Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-09-16
a RebsI Confsssslon Of VVeaknsss-
The straits 90 Which the South II

A0ouCGO L0E lLeAnNOEoGAlAgNAGAs
FROM the Richmond Dispatch, Sept ..
Geholdsit 70 be as uncertain as any fu-
tufs event can bel thatth enemy. between
this day sud the 4th Of November, will
make more strenuous exeTtions than he
has ever yet made 70 destroy our armies,
and involve in their destruction the ruin
of the Confederacy. Military success is
absolutely essential to the success OF Lin.
coin at the next election. With It, his re-
election isceEtain; without It, the Proba-
bilitiesof bis defeat sreLFery great Ass
with him and with his party. Q triumph At
the polls is an affair OF much greater tm-
portanee than the good of his country he
will think 1t cheaply purchased BY the
blood of fifty or q hundred thousand sol.
diers.D Before that time shall have arrived
his drafted men will have begun TO pour
in. They will be absorbed as fast as they
arrive 10 the old regiments, and not M.
I'dergo the previous ceremony Of q drill at
home. They viii, therefore, be much the
more readily turned into serTiceable men,
il they do not become exactly what may
be called soldiers before the time above
designated Il will be necessary on our
part, TO bring out the reserves as far as
possible. ID order to reinforce Gen. Lee IN
Virgins, and Gen. Hood in Georgia. There
AuDAb mul6ElAA tuGbb PuEBO1E9t AtISho
proper steps be employed, out OF the nam
Der of men who have already been returned
by the Conscription Bureau, but have new
TTr5f, There are believed to be upwards
Of. eight thousand men, of conscript age be-
longing, TO thsstate government OF Virginia
alone. Fully as many are attached %
each OF the state governments of North
Oaroiina, Georgia. and Alabama. Here
are thirty-two thousand men At qonce-a
powerful army Of themselves. II General
Lee had them we'll discipIinedsat this mo-
ment, he would Settle with Grant before
another week had passed over our heads.
If Gen. Hood had them. Sherman would
leave Atlanta much faster than he came
to It, By some means or other these men
could be come ut. The confederatel gov
eminent cannot do 1t, but the state gov.
ernment can by the simplest process In the
world Let each state legislature be as,
place all state officers, who are of the re-
quired age, at the disposal of the conscript
officers, We especially recommend this
policy 70 the Legislature. of Yirginis;, and
to the governor we would venture 70 pro,
pound the question, whether the matter is
not Of a sufficiently serious nature TO jus.
lity thegcsll of an extra session. There
can be no reason in the world why these
men should pot be subjected TO the, con-
scFlPtion as well as other persons; aud the
legislation which should make them 30
would be the most popular legislation it is
possible to think of 4 5ss.a Il 10
Second We have no idea Of the number
IF men detailed on special duty or for spe-
,ial objects. Some of these details are
absolutely necessary; bat we have no
ioubt that, If the system were revised, the
business would go on quite as well, and the
army be greatly the gamer. II is neces.
Iary, for instance, to detail large numbers
tor agricultural purposes. The army and
he population must be fed I; crops must be
planted bread must be made. Yet We are
latisfied that, in the details for agricultural
purposes, great reforms mightbe made, and
/ large accession of numbers gained by the
army. In some places too many men have
been taken OF by the CONSUMPTION. This
70 moro especially the case 10 the mountain
counties Where there are few negroes IN
other parts Of the country too many have
been left ~ the distsi button Of The B 6fthens
Of war with imph rtihl NY pc an onjeet Wits
those having authority as We are sure i Is.
With regard to mauufacturiug, the case Is
somewhat different. Skilled Workmeh are
not 30 numerous as We could wish them to
be and our army must have clothes, shoes,
hats, arms and gunpowder. Bnt In all
these operations there are many persons
employed who have little or NO skill and
Who might be substituted by older men,
and, in many cases, by negroes. In fact,
it Is q great abuse. in any case, to employ
white men of conscript age where negroes
could do the work quite as we'll. There
should not be a white driver, for instance,
l.. H. t., 80
common intelligence is. necessary.
Third. There 10 q large number old
serters in the counties lately occupied, but
new abandoned, by the enemy, who might
with q little exertion, be brought back to
their colors. They, IN general, never see
the newspapers, aud therefore, do not
know that General Lee hss offered them a
free pardon on condition of their reioininR
their ranks by certain day. At present
the larger part are detained by a feeling
of shame, and fear of being tried and shot
as deserters. Many of them-We believe
the mejority-ueyer meant to desert. They
merely went TO their homes on fuflough,
and Rhile,sthere their return to camp was
cut off by the enemy making a sudden
movement and taking possession of their
counties Most Of these men could be
brought back If they could see the offer of
pardon made to them in Gen. Lees procla.
nation.
Fogrth, The conscriptlon has been very
general wherever the officers could reach.
Buttin SOME Of the counties occupied until
lately by the enemy there are numbers of
men Of conscript age WING have not been
enrolled. In one county alone We have
been assured that there were more than
tvo,hnudted, and that We take to be hard.
" the average number. We doubt, indeed,
II It bel not the minimum, II We scohfiue
ogr investigation tp, the frOntier counties.
Means ought surely to be taken to bring in
all those persons. stsH So fslFsoo Z
List ofOasualtiss In the I5ah west
q Va. Regiment IN the late .FtKht
near BerryvilIe. r.uii ID fss7sf 70
HIADGUARrras l6rH wa. Won. Ing., ! !.