The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-01-08
faom etHERaL LEES AanY.
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(raox OUR own coRRzsPoSDEsT.l
A.rY or NoarmsRM vIasMuA,,
Jan. 9th, 1854.
s,andine on the threshold of ihs new year, tho
roughly imbued with love for our cause, and deep
" anxious 70 contribute according TO our humble
mfts whatever may lie In car power To insure IL
anal suceess, we have detsrniasd, after much re-
Asction to present NE foliotisg views. susgessed
by sense Of our future ~afts taken In connection
with our past eEpertsscu<s Tha present duratlon
of the war, AID the probability now recognized on
all hands Of Its long continuance, admonlsh us
clearly that II Is our bounden duty To place the
country upon a sc1r aotin9 for the To do this
successfully requires at our hands three things
first, suffciency OF men; secondly, a eufaciency
OF foot; and thirdly, healthy circulating medium
for currency. In the drst place, then, we must
have men to carry on the war;. e we must have
strong battalions, capable of meeting and resisting
the enemy's armed hosts. Bu., then, In turn, the
question Of numbers with us must be controlled
by our ability TO snbsist.
Our armies need recruiting, or rather the ranks
of those In the field need filling up. How shail
this be accomplished? NV answer ts ready NJ
hand. Bring back the absentees, Of whom, l will
venture, there 10 to-day not less than fy per cent
Of this army. have recently convsrssd with the
commanders Of three different brigades on this
important question. One nf them told me that In
his brigade forty per cent. were absent; another
told me that In bis brigade forty five per cent.
absent, and another fifty per cent. Taking the mean
Of these three statements rs the average, II will
appear that forty five per cent of this army is alb
sent from Il. The inquiry which very readily pre-
sents itself to every one IT, where these men |.
answer that they are at home, detailed as con-
script catshers, provost guards, passport clerks;
attaches to Quartermasters, cOmmissaries and hos
pitfalls. and u very large class are hanging around
loose OH surgeons certificates, whilst moi small
class are absent without permission excuse; and
yet the names of these men are borne upon the
muster rolls Of honor of the Army of Northern
Virginia. Ought these things to be! Can they
not be remedied? believe they can. To begin ::
the present conscTipt organization Of the
State of Virginia Il positive nuisance.-
The men who are thus engaged 81 contrive that
the duty of collecting conscripts shall be incidental
TO their private duties rather than the public busi
ness Of their lives The sooner, then, all tose who
thus engaged shall he relieved and returned to
their commands the better for the army and the
country Return all the Provost guards tn their Sc
verai commands, and bring out the IS 70 81 lass OF
men and give them this sort Of duty - Perform
Improve our legislation 80 as to lessen the power
Of surgeons in granting and extending furonghs for
sickness and disability. This, however, looks to
vigorous measures, measures calculated to operate
upon the fears rather than appealing to the better
There ought to be established at once by Con-
gress system Of rewsrds for brave and meri.o-
rious acts. A roll of nor, some distinguishing
badge that would tell the faithful soldier passed
on the highways, there goes soldier who, tn Jugh
clad In dincy garments and cutting but poor
figure In dress has yet deserved well of bis country.
In the camp, on the march, In the biyOuac, or IL
may bs when the battle has ragged hottest
and the missiles o: death rained thickest"
THE army would be new machine by the passage
Of such lew, and every man here would then ex
eu himself to be a hero in the strife. Shame upon
Congress, that thus far there has been no such lie
gislatiOn, and eternal honor to our glorious dead
who sleep In neglected private graves, and our
brave and faithful soldiers that, though their
try has never remembered them, yet that they have
never forgotten or been recreant to their county.
"Better late than never" would be n good motto
for Congress. Let them order from this time forth
q system Of rewards and medals, that when the
strife of battle Is ocr the soldier, In his rags and
his poverty, may point to the proofs of his patriot
you pennilesS In money, you are yet rich In tho
legacy of patriotic selfsacfifice which your anccs
try endured. But would go step farther. There
are in this army, l should suppose, not iesh than
four thousa.d able bodied white men, capable Of
making excellent soldiers, who are acting u team
sters and ambulance drivers. Why eannOt the
places Of these men be filled by coiored persons
and these whites restOred to their commands for
the duties Of the field! ! am satisfied if these
suggestions observed and the substitute law is
rigdy enforced, that this army Of Northern Viz
gInia will be strong enough In the coming ,pring
for any work that II may be lcgitmately expected
to accomplish. Oficers who have served In the
army OF Tennessee tell me that all have said In
this particular applies with equal force to that
army.
cannot believe that there is necessity for tax
Ing the men above fifty, the boys under eighteen,
to swell the ranks Il our regular army, becau
am satisfied that the present conscrpt law, II pro-
perry enforced, will give us Z sufficiency Of men
and as for "reserxed" force, Il means nothing
han h~eN nf tlno
any practical good results, whilst the withdrawal
Of 90 large force Of labor, aud superntcndenoc Of
labor, At such a time as the planting season, may
crops and to take from the &C hools the boys un-
der eighteen will be pract caly to close the school
houses, and to hiring up In gr0ssest ignorance the
rising generatiOn-the future occupters and rulers
OF the soil. Another remark, and have done.
Three Years OF this war are practically at an end,
and we are stronger, relatively in Men under arms,
than we have ever been, whilst the North r. co~
PTafsuciy weaker in soldiers; but II cannot be de-
MED, think, that bread and meat 10 sclreer than
at the beginning Of the war. Does not common
sense, then, teach that we should husband our re-
sources Of men and stimulate production: This
year may be the last of the war. If 90, God be
praised and thanked hut If IL should not be let US
forecast and ask what must be our condition II a
sweeping army bill is passed Let ~ not, In . DIT
of passion or In order to reach few, SO iegisIate
as to tnure the whole, but rather let ~ rely upon
wise laws. and their right administration, sane
toned by Heaven for success, than to spasmodic
and class legislation, TO carry through the perils
that environ ~.
One wora more and ! havS done, for shall
sss%i. no enssrvssons On :e currency for the lea
thing thai would b. valuable. That closing remark
10 thls: lbag Couersss to make no effort 70 disturb
the present organization Of the array. If they
dIsasrou:y f1.sl. In some instances. changes
could be made for the better, but taken ~ whole
THE army could not be better OsSered than Il is-