The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1850-07-23

suppose that each drsxooa soldier wears out horse
for the annual Of dssxoou COLDER and his horse
$500; butr is BY no means true that dragon soldier
wears out usually horse IN year We were informed
OF Dragons which lett Fort Jsssp in The sunHer OF
ls45-Inore than four years before the period Of which
speak These horses had tray eed through the Mex
war. had returned again to country and when
we last heard OF them, were doing daily duty. Iii.
fair suppose that horses have 10 BE- replaced
in order make Dragons effective, when they have
tive service 10 perform every three years.
The annual cost OF each mounted volunteer $3.50.
composed OF the following items the pay OF the soldier
the allow for the service OF his horse equal to
$23 so per month"; or $2s2 per annum the rahon OF the
volunteer equal to $72 per and the value OF the Tor
age consumed BY his to SvSmas,nx total
entitled 10 compensation Tor his HORSE ne 10 iost by
any contingency connected necessarily and unavoidaby
with The service, This statement shows concusivey
that far more economical employ regular than vol
unteer cavalry. Again who can estimate the value OF
the labor which is always performed by regular soldiers
in the construction OF quarters, storehouses &c which,
if not done by them, would be paid for by the quarter
masters department! Or who estimate the saving,
pecunarly considered which might result to our govern
future time, from having respectable body
OF we'll drilled wellinstruced and we'll disciplined troops
within its control While these OF the evils
which result the general government from the employ
men OF volunteers other and greater evils fail directly
the State OF Texas At present there are four companies
Of mounted volunteers in the field BY which three
hundred and fifteen are drawn from the ordinary IN
dustrial pursuits OF the country.
The youthful State OF Texas possesses many and high
advantages in genial and salubrous climate and fer
tile soil, whose productions would soon. with proper Gull
tyaton, give her high position among the sister States
OF the confederacy. But If those who should be en-
ployed in agricultural commercial, manufacturing, or
mechanical pursuits are to be frequently called de-
fend their homes the natural resources OF the country
cannot be developed and as consequence the increase
OF wealth and population IL very much retarded.
The injurious effect to the State produced by calling
out volunteers does not cease with the term q service
allotted to them Every one acquainted with the effects
of volunteering knows that its subjects are to certain
extent demorazed. and for time il not forever after,
rendered unfit unwilling to pursue the peaceful avo
cations Of civil lie This is the necessary consequence
strants of social life nor the stricer discipline OF regp
lar military establishment After being dsbandea, vol
and hs
perhaps. affected little by this spirit any Others but
i impossible that they should BE- free from the opera
of the late Cuban expedition been drawn Many OF
them volunteers during the Mexican officers
appointed from civil life when the army was increased
during the war; and who returned to private lite at its
| CLOSE.
What system them should be adopted to remedy exist
ing evils, and afford security in future people! II
is evident from what have already said, that there
must be increase in the mounted force, and that II
should not be made BY mounting the infantry or by calling
out volunteers. Casting the eye the map and along
the extensive line of Indian frontier in this department
and remembering the typographical features we have as
signed TO it, il will readily occur to every thinking man
that the military posts, provided with efficient mounted
garrisons should be enough to communicate very
often, at least weekly. prevent the passage of the In
should be galsonsd BY q, least one company Of infantry
and company OF dragons, the latter being one hundred
strong in the total The present strength Of drsgoon
such that after the sick and the ordinary details
taken out the remainder nothing than stout
police party The adutant of the I'd Dragons has kindly
furnished us with statement taken from the monthly
of the companies Of his regiment, showing the
number of commissioned officers, musicians, and
prvstes present at the posts occupied by seven OF the
companies OF his regiment at the time OF making their
last returns From this statement, it appears that the
strength present of companies was
If the sick and necessary details be deducted
it will leave number which will justify the assertion
that the cavalry companies with their present Organza
ton, nothing than strong police parties 1t is
also proper remark in this connexion that very Sc
evil results TO the from the weakness oil the
dragon companies The elementary unit the company 10
small that it is impossible to give to the men any avail
sucton u allotted 10 them These demon
srae the necessity OF increasing the rank and nile OF the
cavalry companies, and we would recommend il to be
fixed al a hundred
But the increase OF posts which we have recommended
al being necessary prevent the incursons of the In
dams will demand a considerable addition TO The number
the addition to be made by charging the present
regimental organization by companies, adding such
number may be required by the exsences incident to
the service This the method adopted In increasing
the artillery arm during the with Mexico
Protracted reflection on this subject has convinced us
that the cavalry arm may be largely increased oy tns
method at small cost 70 Inc Government o.,
the country First, this method obvistes the necessity
of increasing the field officers, which would be done
new regiment were formed. In the present scattered
OF regiments along the various frontiers, the
field officers the least useful Of any class OF officers
The present state OF Indian Affairs and frontier defences
does not offer proper field for their exertione In the
of general with savaxes. they would doubt
leasly take command OF the regiments but at present
there is little if any active duty Tor them To perform
They are however, necessary for the regulation OF
the internal police OF the regiments. the concentration Of
their various correspondence, &c But this they could
effect we'll for regiment OF sixteen or eighteen comPa-
MES for one OF companies To illustrate the COM
parave Of the two methods OF INCREASE let US take
an example. We should recommend the addition OF
service making them consist OF three battaons OF six
companies three squadrons each. IL the companies
be increased hundred total strength, this increase
will give addition of sixteen hundred men to our cav
airy force, about the following cost per annum for the
pay of officers and men, The pay of the men, including
non commissioned officers, musicians, privaes, &C.,
would be nearly SO0,60s-he sum OF 8, AL the dill
ference between the Of the sixteen captains promoted
and their pay -1lestenants, making in round
numbers, 100000, These are the only elements OIL
expense that be actually fixed. The. value
the government Of his subsistence the cost Of purchasing
horses and the OF forage, being dependent on many
contingencies OF very variable character, It - impoesl-
BILE give any accurate statement OF what II would be
II only necessary to observe in regard to the total ex-
pendne for these items, that supposing the system we
have recommended be adopted, and all other things
being equal it would bear the same relation to the sum
expended for similar purposes in the increase BY regl
ment that the number OF introduced BY our system
would bear the number OF introduced by the regi
menta systemhat u.s., the relation would be expressed
k.,s A. 81 nt,nn mt