The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-02-12
Condition Of the Rebel Cavalry.

heavy increase Of the cavalry arm Of the |
service. They would make it outnumber,
il possible, all other description of troops. |
They appeal to the good, solid work Of
Morgan, Wheeler, and Forrest in the
West, and TO the clever performances OF
Stuart in The East, in proof Of the super
excellence Of the mounted service. With
Morgan and Wheeler on their lips, they
are enthusiastic for cavalry. Inspired
by Transporting patriotism, they plead
for vast increase Of horsemen with the
zeal Of revival preachers for converted
sinners.
They show by their devotion TO their
one idea that they have not been much in
camp; that they are unscJuaioted with
the Confederate service; that they knew
very little Of the opinion entertained in
the army of'ahe cavalry;'' hndthat they
know even less of The feeling toward them
cherished by the people inhabiting the
regions traversed by these troops.
The country people have a propensity
TO suit the photography Of words to the
ideas associated with the things which
thay are intended TO designate They call
Gotswoid sheep a Sc0tph- wool sheep,
having the idea that Scotch wool is very
long and coarse. The idea of a most
horrible cruciixi0n is associated in the
pious mind with the name of Cavalry
and inasmuch as the people, and all they
have and owD, are literally crucifed
when the mounted troops come about in
the simplicity Of the unlettered mind,
they confound the technical word desig-
I ss~,N
full name in all the Scriptures.
a few special detachments OF "our
cavalry" have done great service; but il
we leave out Of view the daring, heroic,
and invaluable servicesof these brlgades,
| the rest have been a scourge to the pco--
| pie and curse 10 the cause The cx-
pense of horse troops is enormous il is
three times as great 10 the Treasury as
that of infsniry and the intliction upon
the people Of their rapacious and wanlon
| depredatons is teniOld more than that
suffered from any other troops There
| has not been a considerable battle during
the war in which the performances of
"Our cavalry" have marked any feature
Of the eng gemcnt; and in one of the
chief duties OF mounted troops-,hat Of
completing a victory by running down
and utterly destroying a routed foe
their services have been below zero
The war has been remarkable in the
fact that it has been fought without that
important element of European armies
known as dragons, Extended level
plains suited to the operations Of these
troops are few on our portion Of the
continent. The heavy compact charge
of real cavalry, at the critical moment Of
the battle bearing down everything be-
fore it, and deciding the fate of the day,
has not been witnessed in this war. The
surest indication of imminent battle to
the infantry soldier, impatient for the
conflict, is the order, Cavalry TO the
rearw a movement he witnesses with
shouts of derisiOn and exultatiOn. We
have little cavalry in our service; few
dragons, light or heavy fewer still that
fulfil the technical idea and purpose of
such troops. When fighting is to be
done, the cavalry are ordered out of the
way.
A faithful description of the general
physiognomy of the Cavalry" as they
are seen in their camps and upon their
strolling marches, might bring a CHASTITY
smile on the rigid lips of the most inn
passable actetic, provided he were off at
a safe distance but the terror which
seizes the people on their approach is
overwhelming. They are usually armed
with every conceivable weapon of offence
except the sabre of the real dragon.
They are as ignorant of the drill as Of
the sabre practice, They are comforta-
bly, clad, but as unwashed and as I'M
kempt as the urchins that play about the
wigwams in Nebraska Their steeds
are strangers TO the curEycomb, stained
with habitual mud, small and rickety,
and in the order which three rations a
week of corn, supplied by the Govern .
ment, and as much hay as can be beg
ged or wrested from the farmers along
their march, together with hard and
reckless riding, may be supposed to pro-
duce.
The sensations they create aud the
value of service they render may be in.
ferred upon a single example, A body Of
Yankee horse lately made a raid from q
distance of several hundred miles into
our lines dashed down upon one Of oul
railroads, burnt some bridges, destroyed
several miles Of railroad, and made theil
way back in no great haste. They passed
through certain village going and re,
turning, stopped few hours each time
took few horses, but had no fine iol
other depredations. The cavalry" wen
in pursuit but did not catch the Yankees
stopped in the same village, and stripped
its owners remorsely of every blade o
hay and fodder to be found, every bushe
os corn they could put their hands on
and even robbed the smokehouses of thei
meat. The Cavalry" accomplished
o great deal, but il is a deal of mischief
, they perform vast amount Of service
, but, unhappily, as general rule, 1t in
, ures indirectly to the benefit Of the enc
my. Their lack Of economy is as deplor
able as their lack of drill and discipline
| and a general disbanding Of at least two
, thirds of the numerous corps now in Chi
! field would be hailed with Joy by all th,
people whom they clam to protect
There are a few brigades OF splendit
mounted troops in the Confederate ser
vice; but that prodigious body of stroll
ling hOrsemen who lead an unsettled
gypsy life in the border country, stealing
here, robbing there, begging in this place
and behaving a little better in that; VIII,
are never card Of in the vicinity Of th,
enemy; who are always too late TO catcl
the Yankees when in force, but are dread
: fully ferocious on all individuals ever 90
loyal 10 the South, whom they choose e
: denounce as Union men, and who ar,
/ kuomn anono tha common rsaonia hu fhi