Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-01-22


The Chicago Tribune, in commenting up
on the recent order Of General Hurlburt
to sll the officers in his department to re-
turn to their regiments sll detschsd SOL
diers, expresses the following sensible
views Of the bad results of having SO
many men on detached duty. We COM
mend it to the consideration Of our Ohio
Congressmen. Here is chance to raise
an army easily:
Heretofore thousands Of soldiers were
taken from the ranks and detailed on
Especial duty" This special duty con-
sists chiefly of acting as body servants to
officers, dancing attendance at their heels,
and magnifying their dignity and eonse-
ouenoe in acting as tesmsters snd labor
ers for the ousrtermasters, and in clerking
for ali grades Of officials for unloading
steamboats, and trains, and in constructing
corduroy roads; and thousands are kept In
the hospitals as walters and nurses, where
many OF them are discharged on one pre-
text or another, or obtain citizens clothes
and desert. 1t is not an over estimate to
say. that two ffths Of the entire number
of soldiers drawing pay do not answer at
roll-cau, nor can they be found when q
battle is about to take place. They are ab-
sent on the detached service " described,
or reported sick in-the hospitals.
How often do we hear Of this or that
regiment going into battle with $50 or
800 men, and yel on the rolls of such reg
iments will be found coo to 700 names
drawing their quarterly pay. The absent
ees are mainly on detached service; score
or two may be sick, but the remaining
hundreds are dispersed about the Depart
ment and some Of them in other Depart
/ ments, frittering sEay their time In doing
what soldiers should not be set at.
Estimating our present army at OOO0
| men; $4,000 is liberal computation for
thcse absent on account Of illness, includ-
inc those at home on sick furloughs as
we'll as in the hospitals, and 10000 men
is an under estimate for those out Of ranks
on all the lodges snd preteIts that are
embraced under the head Of detached
service" leaving about 2O0,O0O men, at
the outside, to meet the rebels IN the held.
And this largely accounts for the seeming
mystery that the rehels nearly siWsys
/ oGtnumbsr our forces in actual battle. At
Chickamauga General Rosecrsns had
scarcely $4,000 men in action, and he sp-
psrentiy hsd all he could procure or con-
oentrate; yet 1t is known that on the pay
rolls Of his Department were the names Of
not far short Of 100000 men. It is true
that many thousands were scattered about
in garrisons, holding railroad stations
and little towns; but if the exact truth
we're known, it would be found thst half
as many soldiers we're on detached duty
-ss he hsd in the fight. Had they been
with him instead of being absent, playing
orderly, clerk, servant tesmster, or hos
pitsl nurse, splendid victory would have
been won instead of 3 bloody reverse sus-
tsinei. We hope this detached service
abuse will be investigated and reformed,
Plenty Of persons other than white veteran
soldiers can be obtained to perform al the
necessary detached duty" snd if officers
about posts and commisssry departments
want 70 have troops Of servants at their
heels, let them hire civilians and pay
them out Of their own pockets, instead Of
robbing the army Of its rank and 6ie for
such unsoldierly employment