Recruiting Sharper s. 51 



world. There were thousands of young men who would have 

 liked to emigrate if they could only find the means to pay their 

 passage, and being compelled to serve in the armies of their 

 native countries for a very low pay, and no bounty at all, they 

 would most willingly serve in that of the United States, on re- 

 ceiving free passage, a round sum of money, fourteen dollars a 

 month, and after the expiration of their time a grant of a con- 

 siderable number of acres from the Government. 



The subject was frequently discussed between him and Col- 

 onel Corvin, who was much in favour of emigration. Corvin 

 had arrived in Washington with very good recommendations 

 to President Lincoln, who introduced him to the Secretarv of 

 State, Mr. Seward, in whose house he was very kindly received. 

 He passed many evenings, sometimes alone, with that eminent 

 statesman, who conceived a very favourable opmion of the 

 military talents of the colonel. He offered him repeatedly 

 the command of a regiment, but the colonel declined, not 

 liking the state of military affairs in the United States, and 

 preferring his position as a war correspondent to the influential 

 papers with which he was connected. Mr Seward even had 

 the intention of making him a general, and employing him in 

 the organisation of a great general staff, which was an utterly 

 unknown thing in the United States. He caused him to con- 

 fer on that subject with Senator Wilson, of Massachusetts, 

 who was at the* head of the military commission of the Senate. 

 The affair ended, however, in nothing, as it was impossible to 

 make people understand the utility or necessity of a general 

 staff. ' The generals had all their staff, and staffs were nui- 

 sances ; they required practical field officers.' 



When the difficulty of raising men was once spoken of, 

 Colonel Corvin suggested the above mentioned idea to Mr. 

 Seward, who was rather pleased with it, and thought it practi- 

 cal. He promised to speak about it to the President, and one 

 day Salm and the colonel had an audience. 



The colonel, who speaks English quite perfectly, explained 

 to the President his and Salm's plan, requiring from hiui au- 

 thority to raise twenty thousand men for the army of the 

 United States. 



President Lincoln, his knees drawn up, his head in both 

 hands, and his elbows resting on his knees, listened attentively 

 for about a quarter of an hour. " When the colonel had finish- 



