, 1863-10-25

though CopperheadB tlnnk other wise.
rHoUsArD DE-
SKRTEH8 At LARGE.
Il is reported there are Jet eighty-eight
thousand deserters at large. a great num-
ber have been caught and returned to their
regiments, but perhaps as many have In
hcmeantme escaped from the army. We
do not believe that deserters are being |
reclaimed any faster than others are run
ming of, 30 that the aggregate number |
absent from duty Ii not being reduced in |
the least.
Dese,tion is one Of if not the greatest |
evil in the army. Not only does it seriously
weaken the regiments, but it demoral,zes
the men remaining. Hten men escape from
their company. and are not brought back,
the example infects perhaps forty Of those
remaining, fills them with discontcnta and
sets them to watching for chances to de-
scrt.
We never could understand why the
War Department shows SO much indi1er~
encc to desertion, why it makes 30 small
exertious to reclaim those that have ruo
away. The arrest and return Of deserter
not only adds man to the ranks. but it
tends to prevent others from deserving.
There would be few dcsertions It the men
believed that concealment was impossible,
and return certain. But the whole rank
and file OF the army know full we'll that
the War Department makes but little effort
for the reclamation Of descrters, and that
the vast majority OF them are not sent
back, or punished in any way. The Presi-
dent has called for 100000 men. Nearly
one-third Of this number mig ght be procured
by sending back to duty the s., 900 deserters
skulking through the country. Il these
men were promptly returned to duty, they
would make so great reinforcement to
the army as to enable it "to move on the
enemy's works"
But how shall they be caught and re-
turned? Certainly not by the method
heretofore in practice. For the first eigh-
teen months Of the war, there was no re-
ward offered for the apprehension Of de-
se1tcrs, that VIC heard Of; for the next nine
months ten dollars was offered; for the
last six or eight weeks thirty dollars is Of:
fered; and here VIC have the solution OF
the Ill success Of the War Department in
sending them back The Government
should be willing to spend es much in re-
covering deserters Us in obtaining re-
c1uits-indecd moro. The reward paid for
their recovery to service should be so high
as to make it pecuniary object for citi-
zens, as well IS professional detectives, to
search them out and arrest them. The
Government has always paid bounty Of
500 for volunteer recruits, and it should
psy reward Of 500 for the apprehension
Of desc,ters. If q citizen shall give such
information to a Provost Marshal as
shall lead to the arrest and recovery Of
deserter, he ought to be pad at least $50;
and for every deserter caught by citizens
and delivered to the Provost Marshal, the
reward should be 500. The full reward
Of 500 should be paid to the Marshals
and their deputies for every deserter they
find sud return to duty. We believe
that if this reward were paid, deserters
would be picked up ard sent back at the
rate of 1000 a week. Sharp eyes would
Immediately be On the watch for the skulk-
ers in every. neighborhood. Deserters
would not find so many people ready to
harbor OF employ them, or to resist the
officers in arresting them. Finding detec-
ton and arrest almost certain. thousands
OF deserters would voluntarily return to
their regiments TO escape punishment OF
secure lenient treatment, and the other sol
diers would feel infinitely less temptation
to desert their colors when they saw thai
those who ran away were sure to be caught
and sent back.
| 4 slight knowledge Of human nature
and the application Of little common
sense will effectually cure the alarming
disease Of deee1tion, and restore to service
in very short time, nine-tenths Of those
now absent from duty without leave, The
Government is now Offering $500 Of bounty
for volunteer recruits. It should offer a.
large q sum for the reclamation Of desert
ers, il less reward shall not prove suff1
cient. The present petty reward Of $3t
is but making farce Of the thing, and i
saying to the country and the army tha
the crime OF desertion, aud the loss Of l
soldier by it, is only regarded as damag
to the Government Of $50. People vii
not generally put themselves to the disa
i greeable trouble Of catching runaway sol
, diers, so long as the War Department mau
ifests but one-tenth as much desire to 1e
J clam ieserter as to obtain recruit.