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A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c. — John Shaqi

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A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

Name: A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.
Author: Campbell, James

Campbell, James

Great Britain. Army

Finding a proper substitute of good character, or paying down
say--twenty pounds, under the same rules as those established for the
regular army, should entitle individuals to exemption from serving in
the army of reserve. And it might fully be expected, that the reserve
regiments, under officers so patriotic and zealous as those of our
militia always were, would soon become like battalions of the line,
and so highly disciplined as quite to equal them, as was the case
with many of our militia corps last war. I am, therefore, decidedly
of opinion, that it would never again be necessary to add second
battalions to regiments of the regular army, nor to raise at great
expense fencible corps. The plan of second battalions was in general
found to be even as objectionable as our present inefficient depot
system, for it too often afforded only very inferior supplies to first
battalions, of half disciplined soldiers.

To commence this system of the ballot for the regular army (which,
by allowing the finding of substitutes, or the paying a sum of money
for exemption from serving, completely removes the idea of arbitrary
conscription,) I beg further to suggest, that commanding officers,
under the superintendence of generals selected for the purpose, should
have the power of rejecting, and recommending to be discharged from
their corps, all men whom, from character, health, or other causes,
they may consider objectionable; and the remainder should be allowed to
come under the new regulations, as to the period of ten years service,
dating from the time of their enlistment; and this being carefully and
judiciously arranged, upon the responsibility of commanding officers
and regimental surgeons, the numbers required for corps of cavalry,
infantry, artillery, or marines, to complete them to their respective
establishments, should be called out at once by ballot, and thus the
immense expense of bounties might be saved, and a sum for a complete
equipment for each soldier of the regular army would only hereafter be
required from the country.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

A British army, as it was,--is,--and ought to be : $b illustrated by examples during the Peninsular War; with observations upon India; the United States of America; Canada; the boundary line; the navy; steam warfare, &c.

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