The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1874-10-30
THE LESSONS OF THE WAR.
Gen. Shermnn's BOolk-Am Abstract of tn e
Last Chapter.

Oeen favored Win the closing cnapIef
of what must needs be q very interest
ing work, to wit: Gen. Sherman's
memoirs of his personal and military
experience during the war of secession.
This chapter IS substantially a sum-
mary of the Generals s conclusions as to
the organization and management of an
army-his recapitulation of the lessons
of the war and it will be readily
agreed that the views of no other indi-
vidual in the army of the United States
could be so valuable.
Gen. Sherman prefaces his views con-
cerning the army with reference to
the singular inactivity and apparent
apathy of the North, the predominant
body of the Union, in viewing the early
steps of disunion. At the outbreak of
warlike preparations in the South he
was at the head of military college in
Louisiana, and beheld men openly en-
listed officers appointed, and state of
war actually in existence in January.
1861 the forts of the Mississippi mouth
being seized by troops, who hauled up
the State flag as they hauled down the
the Federal, and the United States
arsenal at Baton Rouge being seized,
its garrison turned out and its contents
distributed. These, says Sherman,
were as truly acts of war as the firing
-
taken thereof, and when, months after
ward, he came North, and found no sign
| preparation. This is what convinced
the people of the South that those of
the North were pusillanimous and cow
ardly. Up to the hour of the firing
on Fort Sumter our public men were
blamable for not sounding the note of
preparation. The war was thus begun
with no adequate idea of the necessity
of the case, and the organization of the
army was piecemeal work.
In considering the form of organiza-
| tion best for peace as well as war, the
! General studies the subject in the light
/ of experience. Without following him
! minutely, we give briefly his main
/ ideas. He proposes no sweeping
| changes, but to make the present regu-
| lar army serviceable as standard for
any contingent enlargement, with refer
ence to the utmost convenience of use
in war. The present organization of
! infantry regiments into ten companies
| he considers awkward. and would pre-
! fer to make the infantry regiment, like
/ the cavalry and artillery, consist of
! twelve companies, subdivided into three
battalions Of four companies each, leav-
| ing each regiment with a practical war
| strength of 1000 men. The triple di
vision Gen. Sherman would extend
throughout the service making three
regiments a brigade, three brigades a
| division, and three divisions a corps
and, allowing each infantry corps a
| brigade of cavalry and six batteries of
artillery, corps d'ornaee of 10000 men
would be formed. Thus you have the
grand army the corps, the unit for
campaigns and battle, commanded by a
Lieutenant-G General; the division. the
! of o1T ctra4 MoIn
General; the brigade, headed by .
Brigadier- General the regiment, the
family, whose Colonel should have a
personal acquaintance with and interest
in every man and the company, the
unit of discipline, whose Captain should
be appointed by the Colonel, not elected
by the men,
Thence Gen. Sherman turns his at
| tention to the subject of recruitment,
and considers the usage during the civil
war the greatest mistake" made
therein, in the fact that when a regi-
ment became reduced by service, in
stead of filling its ranks and promoting
its non commissioned officers, new
regiments and new officers were raised.
Wisconsin, an exception among States,
kept her regiments flied with recruits
and the result, says Sherman, was
"that we estimated a Wisconsin regi-
ment equal to an ordinary brigade !;
the reason being, obviously, that the
new men became speedily efficient. in
stead of taking year to break in. The
General commends the German mode
of recruitment as simply perfect; and
this IS the only point of the great mill
tary system of Germany whose adop-
ton he mentions as desirable.
Passing over at present the interest
ing matter of provisioning and fur.
nishing sanitary and surgical treatment
to the army, we note that Gen. Sher.
man finds that modern wars have not
materially changed the relative values
or proportions OF the several arms o.
the service, and he thinks that the only
change that breech-loading arms vii
make will be to Increase the amoun'
of ammunition expended, " and "reduc-
battles to short, quick and decisive con
ficts."
It has often been said that, withou
railroads and telegraphs, this war O.
, ours could not have been fought, anG
to this Gen. Sherman bears testimony
. of marked Importance. Each army
and wing, he says, should have a spe
! cial corps to put up and take dow
/ field wires for communication betweel
the divisions of an army, and to repair
! extend and operate the commercial tele
= graph lines. It would not, he thinks
be necessary to organize a special corp
+ to work military railroads, because s. i,
: peace these men gain all the necessar
n experience, and possess all the darn
and courage of soldiers" Our war we
4 proved that it is matter of commo
r fame how engineers and all the compile
ment of track repairers, etc., were fun
nished at call from our volunteer reg
ments.
Gen. Sherman dwells at length owe
c his special cause of grievance, as it ws
" Grants and Winfield Scott's before hi
:, the divided government of the army
= This he considers the radical weakness
!, of our whole system. He cites Ma
Mahon's message to the French Assem-
: bly,, made only last July, to prove thu
~ the overgrown and independent stat
! which our army borrowed from their
\ was the prime military cause of tt
- downfall of French imperialism IN 1S7
he recounts the hampering effect of Il
q War Department red-tape, In the fir
year of the war, and shows that on
- the total disregard of all the army reg
! lations enabled the commanders to CO.
duct the war to success. Congress,
a says, must ''utterly annihilate tt
Il old law subordinatfng the Generals
a the army to the Secretary of War, ar
"a the system which has grown up u
q der it.
If A SINGULAR circumstance is reporte
I'd to us by gentleman from Boonevill
- KY, who is reliable authority, as ha
ing recently occurred in that place.
old hen came off her nest with broC