About The reflector. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1817-1819 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1818)
THE REFLECTOR MILLEDGEVILLE, G..TUESDAY, Al GUST 18,1818. NO. 41. MILITARY. a general court martial, and by the United. Ui C'ommand with respect, so that lie might be I have been dragged oft from his family in Staten’laws. Thus it is that such base offen- obeyed and beloved. Ah officer should have I spite of remonstrance, oi* have subjected FOtt TIIR MILLVmJI.VILLE IIF.FLKCTUII. lie fond hope, Mr. Editor, that my suggestions may do some good, I introduce to the consideration of the through the medium of your useful an exposition of some few of the. great vaulting from the imbecility and de- our present militia laws and rcgula- bcing confident that they are fraught nany evils and defects of the most se- complexi ti, and which might be oasi- viated, if the necessity for doing so ce taken properly into view and con- tion. , at our militia laws are not calculated urc respect, and to enforce olwtlience— the means are not commensurate with iject in view, nr proportioned to the that the penalties for the infractions laws, do not go to defeat the evil rte- from an entire disobedience and dar- [intempt of our militia laws, must> I he evident to every man. it some should doubt it. hoWCVer, I Will cm to well known facts and examples, ove it incontestihly :—1 mean the nu- deiinqticncies and desertions, which ken place, and past off with impuni- iolation, and in contemptuous dell- all military law and authority, diir- fr late war with G. Britain, anil since,; ularly with the Indian tribes-, the honor of Georgia, whose citizens lly, are as patriotic, and as invincible field as any others, I would fain, if I tear this ibul blot from the page of ir history, and bury it in oblivion-, if it e hoped that such profligate wretches “go and sin no more. 0 But such c provided against. Human perfidy ne conspicuous in every age and couu- d I fear ever will. Such characters. It examples, must meet their merited ent and contempt; or in the name ol , where will the toleration of such s examples end ? Like all other e- disgrare will soon become familiar— oon be thought but little or no crime any—the disgrace will spread more e through the community, until it in a countenance and extent, beyond h of wholesome remedy. Has tliir. it been long enough disgraced by such s characters niid examples ? How ‘ it then he, before mil* legislator! e an effectual provision to suppress wing enormities ? I trust the time ry distant.—But to do this, the pen- thc infractions of the laws must bl and every citizen should have it in r to enforce them. For sad experi convinced every body that it vvili trust solely to our militia officers— tlier respects, miller our present mi filiations, they are not trusted at ir they neither have lot nor part in f the state, in a time of cmergen- s it suits them, or at least there i tlsion. Nor do 1 perrieve but little, ho wish to do as they please, and 1<- lily their own private and iminrui- St. For what says the law ?—Hear itonished, while it shall speak for it- private soldier shall forfeit and pay ng to repair to his rendezvous pro- rrT, accoutred and equipt, when Ic ed and ordered, upoii any rail from ander in chief, a sum hot ex- ity dollars, at the discretion of a nquiry ! ! !” Does such a penalty nion as this', look like securing o- nd respect to our militia laws ?— sense, aS w-ell as past expedience the negative. For w ho would rc- irfeiture of such a penalty ? It is onorable inert do not require the f the laws to make them do their h<nv can such a law- compel the and the disobedient, against whom mded to operate ? How low must ve rated the value of its Authuri- n the commander in chief, to have t to be daringly trampled oil, and :e to, by every villain in the state, i sacrifice as that of forfeiting !! ! Had the penalty been five liars at least, and not exceeding d dollars, at the “ fliscretiftn of a rtiry,” it might have answered, h have been the immediate inte- 11 as the duty of every man to itly obeyed the laws. And as to ere not able to pay such a line, ments, equally effective, might bstituted. ehalties been tlius grinding and be cnfortccd by any and every la Would not have had one ilclin- <lur late conflicts, able to do his nch as were unable, neither dc- e, forfeit or penalty, ase and perfidious deserter, he jto fear after the campaign for drafted to serve in; has expir- officers can only try, and pnn- in actual service, and then by dfrs escape so easy with impunity, and are so often guilty of the infamous crime of de sertion. For villains ever will measure the- respect that they will pay to the laws, by the strength of the penalties. The penitentia ry, in future, 1 trust will be the place of deposit for such criminal offenders.