New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1863-02-06
MILITARY ORGANIZATION.


Foreign nations arc astonished that seven
millions Of Southerners, burdened with the care
Of watching three millions of negro slaves, should
have been able for nearly two entire years to
hold at bay twenty millions Of Nortberners
There is one reason for this result demanding
more confederation than it has yet received.
TIE military system of the South though not
perfect, approaches perfection. Our military
system is so imperfect and irrational that it
compels us all the time to oppose raw levies to
disciplined forces.
Military writers estimate that in an ord-
nary campaign the wear aud tear OF an army
by DEATH wounds and disease, amounts TO one
fourth of its whole force. Say that we have
goo. 600 men 10 arms. The annual wear and
tear will therefore be 100000 men, aud 70
keep up the army to its present strength wo
must furnish annually 20O,OOO recruits. Upou
the mode IN which these 200, GOO recruits arc
used depends tho whole question of the eiclen.
cy of the army.
The Southern system is to distribute their
available conscripts among the cd regiments,
keeping each regiment US near as possible. up
10 It's full number. I" Our many memorable
successes" says President Davis in his late
Message. are with justice ascrlbed in largo
measure 10 the reorganization and reen-
forccment Of our armies under the oper.
alton of the conscripton.' The Northern
system is to keep perpetaally raising new
regiments, and to allow the old veteran
regiments to dwndle away to nothing,
till ID a year or two there will be nothing leis
of them but commissioned and non-cCmms.
stoned officers, all drawing high salaries. 10
regiments of veterans we oppose on the battle
| field regiments of raw recruits commanded BY
raw officers, md then wonder that the resut
il often struggling, skuIking, INSTRUMENTATION,
pauic.h,ght, and defeat With disciplined
troops the worst Generals sometimes succeed;
with raw lcyics, war, instead of being game
of nearly pure skill, becomes mere game Of
chance; and the best General in the word can
make no certain calculation as TO what Dis
men will do, or whether they viii do anything
at Ill.
BotA i'll the Eoglish aud in the French armies
and, we believe, il oil European armies at tho
present day, simple but most efficient system
of recruiting, which was first invented by tae
great Napoleon, is universally adopted. Every
regiment is composed OF three or four BAL
taiions, one of which, called the depot BATTALION
remans permanently at home III some garrison
town, receiving and training recruits, ana
forwarding them as fast as they ms
trained, TO The war battall0ns which Ao
engaged in active services. BY this admrs'
ole plan the effective force of the army 10 mo
field is kept Up TO its full standard, and n@s
man is put to work at soldering uutil be na'
learned the trade.
Napoleon" says the historian Theirs. 'paa
extreme attention to the organic ilon OF no
depots. He resolved to make the consenp"
repair thither year beforehand, that, durns
this year. instructed, trained, enurcd to iargae'
they might be rendered capable Of replacing
the old soldiers carried of by time or VAL
!, Excepting some regiments OF infantry coAa'F
ing of four battslons, all the others had 'hi'''
two of which were war battaons des'ineu
Take the field, and one n depo- osttal'"a P''',.
in general upon the frontier. IN
n necessarily repeated, that on the attention P'-
to the depot battaiions depended the qa''y
and the duration Of an army AT a suDsel''"
t period Napoleon, in his eagerness to naA'
&. greater numbeE OF has soldiers available ~
| once in the field, reorgaAized the French a'"''
so that each regiment should consist oil sew"
q war battalions and only one depot ba''a0"
q And it is q most instructive fact that i've
, this period commenced tho series Of r''e''',
!. experienced by his arms, which cu'iD.a,'
d eventually in HI. doWalau. aud thai f~i'