The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-03-24
PROMOTION OF COZ. TALcOTT.


"Among the brevet promotions by the late Admin
was, we learn, that Of Col George Tacott
OF the Ordnance Department, TO the rank OF briga
der General In the Y. $. army. This Is simply .
long deferred OF Justice to one OF the al lest and
most accomplished officers in the savice. Col
Talcot entered the army, we believe, In 1914; and
from that period to the present has contritu by
the unrenitting and Intelligent discharge Of bis sn-
ties TO its success and elevation. In the Ordnance
Department his services for many Years, an paiuc-
ularly during the late war with Mexico, have feel
invaluable. He sought an active comman In M x
leo and although, II his wishes had ben grained,
he may have gathered laurels more directly nom the
battle field he could scarcely have served his conn-
Try efficiently than in the able discharge Of The
practical duties Of his post.a-Atbany Argus.
From the nuture Of the duties appertaining 10 the
Ordnance Corps Its officers have not been brought
before the public conspcuously as those belong
Ing 10 any other arm Of the service, although their
services have been not The less valuable 10 the conn
Try; and we are sratliied 10 perceive they have not
been neglected or unreqned by tho late Executive.
When the army was reduced, in 1921, tie Ordinance
Corps was abolished by an amendment to the bill
reducing the army offered at the close OF the session
Of Congress- when there was no time Tor debate
without endangering the passage OF the whole bill
and but four Offices were retained and attached 10
the Artillery as supeinumerarles. General Talcott
then captain, was one OF these. In lS32 by his
exertions aided by those Of many distinguished cit-
Gems and officers the corps was restored c g ins
During the Administration Of Mr.. Van Buren,, he
was called to Washington to take charge Of the
Ordnance Bureau, where he has remained TO the
present Time BY the death of Colonel Bomford
in 1913, he became the colonel and chief Of the
corps =. !. ,,.,,o !, ,,o oo.,. !, isa, .o,no
OF the oldest and most efficient officers In the army
were appointed in IT, and the united efforts of these
have ever since been directed TO render the Ddtsre
Of our army as perfect and complete as that In any
other service in the world The sui Of the late waf
with Mexico has shown with what success their ef-
forts were crowned. The efficiency OF the Artille y
in particular, would have been comparatively It'll I,
with such guns and equipments as were used in III
war of 1872 The officers In charge of the batteries
Of flying artillery will rtadly grant that with the
old and clumsy guns and carriages formerly In usa
In our army they could never have made those
founding evontons sent their fire with such dead
ly certainty amongst the ranks OF the enemy. The
battle of Bcnna Vista toll well for The Artillery and
for the Ordnance. The guns, carriages and muni-
lions Of war now In use In our army are us perfect,
It not the most perfect, in the world. A standard
for the strength OF powder and the composition Of the
fuse has been established by which the range of ball
or shell is determined TO almost certainty, and the
time when the latter will explode known with great
accuracy. The shape, size and strength of the
non has been greatly altered and improved by this
corps, and the new method OF discharging both the
cannon and the mrisket by the lock and percussion
wafer or cap has been introduced. The mnsket has
also been altered In pattern materially and is now
manufactured at the National armories with such
nicely, th0t the various parts OF several II thrown
together promiscnously rcoleeted from either
DRY, will fiji ms accurately MS II made for each partic
ular muske This fact excited considerable aston
ishment ut the royal manufactures in Europe, and
was scarcely credited there; and the cost Of this
arm 10 the Government has been reduced from about
Sl3 to lees than 80. The Ordnance Department,
has the charge of two National armories and sew
enteen arsenns, several Of which are nrsenals Of
construction and the Others of deposite, and the
amount Of properly under Its control amounts 10
several millions Of dollars-Aibany Ere. Journal.