— hoi- so long as the penalties for the-infrac tions of the laws, do not go to defeat, at the expense of the violate!*, the evil sustained in his not obeying the laws, so long, I say. they Will prove ineffectual and un -beyed.— And What is the end of law, if it is not to remedy or supply human defect? For my part, Mr. Editor, I do not wonder at all to see villains remain at home, when drafted and called out in defence of the state, in con temptuous defiance of all law and authority, to get rid of three or six month's hard ser vices and privations by incurring only fifty dollars penalty, (never imposed,) when it must cost them at least five tiirtes that much to get a substitute, or more to leave their concerns. Neither am I surprised to see o- thers cowardly desert, when it is so often done with impunity. The plan of receiving substitutes, under the present regulations, is likewise a bad one. I do not mean that they should not be receiv ed at all, but that It should be, under more iinalijied restrictions. This state has been much imposed on from this quarter also.— Vll kinds of people have been hired and re ceived as substitutes, So that the drafted man could stay at home, it mattered tint whether his substitute Was infirm, a stranger, foreigner, traveller or What, it wa'a all the same. But look to the consequences J—De sertions have been much mote numerous, and the state has not only lost, in a time of peril, the services of many of her own draft ed citizens, who should always glory in her defence, hut she has incurred the black dis grace of the desertion of such substitutes ii her own citizens. For such substitutes neither care to defend the state-, nor for the infractions of the laws. Their object is money, and as soon as they got that they were olft It is obvious to me, thru, that the drafted man should be. bound to serve out his own ioiii-, in case of the previous inability or the desertion of bis substitute, or lie should turiiisb another. Such a regulation as this would make people more cautious whom they hire in future to take their places, and bet ter men would be obtained for the defence of the state. But Our long l-ourtd-about plan, (bat we have to pursue, in limes of the great est emergency;, to prepare, to meet our ene my, exceeds every thing—And well it me rits the eternal contempt of every friend t< the state, it baffles all description to mea sure its length of criminally, Our state crowded with internal, and more (ban half surrounded by the most blood-thirsty and savage enemies, should always he ready to command its resource!) for self defence with 1 lie greatest alacrity and promptitude—yet 1 will venture to give it as my opinion, that there is no state in (he union so illy calcula ted to do this as Georgia is. For in t vent of a sudden invasion, we have ncithei arms siiflh ient to defend us, officers t-> lead us, nor discipline, either to guide or govern us. Every thing is then to do ! All is [mi nimi confusion. Every tiling is done b lveS«—-out of time, and after all hut seldom right. And while we are looking out for officers fit to 'command us in a time of peril and advertising elections, warhing in the men, holding our elections, preparing to sc off', aiid marching away off' to Hartlol-d, or perhaps to Florida) or to——God know where !—to elect our superior officers and to complete our organization, and the consoli dation of our battalions and rogimehts, Ac the state may,one. day or another, he over run ahd lost. Yet all this must be done) cir ciiinstanccd as we are, or otherwise our movements must still be moke criminal! tai-dy. Now the cause of all this anarchy delay, hurry, hustle and confusion, when men are called for, and Wanting in defenr of the state, is well known.—It is owing to our having two sets of officers to command our militia at once j oiie set to command on ly iii a time of peace, and another to com mand in a time of war. What kind of re gulations are these ? Most infamous !— \nd while Ibis practice is continued, the r sing martial genius of this country ninst for ever bleed in the dust.. For there is no durement whatever (unless trouble aiid ex pense) held out by the present mode of of ficering our militia, to induce inert pride and qualifications to accept, or to hold any military command in a time peace at all—Consequently we never can have very distinguished militia officers, while this is the case, in future. For I contend that it requires experience to make an offi cer, ami time to gain experience. An officer ought to understand discipline well, both in theory, and in practice ; he ought to pride in his office ; he ought to have time to ac quire the habit of command-~«to know how judgment and practice, that he might act with dispatch, firmness and decision—and he should ever feel a military pride and confi dence in himself, in order to excite it. in oth ers. And Sill this