The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1860-01-11
psTRAcT TOT THE
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR.
This document commences as follows


i l8, ,l65 men allstuid. On the first Of July,
the date of the late eompIete returns, the as
| tual number re lched l ,i9S. OF this number
there are not more than about 1000 men
available for active service in the field. This
| little force h;s been engaged, with its Usual
activity and ethc'ercy,, siuce the date OF my
last report, in the discharge of its arduous and
muitifariius duties, being required to MIN
! about 31 permineut gsrrIsuns, posts, and
camps, scattered over of three millions
OF square miles. Uiier these circunis anoSs
| 1t has been obviously impossible 10 give thit
ample and perfect protection to oar whole
/ frontier which our citizens have Il right to ex-
pect, and whicl, 1t is the duty OF Governm,n
To afford. lnian depredatiofs have been cu.l-
mitted ON our southern and Mexican border,
which as yet have been unchastised for the
| want of men. / hope to make such an alter
alton in t he disposition Sf the truops next
son as Wi pre- tent any repetitio. ot these out
| RACES in future on that frontier.
1t then proceeds to CONN ent upon the many
duties imposed upon the United States troops,
states that the with the Coma ches and
Klowas is still unfinished, aud recommends
that the enlistment of men for the mounted
corps, for period Of six months. beginning in
May, should be authorized by Congress =
This enactment, it is supposed, wauld secure
the aid of the best young men of the frontier
/ 1t then especially urges upon the attention
of Congress former recc,rnle ndatiOns IN le-
gard to ths staff crrps, and OF the engineer and
ordnance departments. and provision for
retired list iiltn which disabled and il. & III Of
6ccrs eoud be transferred. |; also M
L ends that the enlistment of teamsteTs be au-
rhorized.
The experiments made with camels have
been very satisfactory, and the purchase OF
full supply is strongly recommended.
The lncr, ase vi The coffee ration of the army
is recommended; aud the printing of the re-
ports of Colonel Deiafeld and Major Mordcca,
of their observations on the military systems
of Europe, is urged.
The ian9w'ns notice is made OF new sys-
:ela nj military signals --s -
Assistant Surgeon Albert j. Myer, of she
Aictilcai corps Of ile army, ha, ing subnnt:ed
to this department: system oil mi,itarv signals
for the purpose Oi communicating u:ciisehee
nr orders between distant poin on land, u
board ras coiry eI.ed III March asst 10 examine
into its merits. he board repur.cd tavorubiy
to the adoption OF Tins = an for the use of tie
;rmy. A series OF rXicriNents with the field
Signals. instituted u;Iticr special instructions
Iron. this department., have developed Ttsul.s |!
which l,roa,ise TO be Of value 70 h. service |
With an equipment S lnrle, strong we;gl,:i
bat sixteen 2.uads. aud cT, ,act To i.,,
rapid, carried from lace to place hy Il soldier |
mounted or foot, which requires ior its use
but single L.an, connlun ca;lon has been
k: pt up and messages trans mittea fy day and |
at night distance nf fifteen III les. Messages
have been sent five miles without any appara-
tus esp ecially provided for the purl osc.
L. regard to the military acalemy at West t
Poiut the report states that the adoption oi t
Fl, c instead Of the four years term Of stndies I
has proved d'antageous. aud that some modi-
fc;:io,I i'll the programme of instruction being
nc, ded So as not tD crow d the course too much,
the Secretary devotinS his attention to that
subject.
In regard to the expenditures Of the depart
neut the re- ori says thar, although 'hc esti-.
Hates Inade last year were reduced to low
r"inf, Congress nIrdc an arbitrary reducti' II
of nearly two millions of dollars, aud says:
Il have son formed The estimates for rhe en-
suing year to the standard of the last omgresr
ior,al appropriations, and have, thereto e, Ie-
duccd them very nearly two millions ot dollars
below those. submitted last year, aud half
million Glow the actual apPrupr .ations made
AZ the last session of Congress.
SIN the year 1855, Congress increased the
q huf the army by adding 70 it
four reei''epts, Two OF which were cavalry
In the year 1851, the pa> of tls army was in
creased about thirty per cent. Fr M these
two causes the necessary cxpendl uies for the
army were largely augmented. This increase
arose from IL, cess'ty that still continues and
was decreed by Congress itself. In addition
to these reasuns for larger army exp uses, the
rise in the price of every article of consumI-
ion required for its support has also tended 10
swell the aggregate for the maintenance
1f our almy Nei'Eerthe strength of the army
nor the expenditures for its support aud npe
-ations have been enlarged i'll proportion to
he growth of the populati' II. the extension OF
he frontiers requiring defence. ~ the est OF
most articles Of military supplies.
10 arrive at proper conclusions on 'his
question OF expenditures they mus: b. COM
Jared with the service rendered aud, in this
'iew. a COMPARISON with amy previous time
may lie confidently challenged. The present
lrlny his work to 10 which mi ht employ :
ully and actively five times irs numcral force;
t d.es t. at work effectively, and at cost cer-
ainlv not .ineommensurate with its value and {
Jeneft t. fle country. The whole OF the
army proper for It's entire suri ort and main
e,lanc, reac. es the sum OF {Si3 19S. 745 10 I
hirfeen million ninety-eI.ht Thousand seven $
hundred and twenty FIVE dollars and seventy
wo cents With the help or such legis ati"n 4
l< is ask d for, the above w~uid be ma {
er;aliv reduced. '+t - t-3a - '
'Lar sums are necessarily and unavoid- {
rbly X: ended every year fpr objects il is I'M
possible to fo,.see or estimate tor. During
he past year, the extra EXPENSES incurred for !
he suppression OF Indian hostiliries in Wash !
ngton and Ore.o amounted to two hus dred
md ninety eight thousand, five hundr' and
hirtyzn mine dollars and eleven cents beyond I
THAT would have occurred but fpr these war q
Heavy expenses are likewise incurred for es- {
orts to parties engaged in service not pertain {
ng to The legitimate duties of the army !
these upon sums amounted last year to over
evenly thousand dollars; so it will be seen {
hat the expenditure of over three hunred
nd seventy thousand dollars was imposed up-
N the War Experimentation these objects which |
ould not he toreseen.,, 5t... .,...--rl. .e = q
The report under the head of .',Ordnance, !
Arms. and Eqnipments expresses the opin- |
ON that to abridge the manufacture of arms is -