Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-01-15

Of the Quartermaster. and
the Assistant Quarter
Master General 2ol ,992 p
Total Of disbursements sTI2.G GOO
In the report Of Mr.. Wolcott, you will find a
statement of the disposition Of the three humid
red and siXty-fivc thousand dollars, as above
stated, and which, with the seven hundred and
twelve thousand and six hundred dollars re-
ceiyed and disbursed by me, constitute The full
sum Of ten hundred and sevrnty-seven thousand
and six hundred dollars, refunded the State 10y
the Unit.d States.
BY the call Of the President for three
months volunteers, l was authorized to ap-
point one Major-G General aud three Briga-
der Generals for Ohio. l conferred the
appointment of Major-G General upon George
B. Mcclellan, who is now chief in COM
mand of the United forces, and | appointed,
as required by the law, three Brigadiers
from among the Generals then in commits
sion in State militia service. Under the
second call Of the President, the appoint
ment of all field officers devolyed upon this
department. In the selection of pers ms
for these commands, l have looked only to
capacity, integrity, patriotic zeal and pub
lie services. 1t was impossible to put all
the Ohio troops under the command of OK
perienced officers. AS carly as the 18th
of April 1 applied to the Secretary of War
for United States officers, experienced in
the organization, instruction and equip
ment of troops, to aid to the organization
of the Ohio cOntingent-which lie failed to
grant.
To the Federal authorities l subsequent
ly made repeated applications for approved
officers of the regular army, and fourteen
of various rank were granted leave of alb
sencc, who now command Ohio regiments
or brigades. All of them have justified
tho confidence repOsed to tiieir education
and experience.
Though serious embarrasssments have
arisen III the equipment, discipline and
Gre Of men, for want experienced officers
| called from civil life, so earnest has been
their attention, and so intelligent their ap-
plication, with few exceptions, that there
may be public confidence that the Ohio reg
iments, in whatever branch of the service,
will maintain the honor of their State and
the Republic. A body of men out of mus
cular vigor, intelligent interest and patriot
ic determination more competent for success
full warfare than the Ohio volunteers en-
listed against the rebellion, was never
mustered into the service of any nation
1t may be proper to mention here the
fact that out of the staff which met with
me the early embarrassments and response
bilities of the war, the Adjutant-G General
was called to the command of a regiment
in the regular army, the Chief of Engineers
was created a Brigadier 10 the regular ar
my, and the Quartermaster General was
appointed a Captain in the regular service
of the United States.
When the seventies of winter attacked
our troops in active service, there were
strong appeals from their camps for addi-
tional supplies of clothing, and neither the
State nor Federal Government being at
that time competent to supply the demand,
l issued a proclamation, asking the people
for contributions for our suffering soldiers.
1t was responded to with promptness and
iberality-with the generous spirit of pat
riotic devotion which constitutes one of the
most gratifying features in the history of
our unparalleled struggle. The Report Of
the Quartermaster General presents the
number, character and sources of these
contributions, the estimated value of which
is $4,000.
Deprecating a border war as the most
destructive of all calamities to the peace
and commercial interests of a State, and
regarding the position Kentucky should
finally assume, in respect to the rebellion,
of great Importance, in the month of April
L sent a Commissioner to the Governor of
that State, with instructions to ask his CO.
operation in preventing raids and frontier
disturbances between the citizens of our
respective States. l submit herewith a
copy of the instructions given to that Com
missioner, and of his Report, which shows
that he discharged his delicate duties with
ability and prudence.
In pursuance of the same policy, l deem
ed it my duty to encourage the most friend
ly intercourse between the citizens of Ohio
and Kentucky. and to remove all obstruc-
tons of their mutual trade. l was moi
unaware that shipments of produce and
other supplies to Southern Kentucky might
r in some instances, find their way to Ten
nessee and other insurgent Ssates, but, a.
this abuse of the friendly disposition o
: our citizens would of necessity be of shor'
duration, 1 did not regard it as s~uficien
to justify IN interruption of intercourse.
. While l was constrained. by due regarC
: for the trusts confded to me, to enforc
e rigid economy in the war expenditures o
! the state, L regarded it an imperative dut,
o to favor the most liberal policy toward tn
! General Government-to aid in furnishin
i supplies for Ohio troops, and for whateve
E other purposes the assistance of the Stat
was required; and therefore l thought i
: my duty, from the commencement. of hos
n %tilities, to assure the Government that Obi
was prepared largely to increase the nu d
: her 81 troops required from her, becaus
her people were convinced tia, the onl,
Re direct means of speedily crushing the re
IS bellion was to prosecute the war vigorous
y ". Whenever and wherever the citizen
= Of Ohio have felt assured that regiment
/ would Immediately be called into service
h they have filed their ranks with a promp
titude which could have been inspired b
no other consideration than finn desire 70
IS a short and decisive struggle. This featur
e, of u service L presented to the Genera
e. Government in applications for authorit
IA to increase the quota of volunteers assigne
Is Ohio. and | united with tie Governors
4 Pennsylvania. Indiana and Illinois, in asl
ing that the States of Ohio, Indiana, an
ie Illinois be joined with Western Pennsylv'
de MIA and " estern Virginia in a militaI
to department, to be under the command
"r Major-G General Mcclellan, who would
lot enabled, with the force derived from the
! States, to preserve navigation on the Oh