Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-24
Kilpatriek's Raid-HoW it Damaged the Re
heiIi0u,
From the Richmond Wing, March ST.

From the Richmond Wing, March ST.
Throw out Of the account the valuable
lives of our citizen soldiers lost by the late
raid; throw out, too, the negroes, horses,
mules and cattle stolen, the mills and iron
works burnt, the bridges destroyed, the rail-
roads torn up, the alarm Of the women and
children in the country and city-caSt these
all aside and look at the matter from another
point Of view.
For three or four days all the Departments
and all the workshops have been closed. We
may be sure that the clerks and EMPLOYEES.
tagged out by marches, exposure and priva-
ton, will be in no condition to work to-day
The day of rest comes in good time for them
On Monday next, then, the public business
will be resumed-unless, indeed, some mis-
chievous scout takes it into his head to give
the people of Richmond another shaking up
Nearly ageek 2rU thus hare been lost and lost al
time nbee every moment IS of precious galese
Thirty days. grace II, mtjch to tiu5d sir hundred
millions of dollars, and the Treasury closed dr.
ing seen of those days!
If we turn from the Treasury to the great
workshops where the munitions of war are
made, the case is as bad, or worse, for the
time lost cannot be made up in either of
these places. But count the cost. Each
clerk and each artisan is paid s., so, SIS or
$50 day. His pay goes on, while the Gov
eminent is furnishing him rations in the field
and losing his skilled labor-the only thing
which saves him from regular military SER
vice. Taken suddenly from a warm room.
and exposed to rain and sleet, loss of sleep,
scant and badly cooked food, 1t IS bit fair to
infer that the Iarger number of these clerks and
handicrattsme1s acU be made more or less sick.
and rendered incapable Of Official ia6or for aeeeks
to come. Tie chances are that some of them aoiU
de- -A,ad skilled labor is scarce enoasyh IN this
Confederacy, 07sile all, or nearly all, tie Depart
nae,ats are 6elti,edtand in their worh.
The pay of a cayalryman is thirteen dollars
month. His horse costs more than that, but
the two together do not cost per month more
than a clerks or artisans pay per week, or
very little more. The cavalryman, properly
disciplined and kept in hand, as few have
been in this vicinity, is an efficient soldier,
capable of doing hard services without injury
to himself or the civil business of the coun-
try. What is more to the point, he can inter-
cept the raider, pursue him, cut him off, fol-
low him in all his lodgings and windings, and
bring him finally to g~ief
But IRE are short Of men and horses True,
vet not so short that we cannot afford for the
protection of our Capital at least one full
brigade of the best cavalry in the service
are too freak for this, aDe are too freak to hvs
and ought to 90 au.der. We are not to weak,
however. The men and the horses can be
had by proper management and little head
work
This cavalry brigade need not be kept here
always. 1t can go 10 Gen. Lee in times OF
emergency. 1t can return whenever it is
needed. 1t can render material assistance in
ascertaining with certainty the movements OF
the enemy, and save US from constant bell
ringing distractions and needless Interruptions
OF the public business. In fact, tie retat5ve
cost Of the brigade as compared ocith the repeated
Suspensions Of tbeDepart1aents and ocorkstopS,
aCoadd be nominal. -