, 1870-04-08
THE ARMY BILL
General LoKnn's Speech In Reply to
GoQef1l ShcrunuIa Latter.

q Do c&As4 1pQ1, Isl 1eel Wyselt 70 pe 70
Lay, to rep3y to sorne Of the remarks made in
Ibis most axtIaor1inlry and remarkable letter.
Whist viii s5y Wn not be in detugation OF
any person, but Il viii be in support OF tho
fscta which I. addueed before his Houss,
which am amply able to prove to be correct,
ND vii prove it from tho records Of tho
Who the gentlemen were who invited this !
letter or speech, or whstevef 1t may ba called |
LAye no idea. l havo hxd It read that it may !
e. upon the records Of The country, and 1iya !
as loug "a those records msy live What it |
for those who may Rad it to decide, when my /
explanation ehAu hATe been nldo to lhe |
Hcuse.
it's eaid here that they arc members ct
Congress- t1d hoped at Least thAt members
Of Congress were capable Of making their own
might oppose without inviting the General OF
tbs Army to make speeches for them. II It is
not tho case, ho1pvcE, al have to ssy Is that
they had better return to their constituents,
and invite him to take taeiz places. Z was
Ills letter that Senator Wilson Invited this
letter. asked him yesterday il that WAS
t1uo, md he denies that he asked for any such
letter. It was In tho newspapers that Senator
Wilson had written to General Sherman thank
ing him for this letter. Senator Wilson says
that IL not t1ue-
Now, the most remarkable features in this
remarkable letter arp, first, that il should haro
been written ut III, and second, thht such lan-
guaec ahould be found in it, emanating from
tho high position occupied by the General OF
the Army Of the United States have naugLt
to say against the reputation Of General Shcr-
man. Ee Is gallant officer and gallant SOL
der. hare never attempted to detract from
him in the slightest degree. I would not, TO-
day, t&fnish Ito reputation OF thzt man, or Of
any man uho served his eoantg ga1lantly, il !
had the power to do it. I hayn never done 80,
nor do I desire TO do 30 as sny time. But self
respect demands OF me, <hen I an assailed,
and when the lower branch Of Con-
gresa ia asBa1ed through ne, when an
charged with falsehood in my ntsteuents, and
with having used figures that were utterly
untrue, Il is my duty as Representative or
the American people: or portion Of tham, TO
nobly atood by me in Whist eaid in reference
to the hill reported BY the Committee on Mill
taIy Affairs, that they wero justified in what
they did, swell aa that may be justified be-
fore my constituents in what 1 said.
The Committee on Military Affair." Is CONF
posed Of ten men, all soldiers-> We do not
claim that We are great soldiers, or have been
in high petition or high rink or station, yet We
wevc eo1dicrs, whether small OF great makes
no difference and II there Was anything that
could possibly enter tho boson Of one 81 those
them to strike cruelty at any soldier as Is stated
in that letter, cannot conceive what it is- No,
cir !; no euel1 feeling could penetrate the heart
or mind Of a5E ono Of then. They have al
served the country. They al hare sympathy
With the soldicr: They hs7e AZ ; feeling for
the soldiers that live md the soldiers that hare
died; and they have sympathy, too, for moro
tknn ono or two or th1ce /; but they stand to-
day before this country and before the House
as the defenders OF tie living soldier that is
not now in tho army mud Of the dcad soldier
that slceFs tho last sleep that knows no wax
ing. They stand, and Eare stood here. and
will stand. rs men who have not tho fear that
strikes them 1oNn to sucL degree that they
ehall fail II any time to nttes rcu1onstrances
against that which is wrong against the conn
IJ, either in civilian OF so}dio1, OF shaM fsl 10
defend that which is right that il performed
by either civilian or soldier.
cra1 Sherman. His fi1st proposition il that my
etatement in reference to tho atan Of the ar-
ny Of the United States, in comparison with
the stafls Of foreign azuaiea, is 70 wide OF the
truth that it does not admit Of azgnmcnt."
| That is tho language which General sherman
sees fit to use- Let us SEQ whether il is wide
OF the truth or not. do not BAY that Gener-
| al Sherman, being General Of the Army, ought
to read nore, but do say this, that I, 1t lcaRt,
! have read concerning the organizations OF the
! armies Of different countries aud can refer to
| thsbookB to prove nr statements, aalEil1 do 80.
| dred hnd sixty three otfcern, tho most Of them
! Of high rank. Thia stAtemrnt is sustained by
| the report Of tho Secretary Of War aud the
Army Re gister, and refer you to them and
| il the Honse will give me their attention, IN
| order that they may DO Justified in whnt they
| did, and that may be suAtainedin in what said,
| will commence back with tho commission
| that was sent by the Government Of tho United
| States to Europe, Of which commission wera
| George B. Mcclellan aad Mr. Horaecai. The;1
! duty waa to ascertain the organization Of the
| European Armies-how they arc managed,
| drilled, framed, and everything pertaining to
their dutica.
| have hero the report made by this CON.
