Red-Tape and Pigeon-Hole Generals; As Seen from the Ranks During a Campaign in the Army of the Potomac (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. The March to the River?Our Citizen Soldiery?Popularity of Commanders how Lost and how Won?The Rebel Dead?How the Rebels repay Courtesy. % A N early call to arms was sounded upon the suc- l ceeding morning, and the Division rapidly formed. The batteries that had been posted at commanding points upon the series of ridges during the previous day and night were withdrawn, and the whole Corps moved along a narrow road, that wound beautifully among the ridges. The Volunteer Eegiments were unusually quiet; the thoughts of the night previous evidently lingered with them. The American Volunteer is no mere machine. Rigorous discipline will give him soldierly characteristics?teach him that unity of action wit a his comrades and implicit obedience of orders are essential to success. But his independence of thought remains; he never forgets that he is a citizen soldier; he reads and reflects for himself. Few observant officers of volunteers but have noticed that aifairs of national polity, movements of military commanders, are not unfrequently discussed by men in blouses, about camp fires and picket stations, with as much practical ability and certainly quite as courteously, as in. halls where legislators canvass them at a nation'scost. It has been justly remarked that in no army in the world is the average standard of intelligence so high, as in the American 'volunteer force. The same observation might be extended to earnestness of purpose and honesty of intention. The doctrine has long since been exploded that scoundrels make the best soldiers. Men of no character under discipline will fight, but they fight mechanically. The determination so necessary to success is wanting. European serfs trained with the precision of puppets, and like puppets unthinking, are wanting...