The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-11-16

transmitted to Congress along with the !
Presidential message, that officer fully |
sustains the recommendation, often made |
by us, to abolish the SYSTEM of requiring |
every cavalryman to own his own horse
Enormous abuses, according to the Sc
cretary, have sprung up from this iruit-
full source of decentralization. The own
ers Of the horses are, in general, young |
men who are not able to stand the loss
of the animals, or to supply his place
when he dies in the service. Unless he
be killed in actual battle, he receives no
paw for him, while the chances are ten to
one. if the horse die, that he is not killed
in battle. Cavalrymen, then, who have
Joined the service, just as they become
we'll drilled and cspab BILE Of doing effec-
tual service, are liable, every day, to be
dismounted and reduced to the ranks,
while some raw hand comes in to supply
his place. Or, if he lose hrs horse and
have the means to buy another, he is
sent off, on what is called horse detail,
to supply himself with another charger,
and he never returns to the ranks. He
goes to his own neighborhood, returns to
his old habits Of life. takes care to keep out
of the way of the enrolling officer, and be-
comes deserter Or, if he be disposed
to go back, he always finds an excuse
for putting off the terrible day for to
him it has become terrible by long indul-
gence at home He cannot find horse
to suit him, or he cannot afford to pay
the price demanded for one that he likes,
or he has some other excuse; and never
goes back until he can stay no longer.
These are but few of the evils of this
system and their neces sary consequence,
horse details. They lead to pillaging
and irregularity Of every kind so that it
is becoming serious question which is
the most destructive to neighborhood :
our own men in search of horses, or the
Yankees bent upon the same Grand?
We have never meant, in our strio-
lures upon the cavalry service to deny
to that arm great usefulness. They
have rendered brilliant service to the
Confederacy, undoubtedly. Nor, we are
glad to find, are they justly chargeable
with all that has been alleged against
them. General Early, in communica-
ton published in the newspapers, acquits
them of all blame in the affair of the
10Th ultimo This thing, however, OF
owning their own horses is fatal to
their efficiency; and We are glad to see
the attention of Congress has been
turned to it.
The cavalry in our service have never
had fair chance 1t has, we believe,
often been the case that officers of in
fantry and artillery have. been promoted
for gallant service in the respective arms
to which they belong to high office in
the cavalry over the heads Of cavalry
officers of worth and service. This can
not be right in any sense of the word
1t is injurious to the service in every
possible way +; injurious to that arm of i
Infantry or artillery from which The
promotion is made, by depriving it of {
good officer, who has just shown his eff
fectiveness in that particular branch; in
furious to the cavalry, since his. service
was not cavalry service and his promo
ton having been made at the expense
ofsome brave and friendless cavalry off
Ger, creates discomfort, heart burning
and often even worse among the officers
leading to carelessness in the discharge
of their duties and to consequent demon
alizatien among the men. We should
be glad to see this corrected altogether
or, if that be impossible, so far, at least,
as the good of the service may allow.
We have understood that there are a
number of foreign cavalry officers in our
service who understand the sword exer.
else. Why cannot some of them be de-
tailed to form school Of instruction du.
ring the winter? A single man could be
the means of having a whole division of
cavalry taught in very short time. We
have heard it stated by officers of cavalry
that the great improvement in firearms
has rendered impossible, for the future,
all such charges as made the reputation
of Siedlitz and Murat. A charge cannot
be effectively made, it is said, from dis
lance greater than two hundred yards,
while the long-range guns carry thou
sand. There may be some truth in this,
but cavalry in rapid motion are hard to
hit and we should think not many balls
would strike at a range of thousand
yards. 1t is close firing, after all, that
does the work. At any rate, it seems to
us very important still that cavalry
should understand the use of the sabre
We have heard objections to the pro
posed new arrangement on account of the
expense That is serious considera
ton, it is true,-a very serious considera
tion,-especially in the present condi
ton of prices and the currency. But i