The New York herald., 1868-11-17
THE ARMY.

Of September was IS, TAI men, and pestes tneso
there were l,s4o men in the engineer, ordnance and
other special branches Of the service An unusually
large number Of discharges have beer granted
during the year on Individual applications ,,a ana
are rapidly diminishing the regimenti exceps
OF cavalry, which are necessarily kept In force,
that $500 men are TO be discharged bbre New
Years by reason OF the expiration Of th9 term OF
enlistment. The number OF desertions lasNear was
q TOO css than In the previous year and It'd number
OF deserters arrested was nearly THOUSAND greater,
and the proportion Of losses by deserth to the
year. Recruiting was carried on for all b3nches Of
the service until November 28 1867, whm orders
were issued 70 reduce AL regiments q in1ntry and
number of nfty privates per companI and to
reduce the recruiting service by breaking all rem
fantry. Recruiting for infantry and artery was
suspended April 1885, except In cases Of ol soldiers
desiring to enlist; and on the oath Of JulNlscs in
strucuons were issued prohibiting all enlsments or
re-enlistments, except a. musicians OF az men in
either OF these two branches. 1t is addel that to
military establ Ishment, the detachments Il the re-
cruiting depots have been reduced as mrth as pos
sible and the schools OF instruction havebeen sus-
pended. No recruiting OF any kind but Or cavalry
has boen going on since the end OF lastyuly, and
there are only nye stations for recruiting this arm
OF the service. The regiments on the Psifc coast
have ss far as possible, to avoid expense Of trans
p0rtation been supplied with recruits Otained in
Oaforna. The strength Of I'll the colorediegiments
Tho Adutant General renews the RECOMMENDATION
which he made last year-namely, that mn be en-
commends that Congress authorize the enStment OF
boys over twelve years, as musicians, witIthe con-
sent OF their parents. They must now sixteen,
and are too old to begin training, espsciallgor drum
mers. To meet a contingency which he Bgrets has
ol late several times arisen, he recommends that the
President be empowered drop from thtyolls Of the
army any 0nicer who deserts and cannot y arrested
for court martial within three months Of ne time OF
dcsertiOn. Il is also recommended that he super
intendents Of the national cemeteries be laced on
the footing Of enlisted men, General P0wBend says
that ut the date OF his annual report tere were
2os volunteer officers In the service, 81 OF whom
reau, have since been mustered out At that
date there were mastering and disburslDl Officers
have since been closed Commutation maey to the
amount OF 387, 40 has been refunded uner the act
OF February 1857, and as one clause Of SAD act pre-
vents the payment OF some just claims that have
been received at the department 6ince it vas passed
the repeal Of that provso is recommendd. Nearly
all the legal claims for collecting, drilling Ind 0rga
nlzing volunteers have been paid, or areDn fle un-
dergOng examination and verifcatiOn With view
TO payment. The. Adjutant General speaks OF
fraudulent claims that are from time tOtime pre-
sented, and recommends tnat laws be ens,ted limit
Ing the time within which claims for expenses
be % presented & The % Xdjatant @ Gensru ss0s SPEAKS @
at some length on the subject Of military
prisons. He says that the present system pf punish
ment In the army not only fails to reform the men,
but tends to degrade them, and that bi throwing
hardened and desperate criminals into cGe contact
latter to contamination by both precepi and ex-
ample. He forclbly alludes to the evil OF guard
house confinement and holds that they aH the fruit
ful cause Of deserti0n. He remarks that men who
have been guilty OF offences against tho civil law
often enter che army to escape the penaty OF their
getting rid Of these men; for II theI are dis
charged from one regiment they will go to
another part OF the country and enlist again
under other names. After speaking flrthor, and
with much feeling and Judgment on this subject Of
army discipline and punishment, the Adjttant Gene
prisons. These, he says If properly managed, would
serve rs refOrmatOry institutions and wOId rid the
army OF many vicious and insubordinate men; thev
would materially diminish the need and expense Of
courts martial, prevent the discharge OF many des-
perate men In tine unsettled parts Of tie country,
where they always become pests and outlaws and
would facilitate the recognition or orenders against
the civil law who have entered the ranks O the army
He proposes to build the first prison New FORK har
have Congress provide for similar institutions on
Ship Island, at one point on the Pacific coast and at
victs and the stoppages OF pay would he thinks.
nearly support each prison after its erection. He
would have companies Of discipline attached to
each prison, into which, under proper regulations,
all idle and worthless men OF the class who prefer
being In the guardhOuse to doing duty should be
transferred, and would have these vagabonds
severely dealt with. He sketches his plan In detail
and suggests that II be submitted to Congress. The
report closes with tables showing the number and
rank OF officers In the Adjutant Generals De-
partment.
The annual report OF the Quartermaster General
has been submitted to the Secretary Of War. The
financial statement is very favorable one The
balance Of the appropriation to the credit OF the de-
partment undrawn July /, 1867, was In round num-
bers ooO the deficiency appropriation for the
credited to appropriations on account OF
various sales was $6,00o0 900, making total sum
subject to the requstlOns Of the Cen.
$50 000 leaving, with the balance Of appropria-
tions for 1868 and the appropriation for 1869 of $14
OF 1882 The present number OF offcers in the Quar-
termaster's corps has been found wholly insufficient
to discharge its duties, and the Quarermaster Cen
era argues that true economy would lead to an In
crease the duties such require officers OF ex-
perience In the varied business ofthc department. The
southern railroad accounts are treated OF at
length. The total debt OF these roads for material
purchased and interest upon R Il Is g ,ooo The
less than $4.ooooo0. Sixteen railroads have
paid In fun, namey:-Petersburg, virginia Cen.
Northern, Memphis and Charleston, New or.
leans and Jackson, Tennessee and Great North
Point; Rome, western and Atlantic; Richmond,
Fredericksburg and Potomac; Georgia Railroad and
Banking Company; Southwestern, Macon and West
position to discharge their debts faithfully. Some
have been obliged to ask for time, but others appear
oe IN sT S.
debts to which they have pledged their faith
and given their bonds 70 the United
States. Nearly two thirds Of the total amount un-
paid II the debt Of four roads In Tennessee,
namely ely:-Nashvile and Chattanooga, Northwestern,
Memphis, CIarksville and Lousvile East Tennessee
and Georgia In the matter OF general railroad trans
portation, he says that OF tho sum earned by the
Pacific Railroad one-half u paid In cash and one
| half credited on the bonds issued to them by
government transportation over railroads other
| than the Pacific lines has been a. folows:-
| persons at q cost OF t4s4, ia The Union Pacific
Railway transported from the 30th Of June, 1857 70
the 30h OF September 1885, about 90 TIT tons Of mu
| nitions OF war and 7,415 persons, ~ o cost OF
$I,070655. The Union Pacific Railway eastern d.
vision for the time. transported 1850 tons OF
freight and es9s persons, at cost OF S53127A The
| neet OF transports, 1000 strong At the close
| OF the war, have been sold released. Twenty
the service OF the department for the whole or part
Of the year. and thirty nine vessels Of all kinds have
been chartered for greater or less time. The question
OF government stock particularly the question: OF se-
curing the best cavalry horses 10 discussed at con-
siderable length, and the opinion In given that great
economy and far better stock would bo secured