The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-03-28

fire at New Orleans tho 18th inst destroyed
$500 900 worth Of property.
The Reorg a nixation and Rein fore I'M IN
OF our Armtes-What II Necessary for
Success.
Reorganization Is actively in progress, and
is the paramount business Of the day in all our
armies. 1t is an evidence Of the infusion of
new life and new vigor. Naturally reorgani-
cation commences in an army on the day after
battle. Companies get new captains regiments
new colonies, and brigades new brigadiers
and this reorganization fills up the interval OF
camp life until another battle makes 1t again
necessary. But aftor many battles greater
changes become equally necessary, and COM
pany merges into company, regiment into regi
ment, and even corps into corps-as we have
recently seen in the Army Of the Cumberland
and later still, and on grander scale, in the
Army Of the Potomac. Though some melan-
choly ideas seem to be inevitably excited in
the soldiers mind when the corps OF which he
has been part loses its identity and is merged
into the existence Of an organization with
which, perhaps, it had some rivalries. there is
no doubt that the present change in the Army
Of the Potomac will have good effect on its
morale. Soldiers feel better on the field when the
line is long one than they do when a division
looks like brigade, or when regiment looks
as If there were nothing Of it but the color COM
pany; and, though they may for while feel
little cold in their new compauionships, the
diverse fragments are readily welded into one
magnificent whole In the FIRE OF battle. We
regard this consolidation, therefore, as part Of
q good plan for the entire reorganization Of
our armies. II the whole plan OF reorganiza-
ton and reinforcement be carried out in q
thorough manner, and with proper vigor. we
will take the field this season with one million
men, admirably distributed and equipped for
all the purposes of an army. Our effective
force, with this number, ought to be at least
seven hundred thousand men. And the most
sanguine estimate does not give the rebels
more than three hundred and fifty thousand
with which to oppose u.s.
We ought, therefore, to crush the confederacy
by mere weight But il ia not the first time
that our armies have doubled those of the ene-
my in force and we have seen that II is futile to
place blind reliance on numbers. Seven hun
dred thousand men in six armies, operating on
different lines, at different times, will be wasted
in detail against two hundred thousand con-
centrated under an active general. Every
great war shows this over and over again, and,
above all, our own war shows it. 1t is as
simple as that two and two make four yet 1t
is from neglect Of this very simple principle
Fill
rebel armies. Organization Is necessary
men are necessary, and material is necessary !;
but concentration and concerted action are
more necessary than all. Enough men have
been assembled at Washington city, under the
orders of the President to have gone to Rich
mond over every armed man in the con.
federacy but, instead OF conc antrating
that great strength has been dissipated in
useless efforts all along the Atlantic
coast. We have had Hatteras expeditions and
Big Bethel, Roanoke Island and Florida cam
paigns Port Poyal has been taken, and Fort
Pulaski, and there have been sieges Of Charles
ton, and all 70 no purpose, except to murder
men; and all this effort, with the effort wasted
III INC CutuuHoOuu ohtta W ONVh VIC
very worst Of our advances against Richmond,
must have taken that city. All the effort made
in the East has failed for want Of concentra-
ton.
And Grant succeeded in the West because he
knew so well how to concentrate, a., well as
when TO strike. General Joe Johnston's report
to the rebel Adjutant General of last summers
operations In Mississippi (recently published in
our columns) IL one continual eulogium upon
Grants. abilities in this respect. In the confsde-
racy The value OF the concentration Of armies
is understood, because the government Is in
the hands Of military men: Concentration h
counted on a. IN essential element Of force.
That men may be present on the field In the SUI
preme crisis Of battle the Southern generals
will strip every position Of minor consequence
to the last man, relying bsldly on that golden
maxim Of yohrston--that success WIN give back
what h abandoned 70 win IL" Such au idsa ~
This never occurred 70 the Washington Direc-
tory--though our armies hold fifty inconsidcra-
Ma palnta tha man frorn onv tan AZ Which