Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-03-12
a For the Standard. :
THE ORDINANCE TO RAISE THE STATES
QUOTA OF TROOPS FOR, TIVE wan

"a Z q I
,opy Of the Ordinance adopted by the Convention
% raise North. Carona's quota of troops for the
Confederate service. 1t to me liable 70 sew
sral objections and manifestiy inferior to the act
fer the same purpose passed by the Legislature of
Virginia. Our Ordinance presents to my mind much
and some inconsistency. 1t pretends
to secure to the enlisted men the selection Of their
officers, and at the same time gives It to the Gov
cruor. Whilst il aims to secure the enlistment of |
the requisite number OF recruits that end is to be
attained by such complex and rival means as to
render it almost Intellectual; certainly to deprive
the State troops regiments, those who originally
enlisted for the oar, of the power to be recruited
up to the maximum number
will not pretend to discuss the relative merits
OF the two systems Of differing troops whether the
rank and file should elect or the Governor appoint
them but will say, the two methods cannot easily
be so blended together being inconsistent with each
other, as to apply to the officers. One or the
other plan must give way, occurred in the torma-
ton OF the present State troops regiments. The
act Of the Legislature providing for the raising Of
the ten infantry regiments of State troops gave to
the Governor the appointment OF all commissioned
officers. 1t was pet scheme of Coz. Ellis, throw
ing intahis hands the dispensing of about five hun
dred appointments. He bestowed them lavish,ngy
upon his political and personal friends In a short
time the singular spectacle presented itself of
ten regiments Of officers and not a battalion of
men. The consequence was that those who held
commissions field officers in order to raise their
regiments and secure their seats in the saddle were
compelled to look to the various volunteer colnpa
MES already formed, having elected their company
officers for the material to compose these regiments
and to intercede with the Military Board to allow
these companies to join their regiments with the
understanding that the company Off :erS which they
had already elected should be commissioned
Not until this course was pursued, could single
regiment of State troops be formed. In the regi
ment to which belong there is not one of the com.
pany officers originally appointed to it, The whole
batch of these official favorites, almost without
ception, proved themselves incompetent to raise a:
company Thus the appointing power vested in the
Governor, had, SO far AS it related to the company
officers of these regiments, to succumb to the
elective
The two methods thus embraced in the formation
OF the State troops regiments, present in the selec
tons made under them this remarkable contrast,
almost without exception the field officers who owe
their appointments to the Governors selection. en-
tertained political sentiments in harmony with his
own whilst the company officers sel,cted.by the men
who were to fight under Them of the opposition.
The contrast is made more striking when we re-
member that the latter were not unfrequently de-
nominated "submi>sioniSts."
The 9th section of the Convention Ordinance,
provides for the re-enStnient of volunteers already
in the service THAT they may retain their present
organization or re organize at their o2tion-in the
latter they shall he thrown into npanies &C."
Would it not have been better to have allowed, OF
even offered them some inducemcnt to join any one
Of the State troops reg ments now in the field9
The 9th section provides. That the Governor
shall have power to appoint captains and eutenants
to recruit men for the service aforesaid, and to
ganize the men recruited into companies andregi
ncnts; and the company commissioned Officers shall
in all cases elect their field officers under the rules
now prescribed: Prorided, hoVecer, That no person
shall receive a commission or pay under said ap
pontlnents eXcep. fellows: When any person
shall tender forty privates wLo in writing have
agreed to serve under him. Captains commission
and pay and III like manner for twenty five pr-
Yates first LieueuantS commission and pay and
for fifteen privateS Il second Lieutenant's commits
sion and pay
Suppose, under this section, Capt. A. of Martin
county. tenders the names of forty men agreeing in
9riting to serre under him Lieut. 4 of Ashe the
names Of twenty-five; Lieut.. G. of Macon and Lieut.
D. of Anson the Of fifteen each tn " form
company Of ninety five enlisted men, fifty five Of
whom have not agresd in nri'iag to serve under
Captain A., and in all probability would not vote
for him; seveaty-tve have neither agreed or would
vote for the first Lieutenant g.; eight have neither
agreed would have voted for either of the second
Leutenants-then, of what avail is the prescribed
agreement IN nritng to serre undsr these officers
There is very decided majority against each, and
had the company held an election after lis formation
neither of them wouli have probably been elected,
yet thorc is the pretended se,nbance of the men
selecting each. Surely the Convention could not
have intended it as deceptive catch. To say the
least, it dictates to the recruits whom they shall
/; ect to lead them Was the object to place in the
, field large number Of recruiting officers? Al
ready had snbatern and enlisted man OF each cou-
panv, by order of the War Department. been dis
patched from the egimentS now in the field. to the
section of country IRON which each of these Com.
anies came to recruit them up to one hundred and
.wenty-tiv men. Would it not have been better to
i'll these regiments up to the maximum before form.
ing Others or to have left open field To- the recruit
ny officers from these reg iment>, rather than par
ze their efforts by offering commissions to compel.
ny parties, who, with the same bounty to Offer and
pretended Semb!ance of allowing recruits the Sc
lection Of their officers, would have the incentive OF
,tfce to induce them to add some gra,uity favor,
ehaps the pro Mise of non. commissioned office to
.educe the recruit from the State Troops officer
This was surely not the intention of the Ordinance
nut, ! fear, will be its effect.
The State Troops of North Carolina are the hest
qupped best drilled and best disciplined soldiers
have seen in the Confederate service. Those il
his army have that reputation. Already being in
or the war. fully and efficiently organized and
Quppeu Will lleT ranks neQ 10 Twelve nuNQfeC
md fifty men. they would he force Of twelve
thousand five hundred men, more efficient and bet
Ter prepared for active service in the early spring
campaign. than any like number furnished by eithc
# the other States. Of course fifty raw recruit.
would learn much faster, and sooner become eti
ient, when placed IN the same company with sew
;ntv veterans, than with seventy as green as them
selves. moments reflection will suggest man,
other advantages There is one which l canno
omit calling attention to- These regiments nov
number about seven hundred men each. They ar
fully Differed. TO increase them to twelve hun
dTed and fifty men would not add single officer
Suppose, instead Of being increased they retail
their present number; the Confederate Gopernmen
wanting SO many men, not many regiments, i
becomes necessary for North Carolina to double tn
number OF regiments She therefore places ano,he
regiment OF eight hundred men by the side Of on
of these old regiments The two Of fifteen hundre.
men would not be SO easily lnaneuvred togethe.
nor SO efficient as twelve hundred and fifty :ne