New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-18
ANNUAL REPORT
OP TBB
0UARTERMASTER GENERAL
ouAR1ERx 'srER. g EyERAJs OFFICE, I
" AslliNGToN, Nut. e, ith5

n.fr T. 4
ir,ropriaion ioI hsc4l yeur cndi,g June,
l68,dO0N 90
$4ys63OsO5 ID
Req sitions on r-asury in fiscal yeT ending
&b june sJl,I bUI ~
Balance remaining soh June 1865 ...... &g1sl4s4' y
A hhGnclal statement III detail Will be found IN Il
table al HE end of this report.
This department char ed with o. duty Of provid'
ins means Of trs"sportauon By Ind and water
for AL the uOUl,s ana f,r al the material OF Waf.
1T furnishes the horses for artillery ana caValrY
and the horses and mnies of the wagon trans
provides end supplies iontf, camp ava garrison
camps aud for y eter of be troops. Ii builds barr ck
DO pnlS, and sio'e ouse, pi"vdos wagons and dnbu'
blhces harness. ,xceIt for cHvary ana artillery hu-srs
tu DIS ur Charters ships ard steamers, docks cad
whatves, constructs ard lCp,ire roads railroads md
their bridges coihes the riny and is charged geneI
ely with The pa, meat ot all exe ses otiending mltaIy
opsia"ns not assigned by law or regulation 10 some
oIaer department.
WhIie the Ordnance Department pIoeures and issues
and ammunition, anu tie SubsStpnc' Department
supplies provisions, and tie Medical Department neti-
cal and ..nspal stores. the QlaitermnstcIs Depot.
neLt is called upon 10 arspOst the sores If al hsse
seartmeLts from the demts to The camps upon The
mach and IL the bate field. where they are finally is
sued to TIE troops.
These duties have been efficiently performed during
tbe year.
IL the last as in former years of the war; der tie
energetic and b,F,l administration of tie War he
pIimeui. the nts OF Tue trV ps have been ellaTly
fu pied, q err ctDiOt health ami eicl have b,
amply provided tr The army itself dOhs Justice 10 the
1t 10 've successfully IN field Of warfare CONSTANTLY
WIDEN =.
Atauo, the key Of the Rebel defense was secured
after q campaign involving tre Of operations OF 800
mts in ebgth. mai tan Il Scr II Ontls through hos
tile country effect ally "a 10 enable an cTTy of
60 0JO with 5000 atiusls 10 snb,i> not ur
while aGvanciig bu. want Is much mere Lifcnlt, while
laying siege for weeHs To- ~ at advanced D's,ton.
The enrInss arnlv driven fIom Ailait' but stl1
frmiiable iu numbers and in c"u,aer. threw :sef
upon Ong line If opeIatl' Dsiwo slender IOds Il
iron crossing wide rivers winding th Oagh mODntain
rmres puneing unDef the mountain rance, "no
eveywh@re * posed to The raios Of etitIpri,ing
enemy ayOrc by the thick forests viii borde ed
railroad throughout nearly ns whole extent
Tho guards of ihe ppss up'nt iihe OF commnnica
tnu did their dniy the aIOad constr uCiiun curps
of this department, thoroughly ognnzc, sironE In
numbers, skill and in discipline. reJ .ited broken
bridges aud rli roads. New engines from the work
shops of the North replaced those which torpedoes
or Druke rdllS threw from the track iraihs loaded
with timber, Nith rn, with water and IN for eu
riues preceded the If subsistence and
ItOn md scarce WAS tue coDmun cation broken De.Uie
u Was r,es'ab ished
The conqucrinr army followed the desperate garrison
Of Atlanta, AID Grove him off the lines Of cnununca.
to-. Tie u road Was worked nich ht snd dGy To lis
ful capacny; supplies for new c"mreiyD hI an srny
Of 90, ,O0I men were poured into Atlanta Al. surl us
s,olps al SICK aid al eHeehied men were sehr b! la
IOac l., The Tear "Td the army OF Gen. Sherman. with
iis 1900 WAGONS fdll loaded With tvey ualerial of
war nj accompanied ny dioves of hHDy thous,id
beet eat emf reed by the torn e those TO- dis
abed in tie Is Of the ign. had hr,n
recruited in the hos?ta Of Nashville, 800 mules IL the
q
in It's raik>. rcAed ont 'f Atsit, Jew up that
depot Gesi rOyed al the rairOaGs which II at civ
OF ,sl1e III tie war. aud ber' It's siets toward the
ocran.
IL 10 other country have railroads been brought 10
perform =" irpoitanl pait IL ne "IeIaiioi :" "ar.
