Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-01-07
Fhe soldier nsnia.


The Soldier Ksnfa.
/ From the Savannah Republican,
Congress and the whole country seem to have
gene stark mad on the subject Of putting sol
I dieEs into the feld. That, in their opinion, ID
sll that is 20 bo done in order to close the War
and establish cur iRdepen 5auce--" Put more
4 men into the fsld :" is the cry, and there il
st9ps.
What folly a wise physician, bslore ho be-
/ gins work on his patient, is earetul 70 form a
correct diagnosis of the cass-ttst lie, he salts
fes himself Of the exact scat and real character
/ OF the disepss This point unsettled his minis
tratioEs T0t.st DO tho veriest qzscEeTY, alike dis
graceful 70 himself and, nine chances 10 Oue,
hurifu! to lis patient
Tao c0EBtTY Is sick, and sur Executive and
legislative officers are the doctors and Cnfor-
turGtely for Us ali, they have proved empires
for they have commenced their treatment with
cut any inquiry into the nature of the mSla5y.
In our judgment they have done Werse-for tasy
arc tre8tiug ono. disease when i is apparent 60
every rigbt-thinkiHg mind that their patient has
aAo.her. Indeed, the physicians themselves
confess as much.
In cur opinion the country uesds no mora sol.
disrs. lis real need is that those il already has
should be gathered up, taken 30 camp, and bst-
Ter cared for Do this and our army will come
LeaLor 70 outBumbsring The fsrCe of the enemy
than it ever did before; and what Is more, We
shall have jast as many soldiers as We shall be
able properly TO care f0F and keep in fighting
trin.
1t is just IS important to feed, eloths and
equip an army az it is 20 Tsiss one; IN fact,
without ihe5e Accomplishments there can be 70
army. We may have An undisciplined, ragged,
diSpiTited aud worse than UzelesB raob, bus so
army sdequsts to fgh. 0ur battles and meet the
demands Of me iine5. These preparations are
80 be made, ERd the supplies kept up by men
outside TIE army, and the faluIe OF eitksE class
tbs fighter q tie prodaeeT-ygii be equally fatal
20 The cauzo. Thus be IDEA Of putting every
aDe-bodied man" OF the country into the TsRks,
Is a most iueLcUssble and peIBicioUs folly-
How aTe Wo 10 ann, feed and clethe this sd.
d!i0nsl iorca Who is TO do il Is it possi-
Die at eli, wEen accounts come 10 fTom The
sTmy with most hesTGez6jng statements Of its
nakedness snd general desiitUtienl Isit not
evident sbat we s.o Ia pursuit Of "a igB;E fGfVRs
which We can EsYer grasp, bus under wtose
ESD We slsn be drawn INTO tho sTanps s1d
qgsgmiTes IF utter ruin Thsr, es Congress
axe a new tack and Gail the slap Of State 10 the
real point ir6In which comes up the cry Of dis.
fress.
Tho country may seed soldiers, but it is e ia
tel mistake to suppose that there is no limit 70
that need OF that is the only ore ttat 3 ould
press upon our sttesii0H- The true role is 90
puEno nGn into .Ls hsla WHOM yea cEnnGs COS
vaTt into an available soldier, sad Keep hin &c.
Our ranks require filing up, (sB3 iron cause
which we shall presently EeieT 70 more specif-
cally) but it viii not require ell the strong men
OF the country to do it, and while we ere en-.
gsgod ia the task We should kesp steadily in
view the c0Telaliye duty Of making ample pro
visisn iOT the recruits. Net one man should be
taken in VINO esHnst thus be provided foi; fol If
h- ha "a hn Of flrukT Il fhs
army be weakened instead OF strengthened.
Ample production, in agriculture and manu-
fsc.CTe5, should by 10 mearB be iuterfeIee
With and we msY sdd that it is a shOr.-sighted
policy thst would turn out the hundreds Of
thousands OF children in toe land 10 idlepess,
Ignorance and yagsbondisn Just that the State
may secure the services Of few teachers in the
srmy. If enrolled at all, we hope every head
Of an established school viii be detailed at
once, wherever a discretion exists, that he may
carry forward his high aud sacred misSicn.
Our position, then, stated in few Words, is
that the legislative power Of the country, should
lend at least one half of its energy to the sub
jecs Of raising suppliesi the other half 10 ample
for recruiting the army. Indeed, We are not
sure but shat the former is ths prime ccnEideFa-
ton, ior {, we'll supplied sTmy is seldom found
60 cODplsin OF pEuciiy of numbers. And this
brings us, faElly, to point barely hiRtsd at in
q few paragraphs back;
We hear much Of deseTtions frcm the sTmy,
and om legislative halls ard newspapers are ae-
custOmed to TesoUnd with denupeiations sgains.
the cTimB and The criminals. Few have EiopPed
10 inquire seriously and honestly into the cause
of the evil, Let us Just here ssz, what is il 2
The people Of the Southern States of America
are honest, pstIiotic and brave These are
8lmost our universal characteristics. Is il Ros
. hen strange thss cur sTry ehould De enIssd &c
II ig with the crime II GeseTiiou7 There Is
nothing without q causo, and if wo fail to find
il in this IN the iehorent vice Of the people,
&c must look for it somewhere else.
In our judsmsnt, With raro exceptions, the
soldisrs Of this Confederate army ara brave and
true men at hesrt, and nine .eaihJ of the deseI-
tiens have been provoked by neglect aud ILL
treatment On tde part Of Governments rfEi5ials
--those 70 whom tho country has co1ndcd the
duty If lcohicg sftcy aud providing fsT their
cssszIy wants. 0ficeyB are too often Indifferent
and negleelful Of tho cyrafert OF their men In
many instances those inrussed Will tte duty OF
Esying tie soldier his wages and providing for
his comfortable Subsistence, ara TOO busy IN
making themselves rich oE the public mO1ey,
to think OF the sacred trust eonhded 20 tEeir
bands The little piltancs dus The soldier is
often unnecessarily withheld, his clothes wear
ont and they fail to replace them with the new,
his shoes are boltomless from long msrch or
IOgt IN rei1esi, and he IS allowed, Tor weeks 10
ee.hsr, To tramp with bloody 6set oyer the fIo-
zen ground. This is purely the result ef i'm
providence aud crintinsl neglect on the part OF
Governmaat officials. and 10 GIL the cup to
the bTim, in The midst of these su6srings and
hzrdships he hears, perhaps, teal bis helpless
wife aud children whom he hss abandoned at
his counny's cad, hsgs been turned into the
street by a hesrtless landlord, oT is oppressed
and ground to the point OF sGsgvation by some
hssven-Iorssken dealer in the itah Of life.
Are these things no. traai and nsod sny
one wonder that u country is hlied with desert-
ers and strsggleis, and car armies reduced to
aboUt g coTpoTsl's quad
We sseak simply Of cGsssS, and offer nc jug-
iGesi0a OF deserhoR, for !. csnnot be justified.
Our Gim is o reform Of policy.
Here are the OWLS complained of Sn3 the tr1s
causes--les the country now apply the remsdy,
and be sure il is the right one