Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-07-07
THE QUARTERMAsTER'S DEPOT OF THE ARMY
OF THE POTOMAC.

The great Quartermasters Depot for the Army of the
Potomac is truly of the I" institutions" of Washing
ton. But very small per cenage Of citizeps have
idea of the vast stores of every conceivable requisite
to an army Of immense size, and of the multiplied and
complete opportunities for steadily maintaining supplies
thereto which contained within the five six
of ground contiguous to and northeast Of the National
Observatory grounds And yet thers not less than
eleven millions of dollars worth of army supplies
that depot say nothing of the value of the
chinery utensils buildings and live stock the pre-
To keep up the work of this great repository of
supplies and Of repair and renewal there not
more than five thousand of all work in employ
yet there have been many fourteen thousand in its
pay at single time One Of the of this decrease
is the trouble about the draft which IN many has rid
whole shop full of important artisans and workmen. To
keep the accounts of this establishment nineywo clerks
necessary and pay day spreads onehrd Of the
month
walk through the vast stores street west packed
with every essential for the locomoon Of army of al
most two hundred thousand men, composed of every
of offence and Defence would draw from the
nusd exclanaons of admiration and surprise, the evil
dent completeness suciency, aud order which display
themseves around him. Every thing has place; every
thing in place, and nothing is out Of place 1t is plain
that rystemizaton and orehought have presided and still
control throughout the long and linked chain.
There iron shops, wheelwrght shops wagon shops,
carpenter shops harness shops &C. &c. each comprising
many hundreds of The horse-shoeing department.,
which has shod many two thousand horses day. has
fertyeight fires burning. This degree of ability
sary establishment which has at time contained
thirty two thousand horses and tees thousand mules
The construction department very well ordered and
consequently complete. Every thing relating to locomo-
ton of army here made in rapid but regular STYLE
Gun aud artillery carriages cais ons wagons ambuances
&C. &C., proceed piece by piece as they 60 forward from
shop to shop till they receive their FINAL paint and last coat
vansh So Of the harness shops; new harness made
and stored n the greatest quantities. and old harness
from the field repaired and made almost good
Besides all these works the depot comprises twelve
rails or depots and mules One of these north
Of street. one the Casters Branch and third is at
Kendall Green The corrals at the depot itself adm
raby planned and built around centre where the animals
of each department seek their share Of water whereby
also every hingis kept remarkably clean and devoid of
offence to sight smell 1t is wonderful that where
many msn and horees live and feed the health of all so
excellent but in order to this the scaveDger department
lends its powerful aid.
In order to obtain the full services Of the very
employees they nearly all fed and lodged the prem
ses each shop and department having separate ness
house and lodging where all lite people fed and
rested appropriate hours If cleanliness carefully
attended to- SO safety from fire. Water is every where
hand and pugs meet you at every turn 1t is be-
eved that no fire could get five minutes Roadway before
complete extingushment. Whers there are 30 many
horses and mules there must be immense consumption
of This matter has been eectuay by the
erection of mill where the feed duly ground and mixed
and the oats corn, properly mixed and together
In the horse supply stables those horses for the artillery
cavalry and and ambulance kept separately
so that requisiton slways be rapidly and udicouy
filed These corras are under the more immediate con-
troll of Mr. Harvey Riley
Horses returned from the army and elsewhere sick if
recoverable at ALL entered 10 the Hospital Stables
where they become the objects Of skill and attention almost
as much as they could receive il they were human Mr.
Braey the chief veterinary surgeon His dulles and
that oMr Browning the superintendent of that special
department, of great Importance
Separate enclosures act apart for the purpose of
bathing the horses for exercising them inspection and
for SALE The inspection before the final mark 10 placed
on each approved auma is made by the commanding Off.
Ger of the depot who and for about year and half
has been Captain c. H. Tompkins, A. @. u. A. the ex-
tent and multfarousnes Of whole duties and their re-
sponble and arduous character cannot readily appre
ciated His chief clerk lie Mr.. w. III. Hidreth
We are aware Of the very imperfect sketch which the
above rapid summary gives of the great establishment that
has quietly grown up the waste grounds Of the West
End but examination itself hasty and as any
thing like justice to the subject would occupy many times
the space at disposal must be content with thus
pointing out 10 the general reader the more prominent
features Of little world in itself that would occupy many
hours n only moderately careful examination.
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