Scarce In ny "thcr country e'uiI te hIhu thr OR
men perform tire fests Of obstruction which have
Illustrated thls campaign. -
Atlanta were the railroad trims f'e days behind the
General Commanding. - .
The recnnstructinn Of the bridges over tbc E,owah
tha( shsfta
HE Lt,wah bridge 625 feet lonr IS feet high. was
bnrned b, the Rebels. ard ieJuit hy tie labor OF
coo men nf the cui stIUrton COZ ps IN SIX dHvs.
The c. att hoOc Il ir.dge slX miles nom Atlanta is
flO feet long 80 ftt q, and was omit l iodr ana
.-haf DAYS by GO OF tie cODsi ucu''D corps.
Tie ny uIier Gen. eITn n moved s0ithe ist rom
Atlanta; II lGneed iLt0ihe forests ard sbnds 'irFga
and wGs lest view. Tie Rebel a. nv novel lLto
Ieupessee and advanced upon Nashville. to b. dashed
g. rirops acast the amy Of Nal r-Eeneral Ih"mas
sd nus peiis ed the lest grat amy i the Rebellion
In me c.fT south and west Of the Mislssj p
Tie ReOe press reported defeats. dislstrrs rep"es
20 the army with which we had 10 COMMUNICATION.
No anxiety as To thei fate oppressed e nnns 9" 10. SO
who ,ad War Department directed me measures
and proysio for their equipment for tbs bold and dc
csvr WaIch. bare possbilit, that by the dDihdon'
Hent OF al eastern POSITIONS the Rebel aimy oi Var
ripa might throw its II acIoss SheIBaLs path. oducrd
The D~paItneHt to order suppnes to Pensacol" 10 r.
Leye any immedi ite ants should the army ne Obliged
" move scuihward: bat the great wmk 81 preparation
tp r.eet mud rent this upon the eout -cttcrb Az
lsrtic cuast was neEced and steadily prose
hile q vessels EtNt 10 Nv dll
orders a great reJ of transports was collected at POf
Ryal eten wih every hing that e1pei fence Ddlcated
ss Necessary repair the consumption and the osse
OF this adventurous mnrch. CIoihinR. shoes shrei.
.ents forage provisions spaie parts of wtg0rs,
WAGONS comTlete. harness, leather, "a', uleau,
Ieedles end tools for a The trades which are pl on
TIE marc end IN the camp were conecled III 'he iarDo
OF Hilton Bead. go
All his was done In the decd OF Winter. Light
d,eugh fr all river steamers trusted themselves und-f
da,g Yankee csp,aius and crews tie stons Of tie
soru II the world and all arrived haieiy at
tLeif destination. And here let pay tribute 70
thosr gsaDt en- of the merchant shipping Oi NE
nation, who III the entered its transport feet No
service has beeu difficult or tedionsnene 80 dAn
gerDus 10 discourage or ~ dannt them
No call FOR v0ui hos ever failed 70 meet ready
resDorse Whether 10 tempt the shoals and soi ma oi
tenpesu0Us coas'. the hidden ana yhtelos unhgels
of dark bayoHs Cf he SJth. silewn With torpedOes
bv Tic deviish ingenuity OF desefters frCm cur own
military aid navel service or % run IN frau river
seambOa.s she batteries of the fOtOuac. tue James
and the panlico or tie st more frBiIabe works OF
Vickstrtg Urged BY the spirit Of adyenture. s ported
by the psriJism Of fgoemen. they have always stood
ready end have cbeeriully obeyed every order. in
cured eyefy risk. "a 80,
On the I3ih December Fort McAlister fell before Che
BSssut Of Cen SbermsDs veterans he TRANSPORT
feet was ordered "a the moths OF the oRoeche
end II the Savannah. The City 81 Savannah was cat
lied within a few days and recfing poiy theh EN-
poy Cd upo1 the coast 81 Florida wth'o!i the ingio
equipment which modern scsoIce bas conl.s.n a.. .oI
shbsnrne ou-raiiOne was fowed by steamer 10 ,ie
Ssyannah River ana rot work " remove tne iOfuus
be obstacles to its nsvig ,On Those iOi ionI .srs
seemed have employed all the iheehuiV an1 nre un
ciaDicsl skia of people who he'd tern up the pave
uens td iLelr c1iDos streets to supply iDetfidV
eb,truet tie chahLels Of heir harbor.
In few days pssssge wa, cleared. and The steamers
vessels Of the transpo feet discharged ter car
gces AT the long dsussd and dllapidrtod wharres u
Savannah ana sailed for the Horh richly freighted
With captured Gotten
On the s2d January Gen. sherman aga'n moved
nortAward. =,
A division Of the railroad constrnotion corpa had