New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-04-01
TAyALRX MgsizANAGENEST.

this war is very curious one. We shall not
undertake TO narrate it now, because We have
one or two practical criticisms to offer, as q
basis for which it is sufficient to advert to n few
prominent facts. 1t will be remembered, for
instance, that when the Anaconda strategy was
first uncoiled before the admring eyes of the
country, there were about half dozen cavalry
regiments in existence, all told, and Gen. Scott
; pronounced that we wanted no more. A little
later, the folly of this notion was seen, and the
organization of numerous regiments was author
lied.
Unfortunately, for a long time the force was
not consolidated, was impenectly drilled and
disciplined got itself badly whipped at times by
Stuart aud other Rebel rough-ridcrs, and fell
into popular contempt. The fault, however, was
less with the cavalry than with the General vino
misunderstood is use, and who destroyed its eff
fciency by deyoting it mainly to picket duty,
and by distributing it piecemeal through the
army, instead Of uniting it into coherent
body. Yet this was the policy Of the COM
mandcr whose genius has been supposed to
consist especially in his faculty for organization
Ten. Mcclellan.
An illustration may be found in some cOrrc-
spondence that passed between the President
and Gen Mcclellan The latter was urgent
rs uSual--ior more horses, aud complained Of
I the condition of those he had The President
/ telegraph in reply, Oct p, l562: have just
read your Dispatch about sore tongue and IA
| tigucd horses. VIII you pardon ne for asking
what the horses Of your army have done since
the battle of Antictam that fatigues anything ?"
Mcclellan answers ruelully that his cavalry has
been constantly employed in making recon
noissonccs, scouting, and picketng; that they
had had an unsuccessful chase after Stuart
who Lad just made his second famous c!nUis
about McClellan's army-and that The line
which they picket is one hundred and fifty miles
of river front! No wonder that cavalry so
wasted was worthless.
The cavalry, however, was finally consoli-
dated into one corps by Gen. Hooker, and be-
ing placed under one commander, began to DO
good service. BIT the other difficulty remained,
and during the last year the cavalry has still
been kept on outpost and picket duty-eon-
stauty surrounding the army with Gordon of
pickcts, which employed nearly the Whole
effective force, and which extended from fifty
to hundred miles. While on this duty, the
horses get little grain, and not much forage;
are seldom unsadiled, and consequently seldom
groomcd. While the army lay at Falmouth
last year, the cavalry pickcted a line of humid
red miles, and the result was that when this
arm was required in the Summer for the Penn
sylyania campaign, there were more than 1000
dismounted cayalrymen, whose horses had died
from exposure, although hundreds If fresh
horses had been furnished during the Winter.
During the past Winter the same course has
been pursued, and the result will be the same.
The Rebels, Oh the other hand, do most of their
outpost duty with infantry, and for that reason
only are still able to keep a small body of horse
men mounted. In European countries it has
always been the custom to station the cavalry, /
during seasons Of inactivity, near Il depot where
plenty of forage could be obtained. Then
the men, being given light work, were e1a-
bled to bring their horses into tirst-ratc condi-
ton.
The commanders ofour cavalry, however have I,
not been intrusted with the ordinary adm nstra-
tive duties ofcorps commanders They have been
empowered to fight, but not to govern. 1t has
been supposed that the Cavalry Bureau at
Washington knew the wants of the service bet
ter than the officers who led their men@ battle,
and were expected to keep them disciplined in
camp; hence all administrative power has been
vested in the Bureau. Men badly mounted and
equipped are sent from Washington to the field
where they are soon dismounted again, and sent
back to waste other weeks and months in idle
ness. Not one-half the horses dispatched to the
field have been fit for service, and hundreds
have been condemned and returned before doing
II days duty.
A. to the character of this arm, and the service
that should be expected oft, it must be remem-
bcrcd that the nature of the country in Viz
ginia, and especially the broken and wooded
battle-fieds, prevent, for the most part, the use
of solid masses Of cavalry. The heavy Dragons
therefore, of the European armies are little re-
quircd. Light cavalry, well mounted, and
armed for observation and for quick, sharp work,
is what is wanted. There are now three
Divisions Of such cavalry in the Amy OF the /