The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1847-12-08
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
Report Of tAs sesrss.ry OF War.
Wan DEPARTMENT,
Washington, December 2, lS47.


Sin: have the honor to submit the following report
of the operations Of this department during he past year
The returns and statements from the AdJuant General
r. can and
ton of troops composing military force at this time
Most of the volunteers in service at the date OF my last
since been discharged Owing to the dispersed situation
of the troops and the want Of recent returns accurate
statements Of their numbers in the aggregate and at some
particular points cannot be presented but from the best
in the department OF arriving at correct results,
the whole aggregate land force. employed IN prosecuting
the war is estimated at GTtythres thousand ve hun s
hundred and nine are regular troops and the remainder
volunteers.
The distribution of this force is as follows With Maj
Gen. Scott, and belonging to his column including the
troops route at Tampco at and about Vera Cruz and
on the line thence his headquarters the aggregate force
sestimated at thirty thousand one hundred and fifty
six With Maj Gen. Taylor at the several posts under
his immediate command, it is about six thousand
hundred and twentyseven In Santa Fe and on the Ore
gon and Santa Fe routes and in the Indian country there
are about three thousand six hundred and thirty four
The force in the Calornias is about thousand and
nnessn neauding two hundred now on the way to that
There arc no means in the department OF calculating
the Deductions which ought be made for sickness dis
ability, and other casualties; but the elective force Is
considerably below the foregoing estimates.
The volunteers first received into service entered for
period OF only twelve months, and entitled to their
few in July and August They were sent from the
operative columns OF the army some time before the end
of their engagement Only small portion OF the voan-
teers called out in November for the war joined the army
before the twelve months men had left it, The act OF
Congress authorizing the ten regiments was not passed
until the llth 81 February ana several months necess
field An anxious desire was felt that both columns OF the
army should be speedily reinforced, and considerable i'm
not fully appreciate the difficulties from which it
sany resulted The best energies of the department, in
all it's branches were devoted to this objects and is be-
eved all things considered that the regiments,
well as the volunteers called out raised, organized,
and sent to the army expedousy could have been
reasonably expected ),
interior OF the country to campaign IN any season OF
the year That OF the present year is considered as hay
ing opened with the military operations subsequent to the
The temporary suspension of hoslities within certain
limits, which agreed at the convention Of Monte
rev. in September, 1885, terminated the 18th OF No
veuaber following. by notice to that effect, which
Major General Taylor instructed to give to the enc
my Among the reasons for abrdging the period OF the
might interfere with military operations, which had
been previously directed to be carried on in Tamauhpas
and along the Gulf coast
Immediately after the ,armistice terminated the com
manding general proceeded to occupy Sao, the capital
of Coa6uia, by part of his forces Previous to the cap
ue OF aa oeem into TO
mauipas, more particularly with view to taking and
holding Tampico the principal seaport IN that State
squadron in the Gulf cooperate with the land forces
in this latter enterprise found practicable, to take
that place without waiting for their assistance In the
month of December the column intended tor this move
ment commenced its march from Matamoas and reached
its destination, taking Victoria in its way on the 23d day
Of January but before s arrival, naval force under
Commodore Perry had taken possession OF Iampico
Shortly thereafter the city and its deences were turned
over to the land forces and the place has been since oc
cupied by garrison OF our troops
post at Sato, as it would cover the direct route to
San Luis de Potoa. where the main army OF the enemy
was posted, and control productive region whence sup
plies could be drawn. was deemed OF much importance
by the commanding general A considerable force was
BY his orders stationed at this point The column under
Brigader General Wool. which had moved from San An
tonic de Bexar for the purpose OF capturing and holding
chihuahua, had proceeded as far as Moncoya Inc adj
yanced positions then occupied by General Taylors col
less important and the troops designed for this purpose
were ordered to move upon and occupy Parras and IN
that position under the immediate command OF
Gen Taylor who proceeded To establish and hold deen
sye line extending from Parras to Tampico. Leaving
garrsons at Monterey and at points the route to Ca
margo, and the mouth of the Rio Grandc, reserve and
advanced Victoria the capital of Tamaulpas and en-
tered that city without resistance early IN January with
force Of over five thousand men, Such was the posi-
raj Scott, under instructions from this department. dated
the 2ad Of November, 1885, reached the Rio Grande
forniSs and iN New Mexico. and our military occapa
ton OF The important departments Of Tamaulipas, New
Leon, and Coahua, would not dispose the enemy TO
be necessary 10 direct future operations against
more vital parts of the Mexican republic. In view
of the capture and possession OF the city OF Mex
co, il was not supposed that movement tor that
purpose could be advantageously made from the MO
Grande, hitherto the base of operations as from
another base which might be selected presenting much
shorter line. The attention of the government was,
therefore, directed as early September 1885, to meas
for the occupation of the principal places along the
Gulf, and particularly Vera Cruz as the nearest point
which opened practical route 10 the capital OF the Mex
republic. ,
While the line of the Sierra Madre to be held and
the further advance of troops in that quarter le TO
the control of circumstances, the principal aggressive
movements to be pushed forward into the heart OF
the enemys country ON the line from Vera Cruz,
as soon as it could be established Measures were taken
General Scott assigned to conduct it, and upon him.
the senior officer of highest rank, the general su-
pervision and direction Of military operations In the
enemys country devolved In preparing Tor this
expedition which had for its immediate object the capture
of the city of Vera Cruz and the reduction OF the castle OF
San Juan dUlloa-a fortress deemed almost lmpregna-
blet became necessary to draw largely IRON the forces
the previous line of operations, and to reduce that ne'
for a tme to defensive condition The number and de-
scrpton of troops thus to be withdrawn were neeessar
y left the determination of the general IN CHIEF com
mand, and particularly charged with the conduct OF the
expedition against Vera Cruz.
The preparations for this expedition necessarily cores
ponding with the magnitude OF the object, were on so
large scale, and required much time for completing
Them that il not reasonable to expect our design
could be kept from the enemy that the resistance to Its
accomplishment would be anything less than the utmost
which 1t was in his power to make.
The troops destined for this service assembled at
the island OF Lobos, amounting to about twelve thou
sand and finally embarked for their destination early in
the month of March.
Uhla in ,rf.ora,a forcos