The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-04-12

Gen. Thomas has issued an order 10
the Department Commanders of his
Division, to muster out ali volunteer
troops, white and colored. The Army
and Navy Journal remarks, upon this
Inject. that the first of May is the
period generally assigned for the mus
ter-out of the whole of the colored
troops. By that time, also, it says the
whole volunteer force will be quite as
materially reduced; for the primary
object Of the movement is the diminu-
ton Of expenses, rather than to do
special favor either 10 white or colored
soldiers. At the opening of the year
there was an aggregate of 65,766 coll
ort6 troops in service, consisting OF
1898 officers and 62,373 men. This
force has already been considerably
Iessened; if the frat of May sees its
total disappearance, the economy Will
be very great
The musterout," adds the journal,
" Of the great colored army, once more
than & hundred thousand strong, sug-
eests some reflections upon the aVails-
bility Of tina. class Of troops. 1t is
obvious that we have all come TO the
conclusion that an addition of a round
million OF fighting men has been added
to the effective military strength of
this Nation over what we would have
reconed upon ten years ago. In Gaze
Of foreign war, even in 1856, we should
hardly have taken the blacks into
account in estimating our resources.
Now, We should rely on them for pro-
portion Of recruits, in case Of need. To
most Europsan nations, such difcov-
org Of 4 new nation of troops at ones
command would revoluhOnize their
political plans and military enterprise.
Frederick Of Prussia, falling upon such
harvest for his orimping sergeants,
would almost have danced with JOY.
We, with the tide Of immigration al
ways at the flood, and reckoning our
annual growth in population by the
million, never think for a moment of
the effect produced on the nation by
making the slaves svsilable men.
Partisan and political feeling, which
have obscured SO many other military
questions, have also had q marked eff
feet upon that of the actual soidierly
abilities Of colored troops. Exaggera-
ton Of their exploits has been COM
mon with their friends, as her deiber-
ate depreciation 10y their enemies.
Their performances were sometimes
paraded with imprudent ostentation IN
official dispatches, when the same
deeds achieved by white troops would
have excited less remark On the 9TH
er hand, failures in skill or enterprise
on the part OF officers were sometimes
thrust ungenerously on the shoulders
OF the black forces Fortunately, lew
opportunities for Eqh attempts occur
red Asa matter Of fact, in the first
place, the negro troops, rs body, were
not so long or SO thoroughly tried as
the white troops in all varieties and
degrees Of military service This hap
PLY resulted from the termination Of
the war. Secondly, there seems TO
have been as grest variety in the ne
gro troops themselves as among the
whites There was ns wide difference
between the free negroes of the North
aud the slaves, IS between the Ger
mans. the Irish and the natiye-boTn
among our own troops. The best col
ored regiments, those which were most
carefully selected, drilled and disei-
plined, were very good indeed
Those that were huddled together by
bounty-brollers at so much head,
carelessly oficered, and left 10
drill and discipline themselves, were tx
ceedingly bsd. The colored troops
were not, as some would represent
them, the chief heroes Of the wsr. On
the other hand, they proved much bet
Ter soldiers than their enemies prophe-
sled The noticeable thing is thst they
achieved no distinction as colored
troops They manifested no special
vice or virtue, no special adap;Ability
or character or style in fighting We
cannot characterize them as we do the
Russians, English, Prussians. French,
HighlAnders, or even the African Zou-
AEes We cannot aver that they are
specially good for march, for garrison,
Tor siege for assault, for picket for
fatigue duty. We do not speak spe-
clAliy OF tHeir elan, or their steadiness, !