The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-26

Arkansas, and south of Platte river. 24S. .S5l
Showing these two new States, New Mexico and
Oregon, only to have an area in square miles OF
ll9l3l more than the twenty nine old States of the
Republic
area of territory that our army has to defend and
protect, and doubled it, too. among savages dwell
ing in wildernesses, or on mountains, and in fast
nesses almost inaccessible to our troops. Now,
under such state Of things, it is TO be expected
that in nearly oil branches Of this Government as
the country increases, ts expenditures will increase
in proportion to its territory-certainly its army
expenditures in proportion to its territory, and
more too-for that very increase Of territory in
creases its difficulties and duties and aggravatcs
its outlays And this, in part 10 the great secret
OF the enormous expenditure in the quartermaster q
department. The military posts in the United
States in lsa5 only seventy eight, the west
erpmost Of which was Fort Washita, on the Red
river; but in 1852 there are one hundred and eigh-
teen military posts and arsenas. The following is
the length Of our frontier, in part, the Mexican
frontier having to be protected under the treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo:
Length of Mexican frontier i 100 miles.
Length Of Atlantic and Gulf Of Mex
ico.. ......-.-..-..,. sou -
Length Of Pacific scacoast. ........ Il, ,620
One Of the most forciblc Arguments which Gen
eral Jesup has made TO tins House, in bis report to
chow the necessary magnitude of his expenditures,
ia the coored map, which he has appended to the
quartermasters report, by which he not only
shows the overland transportation his horses,
mules, and wagons have to perform, but also that
there are now four or six frontiers to the United
States, whereas before there only two or
three. There is the frontier Of the Pacific, then
the Mexican and Oregon frontier, the inner from
tier. this side Of the Sierra Madre mountains. and
the frontier beyond Missouri, full of savagcs and
wild Indians; that may say, think, without
exaggcraton, that, ne exalted az the Roman empire
in Its proudcst day, far and wide the i'm %
perial eagle went, and momentous and aggrandiz
,,,fx anrfo Ilrxa 4
cuties, savages ten times more ferocous than Gaul
or Briton, are now met by the soldiers and officers
Of this country, in the wide extent OF poets which
they have, extending from the Aroosook, in Maine,
to Fort Wilkin, on Lake Superior, TO Puget's
Sound. in Oregon, and from the Rio Grsnde TO the
OF the Red river. in Arkansas II lie neces-
sary TO comprehend this mighty fact OF territorial
extension in order TO understand this great expen-
diture OF the quartormaster's department. IL Ia
necessary to remember that the military posts are
nearly doubled; that the territory has more than
doubled; and aso the other most essential fact that
In ls45 almost all the quartermastor's posts were
accessible by steamboats, the one fur.hcst of
(Fort ScotD being withinninoty miles from stoam'
boat navigation, and TINT, too, in a region where
supplies could be obtained in lite neighborhood.
Fort Wasbita, in the Cbickasaw country, near the
Red river. was the only oupost depending upon
the interior for isnppplios, md IL only eighty
ak miles from taV depot where it was supplied.
Pack and wagon have now TO go hundreds and
hundreds OF miles. Supplies in some places have
to 90 over thousand mcs by land. There is not
in Oregon, New Mexico, Utah, California, or in
the yet unsettled parts of Texas, even an ordinary
turnpike road.
The cost o. transportation from the dcp6ts on
the Gulf Of MEXICO to the porte in New Mexico,
has been tested TO be s % hundred for the cup
plies actually delivered in a sound state. No gen.
tlcDan can have proper idea Of the magnitude Of
that quartcrmaster's department, unless he will
carefully look over the reports Of sub officers, ap.
pended to the quartcrmastcr's report The prodi-
gioos operations OF the eqoar'ermas,er's department
may be illustrated at the post Of San Antonio,
Texas, alone, and from this movement in Texas,
the movements from Fort Lcavcpworth westward,
may be guessed at also:
Stofemsrf shosring the operations of the Quariermas
fr's Department at San dnton,o, Tsros, during
hs fso0I wear ending June 30 1861, under the di-
rcci,on of Bcepef MAJOR Il. b Babbin, Assistant
Quutsmnster United Stofes Army.
Sent from this post during the year. 9s wagons.
Sent from this post during the year .Ib2 mule &"
Total Observation-Disclosures
Of which 752 were Government mule wagons, aud
9s contractors' OF wagons
With the Government wagons sent 80 prin
cipal tesmstcrs and $50 tcamstcrs.
The Government wagons were employed in
transporting company and officers' baggage, sub.
sistencc, quartermssters', medical. ordnance, and
other stores TO the different military posts.
The contractors wagons employed in
Transporting public supplies (chicfy forage) to the
different military poets.
BY the contractors wagons were forwarded
69, 900 pounds of subsistence sores. $4,000 pounds
OF qusr,crmasters' stores, and 1855 pounds Of ord
nance stores.
BY the Government wagons were forwarded
about no, 700 pounds Of baggage, ,260 900 pounds
Of subsistence storee, 3<9 ,557 pounds OF quarter
masters stores, 2s, 900 pounds Of medical stores
and "a $50 pounds of ordnance stores.
Total number Of pounds transported by wagons
from this post, 2,ls5, ,992.
For this transportation were employed 9t6 mon,
4,720 mules, 622 oxen, and 73 horses.
r.. II. BABBlTT,
Brcvot Major and Assistant Quartermaster.
AssrsTAsT QuARTxRMAsTra's OrFIcE,
SAS AsTosIo, TrxAs, June 80, 1851.
Now, looking at all tbese facts. take pleasure
in saying that, though was afTrightod at fret by
the quar,ermsster generals estimates, DO be-
hcve, and say il. though that gentleman ia oppo.
sed TO me In politics, that Msjor General Jcsup
| with great fidelity TO the Government, with as