The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-08 00:00:00

By this consolidation were rendered supernume-
rary (officers)
Assigned to fill vacancies

Transferred to fill vacancies in cavalry

Transferred to fill vacancies in artillery
Resigned ~,

Die cf

Dismissed

Cashiered

Retired

Total

... 5

Balance of unattachedofficere, Nov. 1 ...

... 4

509

Accounted for as follows :
On recruiting service
On Jndian service ...
On Reconstruction duty
As Professors in Civil Colleges
On duty in United States Military Academy ...
As aides-de-camp to general officers ...
On duty in War Department
On duty at headquarters of Division Departments
and Districts .. ••• ••• ••• •••
On duty in Quartermaster's and Subsistence De-
partments
As Acting Signal Officers
Bureau of Freedmen, Refugees, and Abandoned
Lands
Ou Engineer duty ... ~. ... ... ...
On Ordnance duty
Commanding Military District Reconstruction ...
Commanding Posts ...
On duty with General Sickles ...

Total ...

553

Balance "awaiting orders" 156
Of this latter number there are reported physically die-
qualified, twenty (20); intemperate, coven (7); under sus-
pension, three 43) ; in arrest, three (3) ; inefficient, two (2) ;
at home at their own request, ninety-six (96). If disband-
ment must coins—and I suppose it is inevitable—it is but
fair that the blow should first fall on those last named.
But the 353 unattached officers are among our very best,
who have in battle earned their commission, and who are
ill qualified to be thrown out of their chosen profession
to begin life anew. Their claims are entitled to the gene-
rous consideration of the Government, and I feel assured
they will receive it, and to this end will endeavour to sub-
mit all the facts of the case, with such suggestions as
seem appropriate and likely to facilitate their retention
in the military service. In the first place, in the reorgan-
ization of the army in 1566 the law provided for four regi-
ments of veteran reserve troops, the officers of which
were chosen because they had become disabled by
wounds in the war of the Rebellion. In the consolida-
tion these regiments were put on a par with the others,
and several of the officers, though wounded and
disabled, are provided for in the new organization ;
still the great majority have been left out, and, in fact,
are disqualified, by the loss of limbs or other physical
disability, for the exposure and activity of our in-
fantry regiments. They would be entitled to be retired
under existing laws were it not for the fact that the
number of officers to be retired is limited by the six-
teenth linden of the act approved May 3, 1861, to seven
(7) per cent. of the officers of the whole army. This limit
of seven p,r cent. of officers in service was very large ;
and now that it is reduced the number that can be retired
by reason of ago, or infirmity, or by reason of wounds is
comparatively small. I earnestly recommend that this
limit be removed and that the President be allowed to
retiro any number for cause, viz.: for wounds iu battle
or age ; or, if it be deemed prudent to fix a limit, that it
be fixed at some specific number, say 250. The number
now retired is one hundred and seventy-seven (177). By
the present organization of the army, the artillery, and
cavalry have to each regiment one colonel, one lieute-
nant-colonel, three majors, and twelve companies,
whereas the infantry regiments have one colonel, one
lieutenant-colonel, one major, and ten companies.
STAFF OF THE ARMY.

