
snap half dozen caps before the barrel
would explode, and others try the caps
fully as often before exploding them. Some
which would not FIRE ut all were examined,
and it was found that the cylinders Il be-
lieve that part is called which joins the
tube to the barely had never been drilled
out at all, wilhelm others the hollow OF the
tube WAS too small to admit tho powder
The one would not shoot at all, and the
other scarcely once 10 a half dozen trials.
On nll, the tubes are 50 large that the caps
when pressed down are split open and liza
BILE to drop off the moment the cock is rails
cd. In those guns that will notexplOde the
caps, it is simply the fault of the lock-ths
main spring being too weak. These are
not the weapons to which soldier is will
ling to entrust his life; for the GUMS to the
soldier as the plank to tho sailor. As long
US the planks are sound aud the bark is
tight and trim beneath his feet, he defies
the elements and laughs at fate; and while
the soldiers weapon is true and trusty he
is willing to fight the world, the flesh, the
devil or jeff Davis but ifthe plank is rot
ten or the gun isLreRcherOus, the sailor and
the soldier alike lose heart and courage,
for thechances of life are against them let
them do their best.
The facts stated in regard to the guns
are disagreeable, but facts nevertheless, and
are stated in no spirit of fault finding, ard
for no other purpose than TO suggest to
those who may be able to do so that this
evil of defective arms he remedied, it pos
sible, and rs soon rs possible. Certainly
these guns were never inspected by tue
agents of the Government who purchased
them. Are there not yet IL large number
OF the same kind in store In Wheeling for
the other new regiments? If so, they ought
to be examined Ht once, and all defective
ones repaired; for it is little better than
slaughter to send men into action with such
weapons as some these arc.
But to resume the former line of remark.
Aside from the consideration OF dividing a
regiment while utterly raw and undrilled,
it appears like very singular order to send
forward to point of danger four compn-
mics of perfectly raw troops who loaded
their muskets and filled their cartridge
boxes for the first time on starting, while q
large number of drilled and experienced
troops were lying idle in their tents not fifty
yards away. Would it not have been bet
ter to have sent them out for little whole
some exercise and put the green ones-who
couldn't go through the facings or keep
step even, but who could guard point
where there was no danger Just as
well-under the teaching of the drill mas
ter, to be instructed in the manual of arms,
US well as the manual of legs, and all
other things essential to make the confident
and efficient soldier2
If our new regiments are ever to be of
any account, they should be used ina way
to make them so-not killed up in every
sense within month or two as such a
start off would promise. The men who
have volunteered 10 do our fighting have
n right to expect that they are to be man
featured into soldiers before they can do
the work of soldiers. If their lives are
worth anything 10 themselves, their fami-
lies, or to the State, that is what
ought to be done. If the danger is
imminent let them go on to meet it just as
any other mob of citizens would go, where
there are none others to do itbetter, but
don't expect them to do any moro or better
than other men of tho same experience-or
want of experience rather-would do. 1t
is the tirmness of step, the dexterity of
grasp, the resoluteness of purpose, the con
idence of certainty and the GOODNESS of
cOurage-that are brought out, if not iu
and though men look like soldiers the day
after they are uniformed, yet they are not
soldiers in fact and cannot be for weeks or
months.
Officers to whom is entrusted the lives
of so many should attend to such eonside.
rations. The life of every soldier is pre-
sumed to be not only consideration of
some moment to himself, but is devoted to
tho republic and ought to be husbanded SO