Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1848-01-08

pies page and half of the Union. We
make some extracts from the document:
From the best means in the Department
If arriving at correct results. the whole
aggregate land force. employed in prosecu.
ting the war. is estimated at forly.three
thousand five hundred and thiriy-six. of
which iwenty.one thousand five and nine
are regular troops, and the remainder vol.
unteers.
The distribution Of this force is as fol.
lows: With Major General Scott and be-
longing to his column, including the troops.
en- route. at Tampico, at and about Vera
Cruz, and on the line thence to his head
quarters, the aggregate force is estimated at
thrty-lwo thousand one hundred and ffiy.
six. With Major General Taylor, at the
several points under his immediate com.
mand, it is about six thousand seven hun.
dred and twenty. seven. In Santa Fc. and
on the Oregon and Santa Fe routes, and in
the Indian country, there are about three
thousand six hundred and thirty.four.
The force in The CALIFORNIA; is about one
thousand and nineteen, including two hun.
dred now on the way to that country.
There are no means in the Department
of calculating the deductions which ought
10 be made for sickness, disability, and
other casualties; but the effective force is
considerably below the foregoing es,i.
mates.
Of the chihuahua expedition, the report
says:
This adventurous march, by COL Doni-
phan and his small and gallant command. of
more than one thousand miles through
hostile country. in the course of which Two
battles were fought against vastly superior
numbers, and decisive victories won, with
great loss on the part Of the enemy. and
almost bloodlesss on ours. is an achievement
to which it would be difficult to find par.
allel in the history of military operations.
General Kearny's operations in Ca'ifor-
MIA are spoken Of without reference to
Col. Fremont or Commodore Stockton,
and General Price receives great common.
dation for his suppression of the Taos val
ley instruction. 1t is remarked that the
approach Of winter has prevented the work
Of establishing the two Oregon posts, east
Of the mountains. one al Grand Island, and
the other at or near Fort Laramie.
The Secretary's plan of further opera.
tons" is that Of the President, as set forth
in his message, and is supported by the
same argument He says:
In addition to the troops required to gar.
rison places to be retained, il is proposed
10 have in the field a competent force for
or 81,
whenever h e may present a vulnerable
point; to open avenues from the ports in
our possession into the enemy's country,
and to cover and subject to our control
some Of his rich mining districts and pro-
ductive agricultural regions. 1t is not
deemed proper to point out in more detail,
the movements and objects contemplated
in the further prosecution Of the war upon
this plan.
proceed to present my views in rela-
ton TO the troops considered necessary for
this purpose. The twenty-five regiments
of the regular army. as distinguished from
the volunteer force, when filed up to the
limit fixed by law. would be twenty eight
thousand eight hundred and fourteen, ex-
elusive of officers; but the actual strength,
as near as can be ascertained is now TWEEN.
ty-one thousand five hundred and thirty
three; it will therefore require seven thou
sand three hundred and cighiy-one enlisted
men to complete, the regular military es-
,ahlishment.
During the last year, the recruiting SER
vice for the regular army has been atten.
ded with considerable success. The re.
cruits enlisted for the fifteen old regiments
amount to eleven thousand and eghiy.onc
and those for the ten regiments raised IN.
der the act of the last session Of Congress
are eleven thousand one hundred and sixty.
two.
By the operations of the recruiting ser.
vice. il is believed that the present strength
of these regular regiments will be fully
sustained, and probably increased.
The accompanying tables from the Ad
jutant Generals Office, show that there are
now in service, engaged for the war, TWEEN
iy-three regiments of volunteers. sever
batialions, and thirty.lhree companies no
organized into regiments or battaons; bu
the rank and file of all these do not proba
bly, exceed twenty thousand men. Most o.
the volunteer forces have borne a conspc
uous part in the present arduous campaign
and particularly in the series of severe con
tlIcls with the enemy. The casualties o
The service have, therefore, fallen heavily
upon them. They have become consider
ably reduced. To give those serving fo
the war their complete organization, vii
require an addition of about twelve thou
sand five hundred men.
The Secretary is for the immediate raj