Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-01-05
RE-ENLISTMENT S--CoMMGAlCA-
TONS.

We, ore in receipt of many eommu'i'a''o's
from tho Original Twelve Months Volunteers
whom we shall designate as the rcterans, upon
this importans subject. We regret that our
limited space will not permit US to publish
these letters in fnll, and that we arc c"m>
PEELED to extract the opinions Of the veterans
without publishing tl,cn in full.
One Of the Veteran Mess" Of the D"n"It"
sonyille Artillery asks of Congress that tine
mon who have stood the brunt Of battle on Il
hundred fields, should find that the sacrifices
which they have made are appreciated by the
.onntrv. Let them, in the first place, he al
lowed 10 adopt some ba'lge Of diss'nrf'"n.--
Secondly. Grant them the privilege of being
transferred to any company in the same
branch Of the service; this would obviatc tho
necessity of recognizing the army. Thirdly
Let one fifth of them receive furlouShs at q
time, say for the period Of sixty days. There
is no doubt but that these terms would recon
Gle the veterans to remain in the service
during the balance Of the war"
Another "vetcran," over the signature OF
"Alabama," insists that the hopes OF the
country do not hang atone upon these hardy
and we'll disc plincd veterans of three years "
: s.that two-thirls Of the thousands g
.nr;n,inals,' who have lived quietly amid the
shadows of home during tue greater part OF
the last three years. are also we'll disciplined
soldiers, having already been Injured to camp
life, and bCloug, rs a general rule, to the best
order Of orr population. This is true also of
=, large norton of those hitherto favored eX-
emn,s who, to their shame be it written, have
crown rich by extorting upon tho families Of
those who, at eleven dollars per MONTH have
fouoht their battles for them"
"An Officer and Soldier" regards the act
of April l6, 1862, and tho &C. Of 18th Decem-
Der, 1861, making the provision for sixty
DAYS furlough as part of the contract oil re-
enlistment.
Nearly all the veterans claim the Through
as mart and parcel of the Contract OF their re-
enlistment, and that the Government has not
c,lcI,on its contract in the matter OF furlouehs
No men can better know and understand the
reason why these f,uloughs have leon With
held than the veterans. II ~ not r"'csSary {"
recall to their minds the campaigns they have
10 gallantly fought through, to show them that
an imperat'Oe necessity forbid the fnr'"usas
the Government h~s violated no contract; the
"yeterans" would not hare accepted Ilough
while Fredericksburg and clanccllorsvillc and
Winchester and Gettysburg We being fought.
We shall rejoice to learn thai tfen Lee, or
Gen, Johnston or Gen. Btsurcgard has rra Mt
ed furloushs; hut Congress can d" nothin.
in that matter F,trianghs are 'eY"''t :h-
province of Congress.
The hadc. Of the Veteran is his Just due.
Every one Of them sh0uli he permitted to wear
some mark of honorulrn distinction. I: is Il
recognition of mcritorivu. service justly won
BY them. The privilege Of e"listing in CON-
panies already in service is matter of orga-
nizaton, upon which the Commanding Gene
raj is tie only person whose opinion is worth
consulting. If he approves it, it is all right.