The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-12-14
Report of the Sccretary Of

| lcOO, lot Tue uiuIS nnu ntt"iy "N"e
emy, of 8 l04 $40, ,004 az. This shows
a great reduction on previous years,
but still greater reduction seems to
be In contemplation, for the esimat-
ed appropriations for the current
yeai amount only to S25, 1863.
The rcgulor frniy now comprises
ten regiments, Tor 100 companies
of cavalry, five regimeuts--6O com.
lpanies--of artillery, anu forty five
regiments--450 conilnnics--of in
raptry, of which two cavalry and -four
infantry regiments are composed ol
colored men, and four infantry regi-
ments of men who were wounded In
the line Of their duty. One regi
ment Of white cavalry had fully re.
cruited on September 18Th. The
other regiment, assigned to the Pa
cilic coast, is nearly completed. The
four Veteran Reserve regiments have
been assigned to districts where tue
men may be usefully employed in
guarding storehouses, and rs far as
possible from the colorsd volunteers
still In service. ie'HE, 9N 1.H
The maximum strength OF the az.
my is thus placed at 1882, rank and
file. The present strength OF tho
companies is fixed at Ga privates fol
cavalry, artillery and infantry, and
90 privatcs for LIGHT batteries of mr.
tillery, making an aggregate strength
OF 5I,302. These troops have been
supplied with forage to the following
extent: Oats, 3,300,00 bushels;
corn, SOC, 100 bushels; hay, 130, 0,00O
tons: straw, =, 700 tons. Subsisten CO
stores are well supplied, mainly from
the Northern States. Eighty-nine
contracts for fresh beef have, howev-
er, been made in the Southern States
at an average price of III cents a
pound Most of the subsistence
stores for the Department of the
Gulf are now purchased in New Or.
leans. .. HWu
A large portion Of the report is
devoted to statement of What was
done in reducing the volunteer army,
and selling war material, which work
has been pushed forward with great
energy and ability. 't'.'s.- ."
From this statement we learn that
from January 20 TO November 1,
2OS, 400 volunteers have been mus
tered out, leaving in the service H..
I043 volunteers, white and colored.-
The reduction of colored troops has
been 1924, and on November l.
10000 officers and enlisted men re.
manned in the service. r4i u.
The report furnishes details Of the
sales OF war material, from. which
we gather that from May l, 1865, to
August =, 1866, over 207, 900 horses
and mules were sold for Sl5 269,.
.075 81; about 400 barracks, hospi.
tails and other buildings, have been
sold during the year for S447 ,S74 IA
The sale OF irregular and damaged
clothing in store produced during
the fiscal year the sum of S902,.
770.45. E.u1gn y'-.V .s
On the lst Of July, 1865, ther,
were $50 ocean transports in service
which required a daily expenditur,
lof SS2,4U The number of vessel
was reduced, before June 30, 1866
To tilty.three vessels, which cos
$4,000 per diem. Most OF thes
have since been discharged, as TIL
transportation is now almost entire
. y done by regular commercial line
of steamers OF 262 vessels whic
had been employed in inland trans
portation at an expense Of 80, 1893
523 ~, none were remaining in ser
vice on June 80, 1866 Sales of sew
en- transports, steamers and b9rges
during the year are reported u
amounting TO Sl,l52,995 92. Th
rates OF wagon transportation in til,
Indian country, have also been re
duced to favorable contracts. Tn
military railroads which were opera
ted during the war at total eXpens
of S45, ,422, ,7l0 II, and which are OF
} fleially reported to have reached "a
extent of 2,G3Ot miles, and to hav
possessed 433 engines and 6 500 cars
have all been transferred to compa
mics or board of public works, upol
condition of the adoption OF loya
organizations Of directors.
The sales of railroad equipments
is set down at Sl0,9l0,Sl2 50, 81,
444 ,973,22 being sold on credit, o
which, in principal and interest
| 81, 2OO,0s6 IL have since been paid
leaving due 10 the United States, OF
June 80, 1866, principal and inter
est, So, ,570,O74 05. .r.'-y r.f gto.
The military telegraph has .beei
discontinued, the material sold, an,
the operators discharged, only fey
being retained for cypher correspond
ence with commanders of importan
| districts. At the close oil the wa
.herc were 1889 miles of telegraph
lines, which had involved total ex
penditure Of S3,2lO, 400, .. ... =.
All the unnecessary stores an,
supplies have been sold In The sam
manner, but enough, of all supple
: have been retained TO meet any emel
gency that can possibly arise .a
Il Such q sudden and complete III
buckling Of the armor OF war, at til
close of struggle OF such seyerit
E and magnitude was never, befor
G heard of, No other nation ever di
1t, and no other nation dare do it,
But we are perfectly safe; our mil
> tary strength is unimpaircd; and
! the occasion should again arise, W
G could again equip, as thorough
/ and eillciently as before, an arm