The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-05-11
WAR DEPARTMENT,
aDJuTANT GENERALS OFFICE,

GENERAL oRDERs-No l.
WAR DEpARrMENT,
ADJuTANT CESERAL's OFFICE,
WAsHfNeros, January 8, 1851.
Ito promote the health of the opps md 10 reduce III,
exense OF supssins me Army, The commanding officer Of
every permanent post and station where the public lands
are sufficient, private lan be leased on
terms, will annually cultivate Kitchen garden, with lie sn
ders under his command 10 enable him 10 supply The hos
ptal and men with necessary vegetables throughout The
year -
system Of more extended cultivation viii also be
commenced rs soon possible posts as NAV be de-
sgnaed by Department ndes, under instructions
rom General Head Quarters, in Mnry Departments Nos
g. u.s. tTexas,) 0, New Meyco) TO- California; and III
Oregon This fell cuhioaon will be carried on under
the direction Of commanding officers Of posts by the oops
and at stations within the Indian country by hired indians
to be paid OUT q the proceeds q the farms The field OF
bread and forage and long forage.
y Supplies Tor component parts Of The ration OF for
will be delivered to- and receiped for by the Assistant
Comnssaries and Assistant Qnanennasiers posts ana
Departments Nos. g. O. and IL according 10 The morkc
price in ST. Louis, and NJ the pOstsin DEPARTMENTS 8 and
10, according 10 the market price in New Orleans.
a. From the proceeds of the sales directed will be
deducted the expenditures accountn seeds farming
pements rent OF land, and hire OF indian labor and the
surplus VIII be equally distributed, quarterly by Assist
ant Commissary of Subsistence under the direction OF Tho
commanding officer among the enlisted the several
pose ,
s. The Assistant commssares Of Subsistence will make
all necessary expenditures for the farm cuyaon on the
warrants OF the commanding officers of their posts and
WIZ render quarterly return OF all receipts and expendi
the
eonnanding oncer Of The post according to the printed
blanks which wll be furnished for that purpose
D. The commanders OF departments Will imne diaey on
the receipt OF this order, epon portion OF land in the
vicinity OF the posts within their departments il adapied
70 cultivation, and also what changes may be the
present position OF the troops which, without imparne The
defense o. the frontiers will afford suitable locations
with view 10 field cultivation
z. As farm cultivation has been ordered M parti-
GUAR poss the commanders thereof will adopt all neces-
say measures 10 carry il successfully Immediately
thereafter report the measures adopted They will report
me STATE ana prosper OF their crops the July
Of each years the Isl day OF October each year the
quantity OF each article cultivated and actually gathered in
O. whenever an officer is transferred relieved from The
command Of post where garden or farm is cultivated
the vegetables, giain and long forage on hand will be re-
ceptcd for by his He will make statement of
her condition, amount, Sc, copy of which will be
forwarded The Commssary General Of Subsence and
duplicate entered IN the post order book for the inspection
OF the proper authority.
g. For any improper management or loss not strictly un
avoidabe, the commanding officers will be held responsible
BY ORDER or THE SECRETARY or War:
r. JONES, .adiutGn, General
do not knowthat need read all these details:
but the Senate will see from them that the Secre-
tary of War has gone very infinitely into the mat
ter-that he has not merely suggested the general
leading idea of cultvang grain and forage at these
distant posts, but that he has been cautious and
precise in prescribing all the necessary details
Mr.. HUNTER. Is the Senator aware that
that is mere revival Of an orderissned when Mr.
Calhoun was Secretary of War:
Mr.. PEARCE. am aware that The Senator
SAID, IN his speech, that ii the mere revival of
an order issued by Mr. Calhoun; but pray, who
abandoned the practice; Under what circum-
stances was it abandoned: Does the Senator
know with what effect it was pursued under Mr..
Calhoun understand that il has lain dormant
for many years. But is praise the less due to this
ofhcer that he had revived a very good regulation
long since abandoned, which had escaped the vigil
ance and economy Of his predecessors: Is he not
to have due credit because others have forgotten,
or because Mr. Calhoun had originated IL; do
hat he of cia H.
originality Of this idea; but ! dare say he never
heard Of Mr.. Calhoun s order before Or If he did,
he must have supposed that II mad been dispensed
with for very sufficient reasons. ] suspect the
fact to be, that the order not found TO an
swer the purposes in view. The truth is, that
soldiers do not make very good farmers, and
farmers do not make very good soldiers Besides,
m Mr.. Calhoun's time our military posts were ac-
cessible by steam navigation. The products which
hey required for forage and subsistence were
raised IN very great plenty, and ut very chean
rates, throughout the country where they were
stationed, and could probably be supplied at q cost
quite little that Of raising them; for when
soldiers work as farmers or laborers they are paid
for II. When they do such work they eteighteen
cents day additional pay.
suspect that f there was very much paid for
this extra work, il would cost rnther more than
the amount of the produce which they would raise
Circumstances are now altered. There is new
state Of things Since 1t costs forty-eght dollars
TO get barrel Of pork, and thrry-iwo dollars to
get a barrel Of flour to Taos, in New Mexico, per-
haps II may turn out TO he good thing 10 esab-
llsh this system Of cultivation at our distant posts
This is what the Secretary OF War has attempted
The Senator did give him some little credit for at
tempting it. But think he destroyed the grace
Of his concession when, without his usual gener-
oslty, he suggested, that Mr.. Calhoun, ihirty-four
years ago, had tried the same thing. lf Mr. Cal
houn tried il and abandoned il, certainly we should
give the present Secretary the credit Of reyiying
what the Senator considers good thing.
AS for myself am somewhat doubtful as 10
the utility Of il. These distant regions in which
the posts located are very barren, and gener-
ally 1t is very difficult TO obtain good military
site, and at the same time proper soil for profitable
cultivation. do not know that the system could
be carried out very successfully. Still the attempt
is good one, and the Secretary is entitled credit
for it.
Then, on the 25th Of February, 1850, the Sec
reary Of War issued another order to which
wish to refer. beg leave to say, that both these
orders originated before the criticism of Congress
Of which the Senator from Virginia has spoken.
The action Of Congress was at the close Of the
session. when II refused 10 pass the appropriations
according to the estimates, and striking in the
dork--when it cut down the appropriations fr
the Quartermaster's Department from $4,000. 900
to S2,000,000. That was the criticism Of Con-
gress. But before that criticism had reached the
ears Of the Secretary, he had attempted this inn
provement, by the order Of January s, 1851, which
] have read. The order Of February %, 1851, also
preceded the action Of Congress, though only by
a few days. On that day he issued this circular
GENERAL oRDERs--No. H.