Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1862-01-16

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expressed and to which | refer. In addition
it ought to be unders TODD, that looking to the
variety and character of her products and in
dustry, her material interest alone would rem
der the preservation of the Union from the
present assault upon it indispensable to Penn
sylvania. She cannot afford to have foreign
power below or above or bounding her on the
Delaware, the Chesapeake or the Mississippi,
and she will never aquiesce in such result,
| whatever may be the cost in men and money
of her resistance to it.
On the 9th of April last, directed the at :
tention of the Legislature to the necessity
which existed for an approved military organ
ization, and on the 18th of the same month the
Act entitled L" An Act for the better organ
ization of the militia of this Commonwealth"
passed, appropriating the sum $500, 900 for
| the purpose of organizing, ,equipping and arm
ing the militia On the 18th of April the
President, by proclamation, called for mil.
itary force of $4,000 men, of which the quota
assigned to Pennsylvania was at first ents to
| (afterward reduced to fourtee1) reglmrm of
serve as infantry or rfiemen for the term of
three months unless sooner discharged The
call was enthusiastically responded to by the
people of Penngy lvania. The first militia
aid from the loyal States, which the Govern
ment received at Washington, was Pennsyl-
vania corps which arrived there prior to the
18th of April. On that day the passage OF
other corps from this and other States through
Baltimore was impeded by force and during
nearly two weeks afterwards the communica
ton between Washington and the loyal States
was almost entirely cut off On the 10th |
received a request from the War Department
that the troops preparing in the State should
be clothed, armed, equipped, subsSted and
transported by the State in consequence Of
the then inability of the United States. This
request was of course complied with, and
twenty-five regiments, (being eleven regiments
beyond our quota, compri sing 0,l75 men
from Pennsylvania served for tthe term of
three monts under the Presidents proclama-
tion above referred to- As the furnishing
those volunteers with supplies was necessarily
under the circumstances a hurried operation
and as complain were made in regard to
them, and frauds were alleged to have been
perpetrated, | appointed board of commits
Sioners to investigate the whole subject. A
copy of their report with the evidence taken
by them has been already laid before the pub
lic 1t is the intention of the Auditor General
to open the accounts Of such parties as appear
by the testimony to have been overpaid and
this course has already been taken in two of
those cases
On the expiration of the term Of tho three
months men in July last, some eight or ten
thousand discharged Pennsylvania volunteers
were thrown into Harrisburg without notice
and detained here, waiting to be paid for an
average time Of some ten days Their tents,
camp equipage and cooking utensils had been
taken from them at WillamSport, Md, and
they arrived here destitute of all means Of
shelter and of preparing their food The Com
missary Of the United States furnished uncook-
ed rations, and under the circumstances of
emergency l deemed it necessary to make ar
rangementS for aiding in the cooking and bak-
ing of the rationS, and also for furnishing
meals to such of the regiments as arrived
during the night or under circumstances re-
quiriDg instant relief. The expenses attending
these operations amounted so far as ascertained
to S744 20, and | recommend that the Legis-
lature make an appropriation to pay them. 1t
ought to be stated that these expenses would
have been much larger, but for the liberal and
patriotic efforts of the citizens, and especially
the ladies of Harrisburg; their free handed
hospitality and generous aid to our wearied
aud hungry soldiers, deserve remembrance and
gratitude.
At the special session of the Legislature
which commenced on the 30th of April last,
rec commended the organization of a reserve
corps, to be armed, equipped, clothed, subsst-
ed and paid by the State, aud drilled in camps
of instruction, in anticipation of the exgencies
of the country, and by the Act of the 18th of
May last such a corps was directed to be
raised, and loan of SO, 900 900 was author.
lied to Gefray the expenses of that and other
military preparations. Men more than suffi.
cient in number to form some ten regiments of
the Reserve Corps had, previous to the 18th
of May been accepted by me in pursuance of
call on me (afterwards rescinded, } for twenty.
five regiments and were then already assem-
bled and subject to my control. Most of these
men volunteered for the Reserve Corps aud
were Immediately organized The remaining
regiments were rapidly recruited and the corps
was thus completed, and George A. Mccall,
of Chester county, was commissioned as Major
General, and assigned to the command of all
the forces raised or to be raised under the
provisions of the last mentioned act. The reg
iments composing the Reserve Corps were in-
structed 10 four camps in different parts of the
State, until they were taken into the service
vi tne OuiVeu Ctdtes 1ho vi CueSe TeSltneutSi
under the commands of Coonels Charles j.
Biddle and Seneca G. Simmons and two COM
panies of artillery under the command of Col
Charles Z. Campbell at the pressing instance
of the War Department were sent on the 22d
of June last to the relief of Col Wallace at
Cumberland, and remained for about six weeks
there and in Western Virginia engaged in
active operations.
Towards the close of July the whole Corps
was called for under requisition, and taken in
to the service of the United States. Within