is not to he learnt and ac quired in one, two nor three short revolving days, weeks or months, but it requires a con siderable time. And the officers should learn this at home'; for it will be too late when they are once before an enemy. It is therefore proper to have the same officers to command in war, that we have to command in peace ; otherwise, it will not belong—nay, the tithe has already arrived, that every man of pride and feeling, begins to look down With con tempt on all military commissions under the present regulations, in time of peace. The consequences are, and will he, excepting here and there an instance in the officers of the higher grades, the people must elect such as w ill command, or rather pretend to it, rc- ardlvss of merit, qualifications or talents ; and, the men who best answer for nyerecreu- ures of present cohvcnience, will be made fficers ! Such, 1 know, it is said, will do n times of peace—Most fatal error I For blockheads in power are, of all other cha- acters, the most baneful and injurious ; they onfiniud all just distinctions ; mistake on uality for another, and degrade every per in and thing to their own level.” Yes. while these mere creatures of present con- cniertce, by their ignorance and incapacili bringing every militia officer into con- nnpt and disgrace, they are most fatally blasting all notion of-military discipline and authority from among us. Why not then make a stand ? pause and reflect—and in fu tore consult experience, the best oracle of wisdom, in the proper plan to be pursued ? For our militia peace officers, are in fact do ng us infinite injury yjvery way : even by heir almost entire neglect to have the sa- red duty of patroling attended to, they ex pose us to endless evils ;—for while our in ternal foes are thus left to rortm at random, ind to plot all wickedness and mischief a ainst us, our property is exposed to their ceaseless plundeV and rapine. The day is fast approaching, when our internal Us well as xternal safety, will require the best senti nels of police to guard if.—But instead of such, a way is payed out under the existing cgolutionp, to deter men of merit and talents in future, from bolding any military com maud at all. Thus it will soon be seen, that he great bulwarks of self defence, of both person aiid property, will be placed entirely n the hands of the ignorant aiid incompe tent. And thus while our naked imbecility will invite insurrection at borne, and inva sion from abroad, it may pluiige us into all the horrors of a once flourishing St.Domingo. But extra of all this, the present mode of officering our militia is Vqyy exceptionable—' In the first piaffe, our militia peace officers, (for I know of no other name so appropriate) are. in this way mqylc ,a kind of privileged men—not being Compelled to bear any part of the public burden in a time of emergency in defence of the state. . It is certainly there fore unjust ahd partial, to extend a privilege to one part of the community that cannot he -xtended to others. In the next place F. call t oppressive, inaSrrtuch as our private ntili- ia have to go into active service oftener than their proper term®, in consequence of our militia peace officers having the liberty to remain at home idle, and having to hear no part of the public burden irt a time of emer- enry. , On such privileges—nay, injustice, partiality and oppression; I look down with an eternal rohtempt and abhorrence. If my ountry is engaged in.war and peril, let me share with the sons of Washington in the glory ofher defence; nor let another stand exempt. For why should one part of the community be allowed to turn their backs on their bleed ing countrymen, while struggling in the com mon defence ? But a military peace officer is a still more highly privileged character,in another point of view, and hoi less at the expense frequently of priVate picn ; for let one transcend the bounds of all authority— basely neglect every duty of his office.—-or let him injure, wrong or oppress a dozen privates in his company, battalion or regi- meiit, and (exerjit in cases of the imposition of exorbitant fiiies) where is their redress ? unless indeed it is expected thro-.igh the me dium of a hard exercise culled bruising, which I believe, when carried to an impro per extent, our criminal laws make a peni tentiary offence. But, although I have seen many, yet, in all my days, t never saw a more mortifying instarice of the abuse of public authority, than on the day of our last draft. A man wart drafted fu go into service under the followirig circumstances:—He had arrived in the district, perhaps upwards of three, days ; hut it was yet uncertain wheic he. would live ; the waggon in which he removed, was not yieven unloaded—his family still out doors—and add to all, lie was a cripple ; yet under these aggravating cir cumstances, insulted as he was, he must himself to he advertised, pursued and pun- ished perhaps as a deserter, had he not made application to the civil authority,, and got relief by paying a lawyer a good fee, to clear him of his unjust and oppressive en thral inert t. I likewise saw three others all of the same company, on the same day, com pelled to stand a draft, who were not at all subject to it.