This term applies to those officers and men who admin-
ister to the wants of every military establishment, and
are in our service classified as adjutant-general, inspector-
general, bureau of military justice, quartermasters, com-
missaries, surgeons, paymasters, corps of engineers, chief
signal otlicer, and post chaplains. Their names imply
their respective duties, and the organic law of 1866 limits
and prescribes their numbers. The heads of th se de-
partments reside in Washington, and submit annually a
written report of their operations for the past year. It
so happened that I was Secretary of War during the
month of October when by law these reports were made,
in order to reach the public printer by the first of Novem-
ber, and I required all the annual reports to be addressed
like all other military reports to the Adjutant-General
for the perusal of the General of the Army, who could
make use of such iaormation as they contain, uud
then lay them before the Secretary of War. This is,
iu my judgment, the souse that should always be pur-
sued, though a different one has heretofore prevailed ;
for otherwise we would have the absurdity of a general
commanding the army with his chief staff officers report-
ing to somsbody else. The general can have no objection
to any amount of business being forced upon the depart-
ments by Congress, by the President, or Secretary of War
but all orders and instructions touching army move.
wants by law must pass through the General of the Army,
that he may know what is transpiring (See section 2, Aitt
of Congress approved March 2, 1807). This matter has
already, attracted the attention of Congress, for I find a
printed report on army organization was made on the
26th of February, 1869, by Mr. Garfield, from the Com-
mittee on Military Affairs, to the House of Representa-
tives. This report, with the testimony of several officers
therewith, contains much matter that is worthy of the
most serious consideration. I need only to refer to some ,1
of its conclusions :—" The staff departments, or corps,
are, in the opiniop of the Committee, too large in propor-
tion to the line of the army."
There has been for a long time a tendency toward the
multiplication of departments, increase of rank, and in-
dependence of control in the staff, that ought to be
checked. " The staff departments by custom, rather than
by legislation, have become almost absolutely indepen-
dent of generals commanding military departments and
districts, even, of the General-in-Chief of the Army. In
the opinion of the committee, all officers of the staff de-
partments should be as directly under the control and
supervision of the general and the department comman-
ders as officers of the line now are. This reform can be
effected better by administration than by legislation, for
this independence of the staff departments finds no
warrant in law, except in regard to engineer officers,
who are, by a clause in one of the Articles of War, made
subject only to the orders of their superiors in their own
corps, and to the President." I heartily concur in these
views, and, so far as my authority goes, will carry them
out. It would be absurd to hold Gen. Schofield, or Gen.
Augur, or Gen. Hancock responsible for affairs in their
most important departments if they have not tho abso-
lute command of their troops and all the staff officers
who minister to their necessities. If Congress will enact
the new Articles of War all hurtful distinctions hereto-
fore existing will at once cease, and all parts of the army
will be put on the same honourable footing. The marked
distinction made in favour of the officers by the 63rd
Article of War has been tho cause of a great deal of mis-
chief •, but when taken in consideration with the 96th
Article I am satisfied that within "the line of their imme-
diate profession " they are as much subject to orders
as the officers of the Quartermaster's Department. To
place them on duty outside the sphere of their profes-
sional duties is, in my opinion, all that was ever intended
by the 63d Article as required by the orders of the Presi-
dent; yet the conclusion arrived at by the Committee is
the interpretation which engineer officers themselves have
usually placed on the law, and for this reason, in the
new articles of the law, the one in question is omitted
altogether. For my part I have no wish to command the
Engineer Corps, or any other corps; but if it forms a part
of the regular army of the United States it is all-important
that the Generals who command the military departments,
and are charged with the general supervision of all army
matters within their limits, should be able to avail them-.
selves of this most important branch of the army, receive
from them the usual reports of the status of the national
defences, &c., without asking it as a special favour, or ap-
plying to the President for his permission in each case.
General Humphreys gives, in great detail, the condition
of the various forts with whose construction, alteration,
and repair his department has been engaged. Nearly all
seacoast forts were planned at a time when the eight-
inch gun was the heaviest afloat, and before rifled guns
came into use. Now, however, that ordnance of tha 15
and 20 inch calibres, throwing a shot over 1,000 paunds
in weight with a velocity of 1,500 feet per second, have
come into general use, the problem of resistance is en-
tirely changed. It is believed that casemate forts, no
matter how reinforced with iron, are not able to resist
these shot, and changes must be made to meet these
changes of facts. The engineer officers have carefully
studied this subject, and have made many most valuable
experiments ; and, in connection with the officers of ord-
nauco and artillery, they should continue these experi-
ments. The Board of Engineers in New York has laid
down five general propositions for application to all
modification of the seacoast forts, which I heartily ap-
prove, viz.—
First. The use of barbette batteries of earth, with deep
parapet, and a liberal number of bomb proof and magazine
traverses.
Second. The use of the heaviest guns practicable, with
carriages admitting of the gun being depressed below the
parapet for loading.
Third. An abundant supply of heavy mortars.
Fourth. The use of torpedoes.
Fifth. Entanglements to hold a fleet long enough for
destruction.
Taking the new "Fort Winthrop," in Boston harbour, as
sample, I am satisfied that these propositions fulfill all
theconditions of the problem. No foreignartity will be
likely to attempt a landing on our coast, and all that a
hostile fleet call attempt will be to run by the forts and
lay the cities under contribution. On firii land we can
handle guns of heavier calibre and with morei accuracy of,
aim than any enemy can his afloat; and in my judgment
no armoured ship as yet built can long exist within the
range of our 20-inch guns, or even of the 15-inch guns, if
skilfully handled. I therefore recommend that the forts
covering the cities of Portland, Boston, Now York, Phila-
delphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, and San Francisco
should be pushed to completion as soon as practicable.
All other points might be neglected for the present.
The report of General Dyer, Chief of Ordnance, con-
tains much that is of the greatest interest to the army.
All our troops aro now supplied with breech-loading small
arms•of the best kind, fully equal to any in use by foreign
armies. Yet, as inventions, and so- called improvements
are all the time being pressed by inventors, I have corn- ,