The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-20
ANNUAL REPORT Of THE SECRE-
TARH OF VAR.

ton has been delay ed in order to receiv
General Grants report, but is publishe
now without it.
He gives summary of the miitsr
achievements of the past year, ard tb
record is one to make every loyal ma
feel proud, and furnishes the most salts
factory refutation of the assumption tha
the South could not be conquered, with
which the rebels and their Northern alliel
have sought to move the government fron
lis war policy.
Under the head of drafting and Re
cruitlng' the Secretary says, that despI,
superior advantages for recruiting volun
teers, greater success has been reached
In the regular service than was antieipa
ted There are two General Dspats for
The collection Of recruits for the army al
large, one for infantry at Fort Columb bus
New York, and one Tor mounted service
at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There are
fourteen depoe for recruits for particula,
regiments, and twenty-one for collecting
aud forwarding recruits, substitutes and
drafted men.
Concerning ordnance and srsenals, the
report says:
sTha asti,oafa- - ,bo -, e.-.f
are based on expenditures for a similar
period last year. taking into consid Grafton
remaining balances and supplies on hand
Tne supplies produced during the past tis
cal year include l,75O pieces of ordnance,
1851 artillery carriages and caissous.
o02 525 small arms, 794 .O55 sets Of ac
eonlrements and harness, 1874 e4l
proleetlles for cannon, 1910 l46
pounds OF bullets and lead, S, 400 400
pounds of guopowder. l6p, 1900 car
tridges for small arms. These are com.
piele articles, in addition 10 large ouan,i
ties OF the same kind Of supplies partially
mace up at the atsenals.
The ordnance supplies furnished to the
military service during the fiscal year in
clude ,l4i pieces of ordnance, 1896 ar
tillery- carriages and caissons. 455.ei0
small arms, 5a2 ,044 sets of accoutre
ments and harness. 9l3.753 proiectiles
for cannon, 7.G94,6 pounds Of bnIlets
aud lead, AGA $40 rounds of artillery an.
mu lition, l5e 067 sets of horse eouin-
menis, 2,0ST ,553 cartridges for small
arms. 7.544 04i pounds of gunworder.-
Iese supplies were 10 addition TO LARGE
quantities Of parts provi-ed for repairs 10
the 6 Id
The capacity of the arsenal for manu-
facture OF munitions Of war has been in
creased during the year, and that increase
is still going on, so far ss the means an.
propriated will admit. Supplies manu-.
factured at the arsenals are OF better onsli.
ty aod less cost than similar articles OBJ
tanned by contacts or purchase.
The operations Of The Eogineer Dapar;-
ment have been extensive and efficient.
The expenditures of the year, includ-
ing the maintenance of the Military Acad-
emy. were S6,345. .I9I7l.
Nina officers of engineers, out Of total
of eishiys'x, have been los; during the
year.
During the year twenty aeven cadets
completed the course Of studies and prsc.
tice in the Military Academy, and were
commissioned in the army. The small
ness of this number grows ont OF the re
sigBstions which occurred in this class in
the beginning of the rebellion. The
classes al this time have the usual staenglh
sponjing to Congressional represcr-
tst0n.
The operations of the Quartermasler's e
Department. providing for the subsistence
of out great armies of invasion and occu,
patton, have been immense, and for tie
most psrl, complete aud satisfactory Oul
armies have been well supplied. The re-
port says:
81 In this service, it is believed. many
abuses have been reformed and crea
ecohomies have been effected during the
past year. The indications derived from
Congres ssional examination and reports
have been followed up with advantage tc
the service.
"The army has been well supplied will
al the essentials Of military equipme Mt
and with fuel, forage, and all uecessarics
The losses by capture aud destructio,
OF trains, by the burning of transports b,
incendiaries employed by the rebels, bav,
been great, but the movements of the ar
mics have seldom been delayed by them
- The most severe losses of materia
during the year have been The destruc
tion Of ortiou If the train Of the arm,
at Chattanooga in the fall Of 1868, an
the consequent destruction Of animal
there aud in East Tennessee, the destuc
tion of steamers on The Mississippi an
Ohio BY incendiaries, the loss Of the train
during the Red river expedition, and I
these may be added the destruction Of
train of two hundred wagons, near Fo
Smith, in Arkansas. since the close of Ii
fiscal year"
10 surrendering occupation Of their te
ritorythe re,rea ing rebels have destroys
Aho =, road lines and nanos s.atod the