* But what redress had theso men against the oppressive officer who su perintended the draft ? None. Such privi leges, and such 'powers over the rights of men ought not to be indulged in a monarchy, and much less iii a republic. There is not a soldier in the United States army, not c- ,crt utidor the strictest camp discipline, w'ho is left without redress, when oppressed or in jured unjustly. And why Hhould the irec and enlightened citii’ens of Georgia ? The Whole plea', however,, that I have heard urged in support of, and for continu ing the present regulations, and for officer ing our militia as we dp at present, and which subjects us to Such anarchy, and to so many incortvnniencies and disasters, is, that by doing so we can get officers of merit! The fallacy of this, 7. trust, jias alveady been shown. To rebut it more fully, however, I will ask if Georgia ha's furnished officers more meritorious dining our late conflicts, or at any time, than our sister states ? E- very man knows to the contrary. Then, un less we can do better, why not pursue their ex ample ? For it is a fact, realized and cop- finned by experience, that our militia of ficers, under the present regulations, are bringing, and soon will bring, to full inatu-- rity, all the anarchy and mischief which military commands were instituted to pre vent. . And it is thus that we see that the present regulations, which were intended as a remedy, turns out, on trial, to prove the moat baneful poison, To conclude', it is my humble opinion, that instead of resorting to the present regula tions to get officers of merit, that if the pro per laws had been provided) or wyro now to be extending | common justice, to all, and having due respect to the necessary distinc tions—and making militia officers serve, as they do in our sister states, and subject to be suspended from corrtmand by the adjutant genoral. when unqualified to command, ns I believe is the case in South Carolina ; and the adjutant general Was likewise bound, in the case pf a refusal of a brigadier general to haVc any officer tried by a regular court martial, for incapacity (which should he made the best grounds for the dismissal of art officer,) or for any unoflicer-Iikc conduct^ or abuse of authority, when demanded—rtdt only by officers alone, hut also, by a certiUn number of privates ; their number to be re gulated according to the grade. Of the officer, and they shewing good grounds irt Writing, for being the cause of the arrest and trial of such an officer, and subject tliemSelves to bo tried and puhisbed in case of & malicious prosecution, I believe it would have had the lies) effects, and tiiat we should have been infinitely better provided for than we are at present; and that the evils that we now ex perience, arid are subject to, mostly, if not altogether) removed. The incompetent would then have resigned, or have been dis placed at the request of the people. Abuses ,if authority, and. neglects of duty would then soon haVe ceased or met their merited punishment. Our militia officers would then have been elected for their merit and talents alone; while the ignorant and unqualified would not have sought commissions, which they could only disgrace. Thus we should have seen our militia adorned by officers of talents and qualifications, aiid having tlio advantage of discipline aipl experience, wo should have been formidable—while the state would not have had to loo3e any of its effective force, in tithes of emergency, in its defence, as it now docs. I am, tV public’s most ob’t Scrv’t; nU. * 1 Ms shews that the rights ot'j>rivatenicn ought tobe more respected hy the laws—and that when tlife public au thority is abused,, at their expense, that they should have redress in the laws against the violater. STOP THE RUNAWAYS. IiANAWAY ffotn the subscri ber's plantation, near Eatontun, two negro fellows, one named El- lick, 40 or 45 years Of age, about six feet high, and proportionate dze, of a yellowish complexion, nr a full blooded negro, dnd of humble manners. The other named Sulomon, 18 or 19 years of age, of middle size, smooth skin) and rather dark complexion, thick pouting lips, full eves, and bends rtture than usual in his knees whpn he wglks—had on oznSburg and tow linen clothes when they went aWay. They will make for Vir ginia. A liberal reward will be given, for their apprehension and securement, and in case of de livery all expenses paid. c. B. STROXOl Eatonton, Georgia, 1,1818, 4 * It T tie 1
