Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-02-23

in them; twas punished like desertion,
and Of desertion there was very little. the
same discipline viii make good soldiers OF
negroes; Il will not promote desertion, tor
strict discipline Is the best preventive
known for desertion. 1t isa well knoWn
fact that desertion, stEsggling and absence
without leave are least known IN well ols-
ciplined regiments, and we believe that
the fact will hold good in the armies OF the
armies of the Confederate States, and that
these crimes will be found OF greatest oc-
currenee in the worst, aud Of least occur
renee in the best disciplined regiments
Al officer who cannot keep his command
together is not fit to command men, and
those regiments from which desertlons are
most frequent indicate most unmlstakao!y
the officers of which CO nsolidstion should
relieve. the army I
General Lee has recommended the arm.
ing of the negroes, and upon him Will de-
Volve the duty of making them soldiers
Cougsess.m put them in the ranks, but
discipline only will make them tight. By
nature aud long habit and education they
are obedient and docile, so that it would
appear that their discipline ought to be
easy and most effective. Under proper Of
6cers Welbelieye that they can be brought
to the very highest perfection of drill and
msnouyre, and taught to stand firmly to-
gether and move with unity and celebrity:
But the present disciplined of the armies of
the Confederate States will never make
! soldiers of the pegroesi; the Wouder is how
it ever made soldiers of white men. The
4 Congress has never understood the army,
4 and its legislation has often prove d most
| injurious to efficiency. Legislation should
be for the true soldier, and not for the
Ipoor soldier. Give tho men rations, clothes
and regular pay, and then the 0ongressmay
let the army aIone.7rH 5s al ~ ~
Oue. fruitful source of absence without
leave has been the law granting furloughs
i from hospitals; these men, in nine easel
ont of ten, never return when their fur.
lOughs are out Are the negroes to be fur
loughed from hospitals2 If go, one cam.
paign will bethe last of the negro army.
The SrmiDg ofthe negroes is q most i'm
POrtant step 10 the progress aof Ethis war
rightly and properly managed it will give
most material strength TO onrs armies, and
without doing the least injury to the instr
tuition Of slSVeEy,1 effect much towards the
independence of these States. But it vii
require much patience and much labor &c
J make the negroes efficient soldiers. !, Thu
selection Of the proper officer to undertake
their dfillipg is most important; upon hin
will depend the success or failure of tbi
experiment. Ifhe is a disciplinartaa b,
will sueceed, but if be is not, no matter
how brave, how great strategist, ithe.ex
pertinent will be . failure. If, in the effOrt
to drill the negroes and discipline them
into soldiers, there should be developed 6
system by which our present noble, armies
may be improved and perfected, and theil
unsurpassed courage besOmer disciplined
courage, there will be no more disasters
IKE those in the valley aud at Nashville
Il is upon such trying occasions that dis.
eiPline deVelopes its real effects and brings
out its great results. Perhaps in drilling
the negroes our officers may learn how to
discipline the whites. $50