In peace there had been no organization, so when war came we were almost helpless, and as late as the end of 1863 not twenty per cent. of the men who should have been ready for service were in government ships. Let _doctrinaires_ theorize as they may, this was not the fault of our maritime class, for thousands of sailors and fishermen who had already entered the army were by force of law denied the opportunity either of enlisting in, or of being transferred to, the navy. In addition, the operation of the draft was made detrimental to the naval interests of the country, for it violated the Act of May, 1792, which exempts from military duty all mariners actually employed in the sea service of any citizen or merchant within the United States. Furthermore, the government unjustly discriminated against the seaboard towns, for not only was the seafaring class, which is fostered and cherished by all maritime governments, withdrawn from the element to which it has been accustomed, but in addition sailors actually afloat were taken from their ships and compelled, under the penalty of law, to enter the land service. It was not until 1864 that Congress finally enacted the law which enabled seamen serving as soldiers to be drafted into the navy. How different would have been the state of affairs had there existed in 1861 some system of government administration as to the creation of naval reserves, or, more far-reaching still, had we been free from that illogical distrust which possessed the whole country! The fear of too much centralization was the stock in trade of professional patriots, and the people, hampered by traditions which had come down to us from our English ancestors, saw in any attempt towards efficient war preparation in times of peace all the dangers they had been taught to believe existed in standing armies. England acted more wisely, for she had been taught a grim lesson by her adversities, and without fear we might have profited by her example. In the history of the Peninsula war, Napier, after picturing the horrors of the fearful April night when Badajoz was stormed, asked, bitterly, “And why was all this striving in blood against insurmountable difficulties? Why were men sent thus to slaughter when the application of a just science would have rendered the operations comparatively easy? “Because the English ministers, so ready to plunge into war, were quite ignorant of its exercises; because the English people are warlike without being military, and, under the pretence of maintaining liberty which they do not possess, oppose in peace all useful martial establishments. In the beginning of each war England had to seek in blood for the knowledge necessary to insure success.”