Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-06-21
From the National Intc!ligencer.
strength of our Arny.

Ia the course Of u discussion which occurred in
the Senate on the 9lh inst while the bill mod
flying the CONSUMPTION act was under considera
ton, Mr.. Wilson. of Massachusetts,, the Chair
man OF the Committee on Military Affairs, re-
ferred follows 10 the number of men compos-
ing the army OF the United States he said
las listened TO the earnest intense, not to
say passionate, words of the Senator from Cali
fornia, MIR. Conness,) | almost wished that |
too was a man OF courage-that I too had this
confidence, this hope, and this ooasttuluess The
Senator from California spel rs OF the sDasmOdic
action OF the administrators OF the Government in
raising men during the last few months Does
the Senator know that We have raised, since the
l1tn day of October last. six hundred thousand
men, not To count black men, and that within
the past year we have put in the field seven hun
dred thousand men; that we have spept Sl25, 0U0
600 in bOunties; that we have drafted; that we
have used the whole power and Influence Of the
Government TO increase our military forces? SIR,
we have put forth an effort that excites the as
tonishment and commands the admiration OF the
world; yei the Senator from California, whose
constituents not drafted nor called upon rises
day and rebukes the Administration, rebukes
Us and talks glibly OF the timid c0unsels of men
who are quite as hopeful determined and brave
himself.
The seven hundred thous,nd men put in the
field during the last wear are exclusive Of those
whose previous term of enlistment for three
years, dating from the summer and fall of 1851 ,
has not vet expired. aud are. we suppose, exclu
sive of the hundred days men, recently added
TO Our present forces. The vast aggregate of
the troops now under arms in our service, and on
the pay rolls can. therefore, be easily conceived
Ii not accurately known IN the absence Of off
cial statistics The number can fall bat little. il
any, below a million of men, and certainly
touches a height which justfes the statement OF
Mr. Wilson. when he says that the country has
made ian exertion" TO till up the ranks of the
army "such a. few nations ever made and few
nations make"
Rome in the time of Augustus with a popula-
ton of 10000, 900 had an army of only $50 =
GOO. When the French Empire. in the year
1913, under Napoleon i, embraced within is
limits the territory aud people of Belgium. Hol-
land. the Hanse Towns the Roman States &c.
comprising with that OF France. population of
IL 0OO. OO0 the army numbered at the highest
point about about a million of men, thus imply
ing, as Allison states, the absorption OF one in
forty of the whole population in the profession
of arms, whereas. it has never been found, by
experience that an empire how powerful soeyer,
for any length OF time flourish with more
than one in Il hundred engaged IN such pursuits
The total population of the loyal States can
not much exceed % 900, 600, aud force of
700 900 drawn from such a population implies
the diversion of one in thirty three from the pur-
suits Of productive industry rate considerably
higher than that which obtained under the con-
scriptions for the French army during the period
when Napoleon was wagng war against COM
bined Europe
We have adverted to these facts because of the
confirmation they lend 10 Wilson's statement
when be says that the 'exertion" made by the
countrv in nuttinp 7Dn nlD una., into tho 6old
during the last year is one "few nations have
ever made
1t may be within the recollection of our read
ers that Mr. Wilson. speaking in the Senate on
the 9Th OF January last, and having reference to
the then recent call Of the government for three
hundred thousand men, held the following Ian
guage:
The governmen, has called for three hundred
thousand men. and presume that j. the number
the government wants. either OF old veterans who
re enlist or of new men. More than half of
those men | think we shall have enlisted within
the next twenty or thirty days"
On the same day, and in the course ofthe same
debate, Mr. Wilson SAID:
"A large number of tho States will furnish
volunteers some will not. think shall have
draft: but do not believe it will be necessary
To continue drafting. We have in the service OF
the country. and paying in our army, think
not less than SIX hundred and fifty or seven hun
dred thousand men We must have from four
to five hundred thousand effective soldiers in the
field do not believe that the rebellion has
over two hundred aud twenty-five thousand men
in arms, and | have very GOOD reason so 10 be-
eve. ! believe that il we do our duty the mil
tary power of this rebellion will be crushed out
before the 1T OF October next
Il want 70 adopt policy that shall bear as
lightly possible upon our people-u2on our
productive industfy-and shall Gil up our armies
That is the first question; and want To the
Treasury all the expense that can possibly be
saved. beliye our danger is more from want
oi money than from want of men