What Depletes Our Armies

Krom N. Y. World, July 91. Thi stutenient we mude a sliort time since tliat the great causo of tho rapid depletion ei' our aruiios was iiot losses in buttln or siuknoss, but tha dcsertion of soldiers to their homos in the Nurth, haa been widely uopied und contirmed by a great nuinber of journals in different paita oí' the country. Thero cauuot be lesa than 40,000 ablebodied men scattercd throughout : lie North who belong, of right, tu the arniy, and who should be made to return to their duty. llow theso men gtt leave of abacucu and discharges is thjs explaiued by thu Washington correspoudetit of the N. Y. JLvening Pët. ' The President found on his lata visit to Gen. iMcCbllari that 70,000 of the troops takeu 10 the Peiiiiisula are now missing or absent It is imposible to believe that more thau 40,000' are dead, wounded, or sick. Geu. AIcC'lellau exprcssed the opinión to the President that more thau halt of tho 70 OJO absent soldicrs are now V7ell. Hort' they get arfay it is alinost impossible to teil. A tact, however, hasjuit cowt: to my knowledge whicli will sarvj to elucidato ihe matter. A suiglu meniber uf Congress lias sueeeeded in getting furlougns aud discharges tbr three hundred soldien duriug tliu present sassion of (Jongres3 ! This is a í'act, aud it will show hoiv the army has been depleted, or at least one way in liicli ils nuinbers have been reducud. - The friends of soldiers - of régimen - have eudeavored to get off every Muidier who wus sick of tho service. Membürs of Cougress desired to be popular in their districis, aud auswered every cali upou ihem. Colonela of reginienta aud Qeaerals of brigaden had the snuie desiro ot popularity with their uien, and ono and all have aidfd ia this depleting procesa Lili the suaa total of absuntees ia euormoiia. " No wonder that wa were beaten away frin before Kichmond if a large per oeulage of ihe army which Senator handlur said acüompaiaed General MeClol lan was really ïdling away their time iu the Nortli. And (lus proceps i still going on. The II unisón s Landing currespondent of the Philadelphia Inquier, under date of tbe löth uit., writes : " Not a uiail boat or transport vessol that leaves our wharves but takes away, upon evcry trip, all along froin a doBtíü to üf'ty of the rank aud tile officers, and to sueli an extent has this prevailed it is no exa'jgeratton to say that ssven otttjif every ten of the aboce rank oj officers ai e absent front our army.'''' This is monstrous, and whoever is to blanie should be severely ceuaured by the President. Tho army on the James ltiver should be kupt in heart, but this is not the way to do it. The absence of officiers demnralizes the men aud unii'H thein for fiuld duty. It is dis heartemng to the country, also, as it sejins to iudieate auother ioug period of inaeiivity It is quite time that strenuous efforts wero mado to return desrters and t-uch make believe soldiers to their respective regimeuta These men should not be tolcrated in the iieighborlioods to which thoy belong. They are a positivo detriment 10 the cause, us they check enlistnients by the doloroua storiea they teil to excuse tüeir absence from the aruiy.