Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1822-04-26
ARMY REPORT.

ARMY REPORT.
The Committee Military Affairs which was in.
>'ruct'd, 10y Il resolution OF the 23d December last
Ia inquire and report, 90 Whether the Army had
been r'd'ced according To the provisions or the
Act, eo'neI" An act TO reduce AMI fix the Militia
~ p.ace establishment OF lie United States
rsscd the I'd March, 1921,
REPORT:
The particular cases to which the .,enton Of the
Committee has been directed IN which il is allcpe,
,here has been "A vulm,on of The act of h. l,st scs
zion, are tie following The transfer Of officers TO
different corps from that which they belonged pre-
tlous 10 the rc'!ucton The appointment oi the nav
muster general iowaon, and of lieutenant colonel
Fenwick, at tie light artillery, colonies OF arc-
~; and the dismissal of colonies BSsel and Smith
oi the infantry rs supernumerarics the provisional
appointment oi general Atkinsonas adiuiani general
ard the subsequent appointment of colonel Gadsden
to the same office, in August last the appointment,
oi general Atkinson To be colonel, aud Majors Brad
ford aud tuse TO be captains OF infantry and che dis
mISs; of officers who were made suIeruumerary Inv
such appointment.
ia the reduction OF the army, under the law OF the
i,N sesston, the President appears 30 have been 10
rerncd by III, construction which had een given to
the 90 at the 10Th o March, 1902 under which the
provisional AMY tsblnded, and To the act of the
ii AlHtciI. 1913 10y which the army was rctiuc ed
81; lie close oi Tie late war. The 9th section OF the
act of 1902 the 5k section OF the of l3 s. and e
18th section OF tue act OF 1921 prescribe the manner
al rejucing the respective armies. Teii prov sions
are subs antIay the same, and these se,er; sections
are nearly IN the same words. BY that construction
disbanded, and many Others were reduced from their
f,rm"r rank yet your Committee have NOT found
tat the correctness of that construction WIS ever
30 ,hcd previous 10 the lat organization of the army.
The Army ltcgster of 1915, was before Cungre ;,
during TIC Nessi"u which commenced in December
ct same year, and u law was passed for organz-
Ing tle staff hercin p cyiousy retained, and which
had 'N been provided for IN the former law The
manneI in wh,ch the law of 1873 had been executed
must hern known to most of the mcmbers of
both HOUSES ~ the lrs' Congress. il is, therefore,
iary 10 ne presumed lhai the trainers of the of
Mach last, "hcn t,ey copied into the same the 5ii,
section al tie ls~ oi 1910, expected that it would
TcceEe the sane construction had formerly OBJ.
tIined. Independently of arguments drawn from
the praoice under former laws, yOur Committee are
at opinion thu, the construction given Ivy the Presi-
nj, 10 the act Of 1871 is the ony reasonable one of
Which II IL susceptible. The 18th section din ecls the
President OF the United STATES cause to be arrang-
ell the officers, non commissioned officers aticers
musicians, and prIvaeS, Of the several corIs i'm the
service OF the United States, ia such manner as 10
complete out OF the the force authorized y The
act. The fair construction Of this section is TO a,,-
horize the President organize the Military Peace
Establishment, designated in the act from all the
various materials OF which the army composed,
and Tor this purpose TO transfer from corps 10 an-
other. lie corps oil light artillery, aad tile rife
corps, are not like the ordnance department. merrcd
~ Il different corps, but are both abolished. II the
President was TO fill the various Offices in the several
corps authorized by the only rom those who pre.
yiousy belonged to the corps, ali of those who
belonged to the light artillery rifle regiment would
have been left OUT, and the county depriyed of te
services OF many Of IFS most valuable officers The
various general and staff officers of the former army
including the pnymaser general, must ALSO c consi.
dered part Of the several corps mentioned in the
l2th section out of which the new army was 10 he
formed and might, like the officers of tte oht arti
lefy rifle regiment, he transferred TO- or appointed
in, different corps oHd, IN ike manner the staff
olhcers authorrzedy the act, might he i, hy trans
fcrs from any other corrs OF tive old army.
~ the general and staff officers OF the late army arc
not "A corps within the meaning of the i2th section
it necessarily results that al the general and staff Oil
GERS OF ihc new establishment should have been tit
kcn from such as did belong corps of the for
mer drmy. Such could nctcr have been the inten
ton Ol Congress.
The offices Of colonel Of artillery, 10 Which colonel.
Jo~son aud Fenwlck we're appointed, and Of ',lu.
'ml general, 10 which gen. Atkinson was provisions
ally appointed, were new Offices, created by the ac
VI Mach lat. Previous 10 ilat time the artiller,
was not organized into regiments, and had no ryndf
81 dice therein higher than lieutenant colonel
Ia tie stit Oi the army there aGjutdDt ant
INSPECTION geDeN residing ut the seat Of government
ard ia adutini genera - each division. The adiu.
iini general Ut Tue army authorized hy the aci o
1871, WIS intended 10 perform part vi the dme,
winch had been executed 10y luce others, but more
pm IcnlWiy ti"se which had been previously cxccr
tel hy hc adjUt,nt and Inspector general. !. la.
brrn n1fcied iih the paynistcr general was not u
nientr ol the general stan Of tie NV iS he was
nerly cd Gif O., and as such was rot embraced
hin tie PRIV isions Of tie law Of the last session.
Jhc otcc VI pViuI~tc1 WIS created nader the dc
of be ST. It Nw, 1852, mdcr wiica be received
S ~ per nUnfh, md tic r.dions and forage Of ni
IT. u, tae te OF 1852, dxine lbe military peace cs.
ftlshmeni, The ia,ib-ter oi the army was 10 hc fk
On om tie Use Of commissioned officers, and sur
o. cled 10 lie rules and articles Of war. in iglI. A
Uy was substituted Tor the monthly pny. Sc 3,
act Of hc LIN ct April, lSlG, fJr organizing the
general si.,ii, the piymI-ter general recognized 10.
p'rt u tie general STAT oi hc army, aud subjected
70 mafi~d law Hd, Ivy tIe law OF he last session n
p'Nmasier general also provided for ;,s one or iie
Officers Of tic military peace establishment. Your
c0mntiaf can, therefore, reasonable grounds
Tor the Opinions HAT the paynastcr genera, did MOI be-
.,,rg the ARMY Of the Uuiied Stacs
The office Of colonel Of artillery aud a'iirtant gene
b.. vs"s 'sJ..,i ,.,i,ic., i cpld nu. hMe been