Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1834-01-01
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF
WAR.
DEPARTMENT OF WAR,
November 29th, 1888, {

ations and administration of this Depart
ment for the past year, it affords me
pleasure to bear my testimony to the yea
and ability of the respective officers, a
the head of the various bureaus, and OF
those employed to aid them in the per
torrance Of the important functions com
mitted to this branch Of the Executive
Government.
A reference to the accompanying re-
ports and documents will show the state
of the Army, as well with relation to its
numbers and their positinnand condition,
as to the progress of the various works
entrusted to them, and the collection and
preservation ofthe necessary materielfor
offensive and defensive operations, Which
is Indispensable to the safety ofthe coun-
try. The principle, which governed the
reductinn of the Army, from a war to a
peace establishment, has been found by
subsequent experience to be salutary ana
its practical operation has been to torn
a body of officers equal in all the requl-
sites of military knowledge and efficiency
to those of any other service which IS
known to US. The army is so organized,
that should an increase become necessary,
in consequence Of those conflicts ofinter-
est and opinion, to which all nations in
their intercourse with one another have
been exposed, and from which we have
no right to expect perpetual exemption,
any reasonable addition may be made to
it, without disturbing lis arrangements;
and the professional knowledge and ex-
perience, embodied in j, will be i'm 10
diately felt in the new corps, and will
identify them with those previously III
service. The military experience OF 9th
or countries. as well as of our own, has
shown that the system If extension, by
which new and old troops are incorpofa-
ted together, is much better calculated
to prnducc discipline and suhordination,
and thus 10 meet the exigencies of ser
vice. which DOES not allow large bodies
of troops to be kept up in time OF peace,
than the organization of separate corps,
composed of inexperienced officers and
men, with all their military knowledge to
acquire, and all their military habits TO
form. And thisis more particularly true
of the Staff Department ofan Army, up
on which its movement, its subsistence.
and the economy of its administration,
must principally depend. The system.
established in our service. is equally
creditabIe to the Army and satisfactory to
the Government, and may be app led to
any necessary extent, without any dim'n
utlon of that economy and efficiency,
whic,, have heretofore marked its opera.
ton.
Much advantage is anticipated from
the operation of the Act. passed at shf
last session of Congress. for improving
the condition Of the Army. Already lis
effects have been felt, as the suhjoined
documents will show, in the decrease Of
desertion, aud in the increase OF the bu-
siness of recruiting. The addition to the
pay of the rank and file, the reduction O
condition of the non-commissioned OIL
GERS, promise important deliberations III
the character of the Army. This pros
pect cannot but be interesting TO the
Government and the country. Although
the numerical strength of the Army i
comparatively small, it is yet sufficient to
excite public solicitude; and this must be
increased by the consideration, that the
character Of our military establishment
may hereafter essentially depend upon
the measures now taken for its moral and
intellectual advancement. Although ii
were idle, in the present state OF the
country. to apprehend any danger from
the force which is employed, still the les
sons of experience taught by the progress
of events in other nations, ought MOTTO be
neglected, nor the possibility overlooked
that other circumstances MAJ lead to th'
increase of our military strength, and Il
the dminution of that wise Jealousy
which is now one of our national char
acteristics. Moral habits in the soldier,
constitute one of the best safeguards a
gainst the abuse of military power, ant
their incubation has engaged the atten
ton of this Department during successive
periods of its administration. Amongs
other measures, which have been adopted
with this view, you have recently direct
ed the discontinuance of all parades oil
Sundays, in order that that day may be ex
cluslvely devoted to the purposes of in
struction and improvement. Certainly il
time of peace, no just reason can exist
for converting day Of rest and devotion
into day Of military parade.