Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1865-12-15
eS atrbn,an 4 STATE 5ournaI.
NoNrPELisR. DrcEMBER Is. 1885.

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EVENINGS WITH THE DOCUMENTS.
Our Acknowledgements are due to the Sec
rotary the Interior, the Postmaster General,
Senator Poland. Messrs Baxter and Robert
s. Hale ofthe House, and Daniel Buck, ESQ,
for early copies Of public documents. Our
readers have already had summary Of the
reports Of heads of Departments in the Pres
ident's message; so we do not intend to re-
peat that, but rather to select other items
that may be interesting. ,t dlf la-
WAR DEPARrMRNT.--The great closing
campaigns of the war, under 1t. Gen. Grant,
commenced May A, 1864, at which time the
entire army numbered $40, 40 men, of whom
662.345 men constituted the available force
present for duty. Ten months of hard fight
ing ensued, with immense losses in killed,
disabled and prisoners, yet the prompt re-
sponses of the states and people to the requi-
sitions of the War Department, kept the
army so nearly full, that on the first of March,
1865, the entire army numbered 966, sol, and
the available force present for duty was Co.,
sos. In the April following, when the rebel
armies were worn out and had surrendered,
fresh troops were pouring in as fast as means
Of transportation could be furnished. Inn
mense, then, as were she armies of the Union,
still the fact wassaHst the resources of the
loyal states had not been fully tested. These
figures and this fact cannot fail to command
the respect of the world they re bonds of
peace which Great Britain and France will
not undertake to break But stronger stiff
is the aggregate showing for the war, the
number OF men credited on the several calls
and put into service being 1850, 553, exclu-
sive Of 100000 men temporarily in service in
1868. The above aggregate includes rs-en-
listed men, and so far that portion Of the
army has been counted twice. Offselting
the 10000 in temporary service, excluding
1925 colorea troops mainly from the South
aud making still farther large allowance,
we have two millions as the approximate
number of pen actually furnished by the loyal
states in the war.
The prompt reduction Of the army, without
difficulty or discomfort, is another striking
fact. Immediately after the surrender of
Lee, orders were Issued TO reduce the army,
and between May 29 and Aug. Z, $40, sos
troops had been mustered out, and Nov. Is
the total number mustered out was SOC, 953,
all of whom were paid.
And now few facts as to war expenses
From Jolly l, 1861, to July /, 1865, the
pay of officers and men in the army amounted
to one thousand and twenty-nine millions
two hundred and thrty-nine thousand dol
lars and that item alone is well up to one
half of the National debt. If we could add
the expenditures in all the other departments,
we could see where the money went. State
ments Of these expenditures have not yet
come, but are to be made. Here is some
thing that talks to the farmers:
Furnished by the Quarter Mas ter's Depart
ment during the war
$4,000 900 bushels of corn.
7S,0Oo,O 900 bushels Of oats.
$4,000 bushels OF barley.
1900 900 tons Of hay.
10000 tons of straw.
$4,000 cords Of wood.
100000 tons Of coal.
As to the future. Instead of more than
five hundred millions of dollars last year, the
Secretary estimates the expenses next year at
less than thirty-four millions and instead of
an army OF nearly million Of men, he pro-
poses to have only fifty thousand. The or
ganizaton proposed rs such that the number
can be enlarged to $4,000 without new organ
izations and in case of emergency past ex-
perience has shown that eighty thousand men
a month can be organized and put into the
field from the loyal states alone. Arms and
ordnance are on hand for an army of a million,
with vast amount Of clothing, and three
years stock of ammunition. More bonds of
peace, you see. Fifty does Secretary Stanton
say: "wnh our education, habits and ex
perience, the nation. while in the midst Of
peace, is prepared for war" III
Lieut.. Gen. Grants Report.-This is lumi-
nous as well ss vJlumnous. Grant goes
oiuh'iy a. MS stofy' anu NC keeps suh'Bhtl
on, just as he fought his glorious campaigns.
He neither hides the merits or mistakes of
his subordinates nor wastes breath in undue
praise or censure. He for the main part let's
results tell the story. 1t is clear that the
campaigns that crushed the rebellion were his
The Introduction to the report contains the
pith of the plan-thus
=" From an early period in the rebellion
had been impressed with the idea that active
and continuous operations of all the troops
that could be brought into the field, regardless
OF season and weather, were necessary TO a
speedy termination OF the war. The resour-
SEES of the enemy and his numerical strength,
were far inferior to ours but as an offset to
this, we had avast territory with population
hostile to the government, to gsrrisUn, and
long lines of river and railroad communica-
tons to protect, to enable us to supply the
operating armies. niih Afih192gf9 FiflfH li4l
n The armies in the east aud west acted in
dependently and without concert, like balky
team, no two ever pulling together, enabling