The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-12-25

<fuOuU sShC-SiACu VI. Wv
stationed in. the, Southern States
The Secretary states that git islhopec
that an ihproyed condition -ofssat fair
in that section may permit the With
drawal, at an early day, Of portion
Of the forces" s-..;,...s
The expenditures for the service o
the Quartermaster's Departments dur
ing the year have been;$12,517, ,6a.37
The number Of artillery horses pnr
chased during the year is estimate d al
3,277; mules. 209; number of htrset
in service, 9,720; mules, 8,759.
The expenditures for clothing dur
ing the year were s667,529.63a fol
railroad transportation, s1,30OpO0
wagon transportation, s626.3S.52
stage transportation, s4S975.84.s 4.
Under the act of Congress providing
for the relief of loyal citizens p. Ger
tain loyal districts of tho Soulh, the
Quartermaster G'ncral has exs,ined
and transmitted to the accdnting
officers for settlement 665 claihs for
Quartermaster's stores taken auring
the wa:, amounting, as ALLOWED, TO
1857, 10272; 274 others, amounting to
1896, ,1O0.75. have been rejected. There
are still l0,351 Of these claims On file,
amounting in The aggregate to IS, $751;.
O06.J6 ..s (
The "a National Cemeteries eontain
the remains of 317,962 deceae ed sol,
diers. Fifty-eight thousand # these
cemeteries have been permanently in
closed.
Subsistence stores to the aupunt Of
1892. 1861 have been issued to the
Indian tribes Of the West. Is
The monthly army reports bf sick
and wounded during the year repre-
sent an annual mean strength ef "a,
1O1 white, and 2,494 colorcd soldiers.
The total number Of deaths during
the year was 367 white and 81 Olorec
soldiers.
The Rock Island bridge la! been
completed, and will be Immediately
opened for railroad and wagd uses
In conformity to the two acts Of
Congress, passed last spring, plating
to the bridging of the Mississippi
river, the proper site for the Yidge at
La Crosse, Wis, has been detsmincd
A satisfactory state of pr iciency
in discipline and study at tie West
Point Military Acaucmy is hported
The number of failures to mister the
academic course, including! Original
reflections, was 81; the numhr OF ad
missions, 95; the total nj Smb Der Of
cadets now at the acadenJ, is 240
There are So vacancies, duscd by
failures upon preliminary lexamiua
tions, discharge of cadets If deticien
cy, and the failure of CoIyressiona
representatives to select sdtublc can
didates for the past Septe9 9ber exam
iination. The standard of proficiency
in the corps of cadets hi much i'm
proved, but great OBSTRUCTION to the
usefulness which the acadmy nigh,
otherwise attain in tittiag scientific
and highly educated youE men fol
the public service is expfienced, be
cause of the large amIunt of time
necessarily expended il giving new
cadets thorough knoTedge Of the
mere elementary branchy Of learning
which they should bavshcquired be
fore entering the acadmy. Under
the present system laEe percentage
of the candidates who Eek admission
to the academy fail inJhcir prelimi
nary examination, or Re found inca
pable of mastering he academic
course during the! fra year. Many
of. those who 60 to wit Point will
the prestige ofsh Ugh scholarship oh
tanned elsewhere, fail, Under examina
ton, in the very rilinfents Of al
'edueation. THAT SUD fatlure tcanno