The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-07-14
Dcserters from the Army.

We have before us the descriptive lists Of
dcserters from the army, as published at the
Eastern Superintendency of the General Re-
cruiting Service for the period embraced be-
tween April 30 and June 20, 1870. These
lists arc published hero every ten days.
That for May 90 is missing from our file, but
we find by taking the average of the other
lists that the approximate number for that
day was forty.three. Adding that number
to those given by the other lists we have
three hundred and forty seven as the whole
number of deserters reported at the Eastern
Superirtendency for the two months ending
with the Goth of Juno last. If now there
were so many reported at the Western
SUPPLEMENTARY at Cincinnati In the same
time, we would have total of six hundred
and ninety-four assertions from our little
army in two months
One would think this quite bad enough but
II is not all. A careful examination of these
papers shows that, of the sixty batteries in
| the FIVE regiments of artillery, and of the
three hundred companies in the twenty-five
| regiments Of infantry, only sixteen batteries
| and twenty-three companies respectively have
| deserters ADVERT sed at the Eastern Superin.
tendency. Are we to infer from this that de-
sertion is exclusively confined to these thirty
nine batteries and companies 1t Is not to
| be supposed tat there are In the American
army thirty nine captains so peculiarly unfit
ted for command as, by their conduct, TO
drive three hundred and forty-seven soldiers
from tho service in the short space of eight
weeks. Nor, on the other hand, docs 1t ap-
pear that either the locality, the climate or the
occasional bullets of the Indians have much
influence in swelling or diminishing this
exodus Of patriots for inside Of q month we
find nine men deserving from single battery
stationed In New York State, and twelve
men within fifteen days taking French leave
Of one company In far-away Idaho
The fact is, the whole army is suffering
from desertion and while every company
commander is obliged to report to Washing.
ton the number of desertions from his com.
mand, he is not obliged 10 render these re-
ports to the Superintendent Of the Recruit
ing Service by whom they arc made public.
The consequence Ia, but few commanders
make these last reports. II is but fair then
to suppose that the remaining forty -four
batteries of artillery, the two hundred aud
scventy-s seven companies of infantry and the
one hundred and eighteen companies of caval
~, whose designations do not appear on these
lsts, lose just as many men as the thirty
nine companies whose lists are 80 frequently
published at the New York Superintcndency
Assuming this to be the case, and taking
five as the average loss for each company
every two months, we have total loss o.
2,420 men by descrtion every two months
from our army.
So much desertion in time of peace is
simply monstrous and disgrnccful. An evil
SO gigantic and widespread indicates that
its causes are as general as they are severe
in their effects Whether the evident dis
taste Of the soldiers for the uniform, which
few months service seems to develop, hal
its origin in individual III treatment or il
the broken pledges of the Government, a,
the recruit understood them, the subject call
for the closest scrutiny and immediate actor
by the General commanding the army.