The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-01-31

There can be no doubt that our armies are
wasting away very rapidly. We number four
ffths Of million soldiers on the pay rolls, but
well.informed authorities say that there are
not over half . million men IN actual service;
that in fact the government is paying nearly
If not quite a. many men out of the army-in
hospital or absent with and without lesve--as
in the army. It is estimated that to keep the
army up to half million We need 123. 900 re-
cruits annually. Where are We to get them!
Besides, the term Of the 30O, 900 nine months
men expires in the spring, and at least fifty
regiments Of two years men will march home
before the first of June. Nearly, one half Of
| our present army will be entitled to discharge
before the 4st Of July next; how are their
places to be filed! That is . question Com
gress must determine now, OF give up the VA,
for six months hence No shall certainly be
out.numbered and driven back again BY the
enemy, unless within that time We can Get
600, 900 recruits from some quarter, 1t 10 true
|thst great victories ct the East and West, such
@ We have long hoped for, might obviate this
necessity, in part ut least; but our experience
thus fer does not warrant US in calculating
with any confidence upon success. Congress
must assume that the war will 60 on pretty
much % il has. and provide men and means
spring in as had fix % We were last spring.
The patriotism IF the country is not clean
gone. If our present armies shall achieve inn
portant successes during the winter campaign
b new call for volunteers will meet with some
response. II things drag on Is they have late.
II there will be NO more volunteering, and We
do not believe draft can be enforced under
such circumstances a. must exist after three
months more of laundering and slaughter
The promised enthusiasm over tie emancipa-
ton edict has not helped the matter in the
slightest degree, and it has never been ~
difficult to enlist men, even in Massachusetts,
- ct this moment, Notwithstanding the gush-
ing rhetoric Of our governor. The obvious
conclusion is that We must have the negroes 10
the war-as many Of them as We can get-and
% soon a. possible. HsI
Let Congress- authorize the employment Of
half million negro soldiers. taking not only
the negroes freshly emsncipsted, but the free
negroes Of the North and South, and Of the
border slave states too. There are thousands
Of our northern colored men who will make
good soldiers without much drilling. Many
Of them are fitted by intelligence and charsc-
ter to become officers, and the southern me-
groes should be led by men Of their own race,
as far as this is possible. The places We now
hold in the South, New Orleans, Hilton Head,
Memphis-pretty soon, if affairs prosper,
Charleston, Mobile and Vioksburg-shou be
made places Of rendezvous for these negro ar
mics; and if the business OF enlisting and or
ganizing them is entered upon at once, by the
summer We may have black armies capable
not merely Of garrison duty, according to the
timid suggestion Of the president, but Of carry
ing on an active campaign through the hot
season in the cotton and Gulf states, while the
remnants of our white armies are concentrat-
ed for another effort to get to Richmond
Why not let the negroes fight if they will
Can the hunkerest Of hunkers give q reason
that will bear examination? Negroes fought
well in our first revolution; negroes did good
service in the war Of 1872; certainly in this
war they not only have common interest with
white Americans in crushing the rebellion,
but still stronger motives in the prospect Of
freedom for their race on this continent-and
under the fsrocious war policy Of JEFF Davis,
if the negroes fight at oil they will fight des-
perstely, for it will bs literally victory or
death" to them. s'But they will not fight at
ALL" Try them, and see. If they are not up
to it, so much the worse for them; We lose no.
thing by it. If they fight well so much the
better for us; We save 80 many white men; and
the race that is to get the largest benefit from
the war will help win its victories, as they
should. The negro is in the war;, for better or
worse-irrevocably inland there is now no
course for the government but to make the
most Of him. - IL