The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-01-30

Improvement. III some SuSBesuohs "oIthy VI
their consideration and the writer proposes immediate
action by the bond nterpostion which shall
secure themselves from possible or probable loss.
column of paper this morning is devoted to agri
cultural information which has been carefully prepared
expressly for the Union.
In their appropriate places will be found General Army
Orders No s. and the official returns of the Oregon cleo
ton.
Hon James Williams of Tennessee, our minister
to Constannople arrived in this city yesterday and
is stopping at the Kirkwood House.
THE PRESENT STRENGTH AND DISTRIBUTION OF
THE ARMY.
Among the singular statements that have been
made in the Senate in the discussion of the army bill
was one to the effect that the Generalin-Chef had
not recommended an increase of the military force of
the country. The statement 1--WE forget who made it,
was singular in disclosing the readiness of men in
responsible position the Senate, to make declara
tons from mere surmise upon matter of fact which
five minutes industry would have suficed TO recon
Gle with the real truth.
For the benefit of the unnforned in this matter,
we publish to-day, from the annual report of the
Generalin-Chief that part of it which touches the
real subject in hand
s.Our regiments horse and foot including artillery,
serving mostly as infantry, have remarked in
former reports anything but peace establishment For
years they been almost constantly in pursuit of hos
tile Indians, through swamps and mountains, in heats
and SHOWS, and with uncomfortable loss of life from
frequent combats, and still greater mortality from
cessive labor deprivation, and disease In other
these harshps occasionally broken by rest and COM
fort now long unknown to nine-tenths of troops
and hence another great evil the numerous desertons
which daily thin their ranks.
GAS partial illustration of the extraordinary activity
and sufferings have spoken of, beg leave to annex
copies of two Of my ORDERS Nos and a. of the present
year.
To mitigate those evils and to enable to give
sonahle security to people Indian frontiers,
uring thousands of miles, respectfully suggest an aug
mentaon Of at least regiment of horse, dragons,
cavalry, rfemen and ut least three regiments of
foot Infantry riHemen.) This augmentation would
no more than furnish the achievements greatly
needed in Florida Texas New Mexico, California, Ore
gon Washington Territory Kansas, Nebraska and Min
nesota leaving not company for Utah g
If the achievements should be authorized early
January it would be easy in the present unfortunate
want of profitable employment for the thousands of able
bodied to be found idle in every popuous district of
the country make the number of recruits needed and
in time for them to reach the theatres of military ope
rations in the summer and autumn of 1855 Of the
lief which this would afford to general
population may not speak in military paper but to
the army and exposed frontiers under its protection 1t
would be immense
There is no doubt, therefore, to what ID the
opinion of the highest military authority in the
try in regard the necessity of increasing the army
1t is the Judgment of the Generaln Chief whose opin-
ion is certainly entitled to great Difference that the
requirements of the public service demand at least
four additional regiments, and that without any ref
erence to the Utah rebellion, S5fra
The proposed augmentation of four regiments
would no more than furnish the renforcements
greatly needed in Florida, Texas New Mexico, Cali
fornia Oregon, Washington Territory, Kansas, Ne
braska, and Minnesota, learing not company for
Utah" is the decisive and emphatic language Of the
head of the army. The language of the President
and Secretary of War accords with General SCOTS,
The responsibility Of refusing these forces is thus
thrown upon the hands of Congress-, Let them
cept it if they wi
few years ago, when there was but handful of
the army in Oregon and Washington Territories In
dian hostlites broke out. Great depredations were
committed and hundreds of lives lost Volunteers
were called out, and heavy cost was thus incur
red by the government The result was COM
mission to audit claims upon the government
for the volunteer troops; and the result of the
commission has been the ascertainment of claim
upon the government, reported by its own COM
mssioners Of ak millions of dollars The mere
presence of adequate force in Oregon would have
prevented this Indian outbreak and saved the whole
cost of this Indian in money and precious lives.
The cost of full regiment to the government being
three hundred thousand dollars year, the cost of
these volunteer troops in Oregon saying nothing OF
tbe valuable lives lost would have supported five
full regiments of the regular army in that Territory
for four years u4E
There have been Indian depredstions within few