The weekly pioneer and Democrat., 1864-03-04


v,7 We would cali the attention of our read
ers to the very important letter from
Washington City, which appears this
morning first in the series OF, letters on
our first page The figures given of the
accessions Of strength Of our military
force are obtained from, official sources,
L, and are, we believe, reliable. They will
crafty and surprise the public. The opin-
ion which hiss obtained currency, that we
would enter upon the coming campaigns
with forces inferior to those heretofore
employed, is shown to be entirely erro-
Deous 1t appears that in ten months
previous to the 1st of November last, one
hundred and five Thousand men were
added to the army. The calculation is
that they made good the losses during the
same. period. From the 1st of November,
1868, up to Monday of last week, over
one hundred and ten thousand white
" volunteers have been formally mus
tered into the service, and it is
estimated that ten thousand more
have enlisted, but have not been mus
tered. Therefore, our army-rOlls show
one hundred and twelve thousand more
white men than on the first of January,
1868. In addition, over sixty thousand
colored troops have been organized. The
g Invalid Corps numbers nearly twenty-five
thousand men, and performs duty. that re-
lieves able bodied soldiers, and sends them
to the front. The majority of colored
troops are not yet so well disciplined as to
be counted reliable in line of battle, but
are considered efficient in the perform
ance of garrison and guard duty. This,
of course, relieves white troops and in
creases the strength of the active armies.
The organization of Provost Guards has
become efficient, aud has returned to the
army not less, according 10 our CORES
pondent's information, than seventy thou
sand absentees and deserters. Our cor
respondent concludes that our strength in
the field is greater than on the 1st of JAN
uary, 1868, by two hundred and fifty
thousand men. This estimate, we fear,
is too large We doubt whether sufficient
allowance has been made for the expira-
ton Of the terms of service OF the nine
months and two years men, who were in
the army fourteen months ago. Itwas
the Withdrawal of these troops, in addition
to casualties in battle, that cul down the
proportions of the Army of the Potomac
one half during the year. Then the
strength of, the Invalid Corps can hardly
be properly added to the figures of the
army, as many Of the invalids were in ac-
tive service in January, 1868, and have
merely been transferred from one organi-
zation to another. Besides the estimate
of absentees and deserters, returned by
Provost Guard, is, we feel confident, some
thousands too large. But, making all
allowances, it seems safe to conclude that
during the year 1868, and thus far in
1864, we have gained about 200, ,000 men
an immense force in itself. TIE Obser-
vation of our correspondent that "we have
gained one hundred and fifty thousand
men-one hundred and twelve thousand
whites, the balance colored-in the last
two months, is absolutely proved by the
official returns sis explicit and by au-
thority. .. .... ..-.......
The army will not be depleted as rap
idly by sickness during the coming cam
paigns as in those of the past. Greater
care than was at first exercised has latterly
been used in the surgical examination OF
iCSi uitS. i 10 Olu SOHlieTS are ecdSOlieu
and tough The troops are better pro-
vided with tie necessaries of campaign
life than ever before, and experience has
taught them bow to care for themselves.
The recruits will be at once instructed by
their veteran comrades in the mysteries of
army life, and will learn more in month
than the earliest troops in the field did in
six months. We may also hope that the
war mana cement will be more business
like this summer tl.an ever before. The
experience of two years and half of ar
has not been thrown away The evacua-
ton OF Corinth is a fact OF hopeful s:g-
niicance, showing that we have learned
at last how to abandon as well as how to
take a position. So we may have conf
dence that our immense forces will not be
wasted by scattering them uselesslA but
will be compacted in masses as large as
can be provided for, on the different lines
of indispensable operations, and that
their forward movements will be irresist.
able @1T Qf Ez
Combinations.