Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-12-13
pIDLYc DOCUMENTS.
REPORT OF TilE SECRETARY OF WAR.

his Department:
The condition of the army, of The iorhcatlons, ano
Of the other branches OF the military SERVICE and the
state or our Indian airs and OF the pensions and I'M
ary bounty lands, are exhibited, as presented ~ 'ht
copous and very satisfactory reports Of the General
in chief and OF the heads Of bureaus TO whose lmnie
date direction the respective subjects axe assignee
Such suggestions and recommendations as the soou %
the service seems 10 require, made rnd an accom-
ia given Of the taken IN execution Of the laws
passed al The last session OF Congress.
inspections and examination 81 the men anu means
provided for the national defence by independent and
responsible officers, afford the Only means by winch an
accurate kno w!edge Of their cond ton can be acquired
By which responsibility can be eninrced and oy @hich
iudicious improvement be effected Dafng Inc
last wear they have been made vigorously and thorough
To- Posts and portions al the army that have net been
inspected for many years, have been examned-tht
Notifications, the ar:nores rSenals ana oepots OF mi
liary stores have been VISITED ana II ~ oei'eVFo ha'
but very small portion Of the army and no important
military establishment Of the Government has, dnfn"
the wear, escaped Inspection lne information when
the Department is thus e-bsd Ia obtain, and much "i
which appears this report, and those Oh The various
bureaus is OF the most satisfactory character.
In pursuance Of The &C, o the las, session, altering
the fiscal year, the estimates OF this Department have
been prepared for the first months IN lo1, and Tor
the year commencing the ls OF July lcl3 separately
Those for the army proper for the half year OF lo43,
amonnt TO SOB $50 - The appropriations for the
same pnrpose for the service of lci2, amounted TO
Sd 2si 669 of which the half would be ST. -
This very great reduction rs owing to various causes:
FIRST, the d,mu shed IL Flordl, effected MAN.
~ by the vigilance Of Btgadier General Worth before
the cessation Of hostilI;es; of which an account was
transmitted the House Of Representatives at It's last
ION; second, the termination oil those hns.ites;
third the stopping Of The recruiting service IN August
last fourth the doubt whether the state OF the Ireasu
ry would warrant even the expenditures authorz-d,
particularly those the Eaglnee. and Ordnance De
partments Induced suspension nj ms"y o those winch
could be suspended with the least public lnlary and
hal
desire to economise, winch IS believed TO have ntu-
enced all the branches of service These and other
causes important, have saved the expenditure OF
large portion of the amount appropriated tor loi2,
and left il to be applied the for The year 1913
The desire 10 economse and adapt our espen.
ses any probable state Of the Treasury has induced
the very moderate estimate for the service OF the army
proper during The f.ca! year, commencing July Isl,
1873 of SO 2ji Sos 80, being 81 Gs0 100 40 less than
the appropriations Tor the same objects IA lo42, and
1907 430 40 less than the expenditures IN lel0 II rs
confidently belle we'd, that the present military establish.
ment OF the country, ,ncuding all the expenses OF the
military academy OF permanent or contingent cha
yac,er may be maintained at cost not exceeding
s3lU0OO0 This estimate does not Of course incluee
the appropriations for ordnance ordnance stores, small
arms and equipments, winch are distributed among the
States or are accumulated for future use nor does 1t
include the expenditures Of The engineers IN erecting
Notifications other military ceences, or IN the ni"a.
sures preparatory TO such ertcions II wall be seen,
that no operations are asked fo the ordnance
i
mended for the fiscal year commencing lst July,
l9i3 are $40 21o The appropriations ior the same
objects in lsi2 1890. Taese have been
reduced more reference 10 the possible state OF The
treasury than To The acs! Of the service. 10
the Engineer Department the appropriations asked
for the ensuing eighteen months mount to S4,2ipGoJ
The amount appropriated in 1872 was S?!c,0Go n
portion Of the is Indispensable tor The preser
walton of works already commemorative residue IS
deemed necessary, and believed that true economy
will be consulted by approprating 1T but still It 10 mol
indispensable at this time The whole amount oil the
estimates for the military service OF the country tor the
first half Of 1913, exclusive of Qualifications, Is
$500 949 80 and fer The fiscal year terminating July
lst 1874, is SI,l4I 15i 80 The estimates thus
stated to prevent # possible, the misunderstanding
which frequent,y charges 10 the military service all
Inc expenditures of this ID pariment. Thus, many OF
the of The Chief Of Typographical Engineers
relate 10 works either exclusively OF civil, or OF
mixed military and civil caaracter-such as light
houses placed under his charge, and improvement OF
harbors, rivers, Surveys, &c, and cannot, with pro-
prety he included among the military expenses ol the
country.
The estimates for pensions also very much re-
anced from the amnnnt appropriated during the last
year, which is believed to be JUSTIFIED by the diminu
ton of the number of pensioners The estimate tor
that object for the FIRST half year Of loi3 lo340
and for the fiscal year ending July lst ISL, S697-
ESQ The appropriations for the last were S730,GJO
In the Indian Department the expenditures being
regulated BY treaties b. law, there for the
AS these are chiefly made within Inc first months Of
any year. the estimate for That portion oil the year le4
is fact for the oi The whole year, and amounts
so, Asa 40, and those for the scn wear CONNIE
ing July Is lSi5, amount 10 S>3o,91S, being, hnw
ever nearly Sl5U,OO0 less than the appropriated
IN 1912, for the department. THIS arises solely
from there being less required TO fulfil treaty sipula
lions for the purchase ot land
The report Of The MAJOR. General commanding the
army shows the operations Of the troops during The
past year, and the present position of the different
corps. The reasons whi:h demanded the cessation OF
hosilities in Florida, having been communicated 10
Congress by your special message, during the last
SION and the policy recommended having been sane
Toned by that body, b. lis adoption OF the peaceful
measure OF inviting the occupation OF the Territory by
actual settlers, the number at troops serving there In
been gradually diminished, leaving adequate num.
her protect the inhabitants from the miserable. rem
nants of tribes still remaining. We have adpiccs that
arrangements have been made with all but a few ct
those Indians, for their removal 10 tie West ot tue
Mississippi the district IN the Southern part Of
The peninsula assigned them for their habilaon. And
IL believed that by This time all the bands North OF
That district have agreed 10 cease hostes and remove
there Two three instances of outrages have &C.
cured since the orders were issued tor The termination
of hostes, but they ascertained to have been
committed by bands who ignorant Of the mea.
sures adopted, or of the terms offered
During the past year four hundred and fifty Indians
have been shipped TO The West, and it IS supposed two
hundred lave surrendered, and accepted the
propositions remove 10 the district assigned them.
force consisting If TWO regiments and four con pa.
MES. amounting hundred and forty -four nen,
is retained in Florida a!o:d protection 10 lbs lahab
ants and sufficient number 10 garrison The posts
will be kept there with view 10 remove all apprehen
sion
The troops Withdrawn from Florida have been sta.
toned at pon,s where their was essential 10
The defence Of orr Western and Nothern frontiers,
have relieved others al similar points, who have been
collected on the seaboaru. Our artillery regiments
had been drilled and employed as infantry, and were
quite unacquainted with the duties Of their peculiar
urn /, was deemed Of great importance 10 biag TO-
ye,her al the {ortifcs, on the Atlantic frontier
many companies as possible, that they might there
practise The guns and Learn the exercise Of garrison
and field artillery.
The invasion Of Texas by Mexico ard Tie thTenten-