Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1863-04-09
.v'oa.shes.as H'eses.
The Northern and Sonlhern Army.

The New York Tribune has the
following extraordinary article upon
the respective military organizations
North and South. It is significant,
and reviews not only The military
Isystems of the North and South, and
Of the English and French armies,
but presents the only plan by which
the effective force of an army in the
fisld can be kept ur: s
Foreign nations are astoniShed that
seven millions Of Southerners, bur-
dened with The care of watching three
millions of negro slaves, should have
been able, for nearly two entire years,
Ito hold at bay twenty millions of
ENerthetners. There is one reason
! for this result demanding more con.
sideration thanit has yet received
The military system of the South,
though not perfect, approaches per.
fiction. Our military system is SO
imperfect and irrational that i. com.
peIs US all the time 10 oppose raw
levies to disciplined troops.
( Military writer's estimate that 10
al ordinary campaign the wear and
tear Of in army by death, wounds.
and disease. amounts to one-fourth
/ Of the whole force. Say that we
have an army of 100000 men 10
arms the annual wear and tear will
be 100000 meg; aud to keep up the
army TO its present strength, We must
furnish annually 200,00O recruits
Upon the mode in which these 200,.
600 recruits are used depends the
whole question of the efficiency Of
the whole army.
The Southern system is to distrib-
ute their available conscripts among
their old regiments, keeping each
regiment rs near as possible up to
Its full number. "Our memorable
successes" says President Davis, in
his late message, "Are with justice as
Icribed iu great measure to the reor-
ganization and reinforc ment Of our
armies under the operation OF the
conscrip,ion." The Northern sys-
Item is to keep perpelually raising new
reg ments, and to allow the old vet
ersn regiments to dwindle away to
ne,hing, till, il a year or TWO, there
will be nothing lett them but COM
missoued and noG-commissiOned OIL
fcefs, all drawing high salaries. To
regiments Of veterans we oppose. on
The battlefield, regiments of raw re-
cFuits commanded by raw officers,
gand then wonder that the result is
often Struggling, skulking, insubordI-
nation, panic, flight, aud defeat =
With disciplined troops the worst
generals some:imes succeed: with
raw levies, war, instead OF being a
game Of aearly pure skill, becomes
a mere game 81 chance; and the
best general in the world can make
no certain calculations as to what his
men will do, or whether they viii dc
) anything at all
81 Both in the Eoglish and the Frencl
armies, and, we believe, in all Euro
pean armies OF the present day,
) simple but more Efficient system OF
} recruiting, WHICH was first invented
: by the great Napoleou. is now uni
, versally adopted Every regimen
is composed of three or four battal
) ions, one Of which, called the depo
2 bs ttalion, rtniains permanently a
J home in some garrisoned town, re
5 ceiving and training Of recruits, an
forwarding them as fast as they ar
3 trained, to the war batfalioas whc
, are engaged in active service. 5.
Z this admirable plan the effective fore
4 OF the army in tho field is kept up I
| its full standard, aud not a man
Z put to work at soldering until ho la
4 learned the trade.
| sNapoleon, says the historic
8 Tbiers, -paid extreme attention
the organization Of the dspots. Il
. resolved to make the cocscrlpts II
2 pair thither a year beforehand, tha
J during this year, Instructed, tralne'
D eaured to fatigue. they might be rel
iered capable of replacing the ol
- soldiers carried of by time or WA
n Excepting some regiments o. iuia'
A. try consisting Of four battalions. a
" tue others had three, Two of whit
\ were war oattalions destined to tai
4