The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1867-12-11
Gen. Grants Official Report.

Gen. Grants Official Report.
The report of General Grant, which ac-
companied the message of the President TO
Congress, is very voluminous document,
and covers detailed statistics of the reports
of the chiefs of the several Bureaus Of the
War Department.. 1t is rendered as Sec
retary of War al interim, and also as Gen
era of the Army. We make the follow
ing extracts of interest to our readers. AT
ter quoting the correspondence which oc-
Cured between the President, Secretary
Stanton and himself at the time of Mr..
Stanton's ejectment from the War Office,
Gen. Grant says:
Immediately after this exchange of
notes, / assumed the duties of the office
assigned me, in addition to those of General
of the army.
A long war had entailed upon the army
practices OF extravigance totally unjustif-
able in times of peace; and as the increase
of the regular army since 1860 (now al
most the entire army is officcrcd by men
whose army experience does not go back
to that period, (and, therefore, they I..ay
not know but their indulgences, at the eX
pcnse of the general Government, are all
ieeitmate,) rctrenchment was the first
subject to attract my attention. During
the rebellion ambulances and mounted or
derlies at every headquarters had como in
to general use; and since the rebellion
they have been continued, if not at every
post OF a single company, at least general
iy throughout the army. A discontinue
ancc of this evil was necessary, both to
the discipline and efficiency of the army
and to the relief of the treasury. Orders
were, therefore, given both tor breaking it
up and seeing to its execution.
The Bureau OF Rebel Archives was
transferred to the Adjutant-Gcneral's de-
partment, as was also the Bureau for the
Exchange of Prisoners, &c, thus relieving
from government employment n large
number of clerks, and several officers who
had, to that date, been continued i'll SER
vice.
Supplying large armies for period of
four years of hostilities necessary led to an
accumulation of all sorts Of stores, far be-
yond the of wants our present establish
ment formany years to come. Many ofthese
articles were ola perishable nature; besides,
being borne on the returns of officers nc.
couutablc for them, they had to be stored
and guarded, although the cost ofcare per
annnm might be greater than their value
Under my directions all these surplus and
useless stores in the quartcrmastcr>s de-
partmcnt are being sold, and the balance
distributed for issue to troops as they may
be wanted This releases Il large number
of storehouscs for which rent is being paid,
and also discharges large number OF civil
employees of government.
During the last summer and SIMMER be-
fore l caused inspections to he made of
the various routes of travel and supply
through the territory between the Missoll-
ri river and the Pacific coast. The cost oi
maintaining troops in that section was so
enormous, that desired, if possible, to re-
ducc it. This l have been enabled TO do,
to some extent, from the information OBJ
tanned by these inspections but for the
present the military establishment between
the lines designated must be maintained at
a great cost per man. The completion of
the railroads to the Pacific will materially
reduce this cost, as we'll as the number of
men to be kept there. The completion CT
these roads will also go far toward per-
mancnt settlement of our Indian difficult
tics. There is good reason to hope that
negotiations now going on with the hostile
tribes of Indians will result, if not in Il
permanent peace, at least in q suspension
of hostilties until the railroads are pushed
through that portion of the Indian terri
tory where they are giving the most tro,,-
BILE.
RECONSTRUCTION AND TIE DISTRICT CON-
MANpERS.
I3y the Act of Congress the ten South
crn States which have no representation in
the national councils are divided into five
military districts, each commanded by an
officer of the army of not less rank than
Brigadicr General. The powers of these
commanders arc both civil and military.
So far as their military duties are concern.
ed they arc under the same subordination
to the General of the Army aud Secretary
of War that department commanders are.
In their civil capacity they are entirely in
dependent of both the General and Secrc-
airy, except in matters of removals, ap-
pointment and detail, where the General
of the army has the same powers as have
district commanders. 1t is but foir to the
district commanders, however, to state
that. willie they have been thus indepen-
dent in their civil duties, there has not
been one of them who would not yield to
positively express wish, in regard to any
matter of civil administration, from either
of the officers placed over them by the
Constitution or Acts of Congress, so long
as that wish was in the direction ola prop
a..ea,.4 ;o,, o,f ho lnm for the nNncutin inr