The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-09-29
THURSDAY MORNING. .sGprEMDER %, 1854.

We are by no means behind our contemporaries
in oar estimate Of the impost1s services rendered
By General Hampton 10 the Copfeaeracy since he
Las been in command Of our mounted troops, and
have expressed our sentiments in that respect On
more than ono occasion. Considering the character
Of the force with which he had TO DEAL he has, in
deed, accomplished wonders. What might he not
have done had that same force been drilled and dis
csriinesi, as we still maintain that it ought to be,
and as we hope it vet will BET We have not the
least doubt that General Hampton himself would
b tie first. were be consulted ON the subject to
ress L,nss.li decidedly favor Of that very sys-
ZEN, the importance Of which are endeavoiing to
impress upon the public mind Were he in COM
mand OF powerful body Of highly disciplined cav
airy, we should as soon expect him to become the
Marat Of the service as any man IN 1t. bue tue
csrsusn asi.ces which mar every attempt to H.
trolace regular system Of discipline into the
rank ef onr horsemen are clearly beyond
his control 1t is sufficient for his glory, but
not sufficient for the situation, that he has per-
formed as much as he has done with such force as
he has We are well aware that the cavalry Of the
Confederate array has rendered, many occasions,
great and valuable services, and that, generally, it
has behaved well in presence of the enemy. The
wonder, indeed, is that it has done 50 much, and
fought 50 well, when all circumstances are taken
into consideration stll i, is evidently not on such
footing as it ought to be, when it is considered
that il is composed Of men Who without exception,
good riders, and, a!aest without exception men
OF high personal courage and individual character
We are aware that they labor under great disad-
vantages-that they are, in some instances, without
the means Of repairing much as the damage done
to horseshoe, and that from the wretehed system
in existence they must furnish their own horses
take it on foot with the infantry. Now, We wish to
see these things-as well as those before pointed
outchanged radically and it is for this very rea-
son that we have agitated the subject.
How to have regular, highly -disciplined cav
airy that viii charge other cavalry really infantry
when broken breaking, do not pretend to know,
tour business TO decide But Of this
TAM that until we hare such cavalry shall never
be able to improve victory, and we must continue
to night the same description of hong bloody and
Realities battles that have distinguished this war
above any CT which know anything. No man
can point to decisive victory within one hundred
years in which the cavalry did not make the deer
sion. beaten enemy, unless pressed to the last ex-
trenity by the cavalry, will always rally and fight
it out again. The principle of adhesion is SO strong
in disciplined bodies that they will always rally at
ter defeat unless means be employed to keep them
asunder and the cavalry constitutes the means thus
employed We do not profess to be military men
but it is clear to that without change in the
system never expect decided success, and
that without decided cannot expect to end
this war.
Many causes have conspired to destroy the disc-
pline Of our cavalry. To some of them We have
already alluded and others obvious that they
do not require to be pointed out But one we feel
especially called to notice, and that is the system
Of raiding There is nothing certain to destroy
the discipline Of an army the habit of living at
free quarters i'll an enemys country and plundering
and appropriating according to every mans discre
ton VIC are in favor of retaliating upon the enemy
for injuries done to u.s. But such retaliation should
be systematically conducted the contagraton Of
Chambersburg was. We would destroy every bit OF
property utterly and the spot, but not suffer the
soldiers to appropriate it. Ii that practice be al
lowed, the most highly-discplined army that
ever trod the field Of battle will soon
become a disorderly mob. 1t has been
tried in hundreds Of instances, and has never once
failed, that We are aware Of to produce the effect
ascribed to it. Raids they Called upon rail-
roads have now been fully tried both by the enemy
and by ourselves They have failed to the utter
most. They have never interrupted a march for a
day, never cut off communication for more than
week a fortnight, and never induced the adverse
party to change his plans in the very slightest par
ticular They have pretty generally succeeded in
destroying the discipline of the troops engaged in
them, and there their success begins and ends
They have, We doubt not, greatly aided destroy
ing the discipline Of cavalry both here and in
the Southwest