I mission, published BY tho Senate in 1859 and
1850. Now what is the report in regsrd to the
| Rureian army
| an This erca, military empire the Emperor l.
not only, as chief Of The State, lhe fountain o1
military honor and authority, hut he exercises tht
| artye functions Ut ComnlAudeE-ia-chIef Of tht
army, much Of bis timc aud Personal attention az
given Ia The dc:t.z oI Its administration md dse
pine, anil on the eceasions Of reviews anil ne'd
exercises he often takca command Of the troops II
| ferrnE and cchtl.cts the mauGusrcs-"
The report then goes on ald gives the or
gtnization OF tito army. Firnt tho War Depart
ment. -.,......
j. The Burean of the Minister
9. The Gsneral St..f cud Typographical Bureau
1. The Bureau uf Artillery.
+ The Engineer Bnre4n.
4. Tho Burcau Of cioshtng and Equipments
:. The Bureau Of Subsistence.
e. The Medic n HnErar.
| r The Judge Adttcate:s Bureau
IL The Bureau Ct Military coloases.
"The Buresu Of the Minister has chs:re Of tn
general correspondence, The commissioning an,
rightly af officers, the archives. military, puhlica
immense territory over which if IS dispersed. %,
I fTn rufI1 pkCtf,F va 4H
W Wsult, @ b. Satcisnty cores n for &c 1t the tine
its publication. The whole number Of otlcr.s 4
acsoal service ,s sM'ut twent, snoasa;,a;r a. -,
which Is En- ef1ccr styled Qua1ternlaster Genera
Ia divided into two principal sccsiona, ooa Of uhtc
!a ehafged wnh what relates 70 Lhs dtst5.eano y Y
graphical section, Tne General StaN Cops /.
formed BY reelection Of officers who hsve serre
t9s rS,1ss 1'n5 and arc n't aooFs Ii: sEa's
aThe Typographical corrs eoIsts:s Of more III
and four nundred men formed lnso companies {
torceraphe7. who are engaged Ia the general eui
vry q the empire. Or httarhed to army to1r*
tTht Bureau Gf 1nsPectlo1K directed bf Gct
J tzoora .ni the recruiting"
And 50 tho report goes On in reference
the different bureaus but will not read
The infantry getce Of the active Army bcfoz
| the late WIT wts abont Eve hundred tattzuoDi
: &C Eve hundred thors=nd men" Tlat il WIS
, ! 7 stated, that the EusFian army consisted {
, five hundred thousand mon and twenty thor
! sstd tGSCrs- My statement Was 4en cofrec
tl.at our AMY had more officers In propcrie
: than the er1ny Of lustia. Their o!6eczs 5.
. equal to one TO twenty-five uscn; in out arn
< there is crc oEices to ten uen.
Nrv, l. reference to the tt1E, ri1f sho
ysu tic ccnr arisen between our amy Ir
/ | fcreifn armies. Tie !s;se;an arm: had sta1
7.r-- fbyoo ft, @H;v &1~x
3 Geega all told Il speak OF the staff and n,
: ttcsc det.i!el RI. ersy rnaer them or H. tie
= s,treares: oS1s ec,tSatea over ::I !.EnGzed Il
= ! tlit:y. Yet General sLefrsan HAss thaf IS i;
b true. Let ne csu his attention to ! boo
] Wick, perhaps. he Eas not read latelE I :!
Q Frrncc, ant. giving in detail the o1ssniza.io
3 Ct all tie stntiss ef Europe, sIa she Ft2E o
:, ! sarE:t:ers ct tEesc sftnies. It vas IN,
r fisLel il. 1sCo, ard ia considered the :bost Il
:; tAosi!E VIC Gan get CO lse subject. T cal s
: teut1u to sllat, WHICH will Liow whether has
r made miset4tcnselt on that rcintt It woul
8 l>c well fer it to bc re=d hr taaay o1Gct.a ~.
e sEirk that they have al The E..osIedSa -
b wisdom Of tic country. It gises aEst 81 u
\ staff cf Tic Eusti2n Amy u 1869, and mako
$ Generals, ColoEelr, Majors, Captains, and 6
7 Others. Yet General Sherman sxys that n
: statement Il untrue.
Let me 60 further. eaid that the st,ff
tie HEssisn army embraces only one hundre
. officers. Wheu spoke Of the ataH nae7s
!, tho stan rrprcr, according to the organixado
: cf the army When speak Of the stat Of Il
a Gifted States Army ncan the etan propc
0 cid net mean to include everybody uhn ns
9 be employed IN correction NTH the stat
Why. e;F, our cuertetuaster'a Department
i year ego embraced more than fourtee
r thousand cmEIcycs; but I do not eonaider 4
ttc.e as rAkin6 psrt Ct the stan. I epol
Il tic et.1 proper. The commissioned Of
GERS who are lcEo1ninated stAH of-:cTs l.
! those to vhcm Intended 70 reses.
I Nr. S1ocrG. would lie to ,sl tho &C,
. tleuau one question, Il he viii permit mq.
Do 60,
Nj. LcoAy. Twill
+ Nj. s1ccrx. Do the etaa osbce1s Of u