Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1851-12-24
A nnual REPORT of the Secretary ofwar.

Conrad, Secretary of War, occupies four
columns of the National lntelligeucer.-
1t is a we'll written document, but as ma
ny of the facts connected with the move
ments of the army, which it specifies, have
heretofore been published, we must
limit ourselves to furnishing an abstract
of the more important Recommendations
and suggestions which it makes.
The Secretary sets out with column
and q half devoted to the subject which,
he says, has most engaged the attention
of the, Department during the Past year
viz: the defence of Texas, New MeA'co'
and the Mexican Territory adlacenV 70
orr oL,n AGAINST the incurslons OF the
ro;,,hhor;ror Indian tribes. These lndi-
NE Il il remarked, unlike their race on
this mart of the continent, are actuated
not so much by hostility to the whites IS
by motives Of plumber The Secretary
goes on to detail the steps taken to bring
these Indians to subsection, Congress hav'
ing failed to authorize the raising of an
additional mounted regiment, rs recon-
mended, the regiment of mounted rifle
men on the Pacific was dispensed with
there, in view of the supposed peaceable
character of the California and Oregon
Indians, and ordered to Texas. Several
outbreaks have, however, lately occurred
among these Indians, but treaties have
since been made with them. Chains OF
military posts were also established by
the fifth Infantry from Arkansas west
ward into Texas, and in New Mexico the
same thing is being done by Col SUM
ner.
A. post has also been established at the
junction of the ella and the Colorado
and examination is TO be made by the Pa
cifc commander, as TO the prsclcebility
of another still higher up .he ella, This
is nil done looking - iN rs practicable.
alike to .he jeteucc OF our own territory
ana that OF Mexico. and The Score AIRY
well remarks
= The Uui.el States have thus endea-
,Yored to fulfil, GO their fullest extent, the
obligations imposed upon them by their
la,e treaty with Mexico. 1t surely was
never contemplated that the entire expense
and responsibility of defending her terri
tory against these incursions should de-
volve upon us. The language OF the trea-
. ty admits of no such construction, and, 1t
it did, it would require of us what it
would be obviously impossible for us to
perform. AS the United States have no
right to station their troops within the
limits of Mexico, how is it possible for
them, entirely. to protect her against
tribes, most of whom occupy the vast de-
sert lying between the two countries
All that we can do is to make common
cause with her to make her wrongs our
own; to chastise, if possible, the tribes
by whom they are committed; to compel
them, whenever tits possible to do so, to
make restitution of Mexican prisoners and
property and finally, in our treaties with
them, to guard the interests Of Mexican
citizens as carefully as those of our own,
and to punish any violation of the one as
severey ss VT do Ina Of the o-Eer. l. Is
manifest, too, that whatever euur We
may make for the pro &c ion oil Mexico
will not only be frui.less, but absolutely
preiudicial, unless they arc aided by cor
responding efforts on her part. The
number Of our military posts, the vigil
lance, activity, and courage of our troops,
all tend to drive these marauders from
our border towards that of Mexico, where
they can carry on their depredations with
almost certain impunity,"
An idea too seems to have been abroad
among the people of Mexico, that this
Government was bound BY its treaty with
Mexico to indemnity citizens of thai
country. who might sustain losses by dc
pvuiHtiOns OF the Indians. ana the Secrc-
terY saws that from information that has
reached the Department, there can be nc
doubt that, in some instances, tales OF
dcpreLations have been invented with a
view of bringing delicious claims fol
damages against the Government.
1t appears that the entire force station
ed ON the Pacific amounts to only seven
hundred and thirty-six men. This force
is deemed entirely inadequate for Protec
ton, particularly in Oregon, and the Gen
eral-in-chief of the army, therefore, con-
sidcrs not only an additional regiment Of
cavalry, but also an increase in the rank
and file of the infantry and artillery as
indispensably necessary.
The entire number of men borne on the
rolls Of the army, amounts TO o,538
which, according to the usual estimate,
will furnish an effective Fo.ce of not more
than 0, 900 men When it is considered
that this small force is scattered over H
IRON Ter of several thousands OF miles in
cX.Cnt, IL .uauI,clency Wi. DC apparent
The report then goes On 10 show 'hC
causes which have produced The cnorm
Gus increase in the expenses OF the army
These causes principally, are-that near.
ly one-half the army is stationed on oul
remote frontier; the military posts are
removed far in the interior of the country,
from navigsble rivers, or on the Pacific,
where they can only be reached by an
overland journey of hundreds of miles OF
by a sea voyage of thousands-and the
military posts, instead of being situate in a
productive section Of country, as formerly,