Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-02-04
THE NEW LEVY.

We yesterday published the military order Of the
President directing i" that draft for five hundred
thousand men, to serve for three years or during
the war, be made on the tenth day Of March next,
for the military service of the United States
creditiDg and deducting therefrom so many as may
have been enlisted or drafted into the service
prior to the LIST day of March, and not heretofore
credited"
The frequency with which these demands for
preceding calls have been completed, necessarily
leads to confusion in the popular mind as to the
precise force and effect Of this last CALL in SO far as
regards the real increment it proposes to make to
forces. Wesuppose, however, that all the men who
have been raised under the preceding call for three
hundred thousand contemplated by this new order.
But of this we are not sure, because of the ambi-
guilty of the terms in which the order is conceived
credting and deductipg therefrom 50 many as
may hare been enlisted or drafted into the service
prior to the lst day Of March, and not heretofore
credits to be made is very definite in its point
of termination, but indefinite in its point Of de-
parture, leaving some doubt whether all or only
portion of the men already raised under the last
call for three hundred thousand arc to be included
in the proposed deductions from the new draft for
FIVE hundred thousand.
As to the necessity of the new call for these FIVE
hundred thousand men we have no means of judg-
ing beyond what are common to the whole country.
Speaking in the Senate on the 9Th of January last
and having reference to the then recent call Of the
Government for three hundred thousand men, Mr..
Wilson, the chairman of the Military Committee
in that body, said:
The Government has called for three hundred Thousand
men, and presume that IS the number the Government
pants either of old who reenst or of new men
More than half of those think shall have enlisted
within tie next twenty or thirty days"
On the same day and in the course of the same
debate Mr. Wilson said:
GA large number Of the States will furnish volunteers
will not think shall have draft but 1 do
not believe it will be necessary to continue drafting We
have in the service OF the country and paying
army Think NOT less than hundred and fv scpen
drtd thousand We must hare from four to oe hundred
thousand .eetiue soldiers the field lido beiiere
the rebellion has oo hundred and tcentp thousand
in and hare pery good Jeiieus
believe that if do duty the iary power of this
rebellion will be crushed out before the lat of October
next"
want to adopt policy that shall bear lightly
possible upon our peopleupon our productive industry
and shall fill up armies. That is the first question
and wsnt to the Treasury all the expense that
possibly be saved beiieoe danger more from
Of money than from panf of men,"
When Mr.. Wilson made these statements it is
presumed he was not correctly Informed, though
he chad very good reason SO to believe" and we
infer that in calling for these additional troops the
President has recently received some information
as to the probable military strength of the insur-
gents not known to the country or to Mr.. Wilson
at the date in question. 1t is certain that this
call for five hundred thousand men is not now
made because the term of enlistment Of portion
of the men at present serving in the armies will
expire some time during the ensuing summer, for
this was the reason assigned by the President why
he made the preceding call for three hundred thou
sand men, and since that date it is know that large
numbers of these men have re-enlisted for three
years.