The New York herald., 1862-07-30
The BungIe In Recruiting.


The BungIe In Recruiting.
The Governor Of this State comedies in tho
opinions freely expressed by our military lead
ers, by our journals and by our patriotic mer
chants, that the general government should
take the recruiting business from the severa
States, and manage it upon some comprehensive
system, and that the old regiments Of the army
should be filed to their full complement befors
any new ones are organized. We hope that the
Governors of all the loyal States will be equally
sen sible prudent and considerate. There can
be nothing gained by distributing the recruit
ing among the different State authorities, while
political generals and colonels, avaricious con-
tractors and middlemen will swarm upon us,
and the bungle in regard to bounties will con-
tinue to operate disadvantagcously to recruit
ing everywhere.
What is most needed now is TO place immedi-
ately in the field large army of trained
soldiers. By the plan now in vogue it will
lake at least six months to raise, equip and
drill such an army. If, however, the geaeral
government takes charge Of the recruiting, Of
fers large but equal bounty in every State
equips the soldiers as they enlist and fills up the
old regiments with the earliest recruits we shall
have an immense army in the field in a few
weeks time, and can increase its numbers by
sending on new regiment every day, as we
did during the excitement which followed the
repulse at Bull! run. 1t canlot be too often re-
peated or too strongly insisted upon that by
continually recruiting the old regimcnts we
keep veteran army continually IN the field.
The first Napoleon always made few cemps-
nies Of veterans the nucleus OF regiment OF
conscrpts. The rebels, who have also been
obliged to resort to drafting and conscripton,
adopt the same plan. The rebel army at Rich
mond was suddenly swelled into immense pro-
portions; but it did not become mere mob.
The drafted men, collected by force from every
quarter of the South, we're incorporated into
regiments already existing, and the result was
the creation, as if by magic, of a numerous and
we'll disciplined army, led by experienced on
GERS. Wonld it not be wise for us to take
lesson from the rebels, as they learned from
Napoleon, in this matter?
| Both Napoleon and the rebel leaders knew
better than TO organize regiments and brl-
gades entirely Of new recruits to confront
an experienced and disciplined foe. The
reason why General Mcclellan delayed so long
ut Washington before moving against Manassas
was, principally, that he might transform the
rabb,e which retrcated from Bull run and the
reiniorcemcnts which arrived from the North
into an army OF soldiers. Had the rebels op-
posed brigadcs of new conscripts to our Army
or the Potomac, we should have swept them
away like cnaif in spite OF their superiority in
numbers. The fate of raw brigaGes may be
seen in that of General Casey, which, az a
brigade, could not Withstand tho enemy for
moment, though detachmcnts Of its soldiers
fought gloriously. The old brigades Of the sane
army encountered the same enemy and drove
him triumphantiy from the field. Ia not the
lesson plain that we should endeavor to have
| all our brigades composed OF veterans! BY re-
| cruiting the old regiments we do this. The new
| recruits have the advantage Of experienced
officers; and this is moro than half the battle
They have the prestige of the regiment to en-
courage them; and this amounts to so much
that, at Waterloo. Wellington could not con-
quer Napoleon's Imperial Guard, though he de-
stroycd every one of its members They are sur
rounded by experienced comrades, who can in
slruct them in camp life and in drill, and stimu-
| late them by example on the field of battle
In point of fact, every recruit joining an old
regiment becomes veteran, conducts himself
| like veteran in his first battle, lives like
veteran in camp, and shares and increases the
| blood-bought glories of his veteran corps.
But we urge upon the War Department tho
revision Of this recruiting business, not only
| because the plan Of filling up old regiments is
the best but also because it is the quickest
way OF increasing our army. Thirty regiments
are started at once in this State; they are filed
up at the same time, and are ready for service
at the same time; but what good do they do us
or what harm do they do the enemy during that
long interval which elapses between their ini-
tiation and completion? None al all. Now.
suppose that instead Of the recruits being thus
irittercd away by dividing them between thirty
regiments here, they should he sent on to Wash
ington in squads Us soon as enlisted. and appor-
toned among the regiments already in the
Geid. Why, every man would become Of I'm
mediate service, and the army would be imrne-
| diatey reinforced. We hope, therefore, that
! Us the plan Of frat filling up tine old
regiments ny tue uuoptiou VI sVMV SDhS'Ss
national system Of recruiting is thus demon
stra.cd to be the least expensive, the best and
the quickest way Of increasing our army, 1t will
be speedily inaugurated by the government,
and that, il any discrimination be made in re-
gard 60 bounties, the men who volunteer ex-
prcssly for old regiments will be especially
favored
| THE TRIBUNE AND GENERAL McCLE'L.r--
| Poor old Greeley sneakingly denies that he has