The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-12-08
OUR MILITARY.
Annual Report of the General of d


Annual Report of the General of tn,
Army.
The following statements are embraced
in Gen. Sherman's report:
The aggregated force of the army
now consist of ,331 men, all of whom
are actively employed, as though war ex.
listed, By the subdivision of territory,
every foot of the country is under the
supervision of a general officer, near at
hand, with part of the army proper
toned to the supposed necessity TO
maintain order and peace whereby the
settlement of the country may progress
and the civil officers be enabled to en-
force the laws of the United States. On
| the military division of the Atlantic
there are no hostile Indians, but troops
have been actively employed aiding
United States marshals in enforcing the
revenue laws and in protecting the
weak against the preiudices of the
strong in the frequent cases of civil cleo
tions. These duties call for the highest
qualities of firmness and prudence, and
l am sure the behavior of the troops in
every instance has commanded the
respect of all men. The care
and preservation of the public
property and sea coast forts is
the chief duty of troops. The chief
military events of the year have tran
spired in the military division of Mis-
souri,, where a state of actual war has
existsd for many years and still continues.
| am not yet in possession OF Gen. Sheri-
dams report, but in anticipation of its
receipt will endeaver to give a concise
account of some of the chief events as
gathered from reports and letters received
during their progress. In the
DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF
the troops under Gen. Augur have been
shifted from place to place in aid of the
civil authorities, under the same state
acts as in the department of the south,
with similar results, and have always
used their power with consumate discre>
tiOn and good judgment. On the Texas
frontier, especially the Mexican border, J
there has long existed an unsatisfactory |
condition of affairs. Civil war has ex-
listed on the border of the Mexican states. |
and each faction has at times sought an |
asylum on this side of the Rio Grande, |
but from the letters and reports of Gen
eral Ord there seems to be an organized |
system of robbing by small bands of !
Mexlcans and Indians, who cross to the |
Texas side and commit murders, steal |
horses, cattle, etc, and escape back
with their stolen property to the other
side, where they are comparatively safe
from punishment and the pursuit of our
troops who rarely hear of the raid until it
is too late to intercept it. l believe no
one supposes the authorities of the ma
tional government of Mexico can be
privy to this nefarious business, and il
is probably carried on in spite of the bet
ter people on both sides of the border.
There are now in Texas two regiments of
eighth and tenth-which
will be filed up as rapidly as possible to
the maximum standard also four regi-
ments of infantry, tenth, second, fourth
and fifth, which are necessarily very
small under the existing laws. Still, l
hope, with increased activity, these
troops will suffice to protect the border
from incursiOns, which discourage settle
ment and are otherwise very Irritating
and demoralizing. In the
DEPARTMENT CT MISSOURI
the Indians of New Mexico have been re-
good, and the Ki0was, Com
lnches, Cheyennes and Arapahoes, To-
Gated on the reservation at and near
Fort Sill, have been exceptionally quiet
his summer, though requiring for rea-
,Onable security to the Kansas frontier
pretty strong garrisons at Fort Sill, FL
lott, Dodge and Supply, and small gar {
'is0ns along the Arkansas river and
Kansas Pacific railroad. The chief {
vents to which Gen. Sherman refers l
ire those relating to war with the 8
Sioux, and after giving a detailed
history concerning the late expeditions
Igainst them, and the death of Gus a
er with his command he also e
axes up the campaign of Crook and C
Terry, and shows the work done by them,
nd how Sitting Bull slipped out with I
hirty lodges of his own special follow I
rs during the retreat down Bad Route I
reek,. and to have resumed his course a
or Fort Peck, en- British possessions
jOl. Miles reports his purpose to replen- \
sh his supplies, to turn north and follow c
his last desperate band to the death o
zen. Crook reOrganized a new column
t Fort Fetterman with which he left
n the 9th of October for another early E
yinter campaign against that fraction of C
he hostile Sioux under Crazy Horse. "
len. Sheridan, in his last dipatch on this Il
ubject uses this language, which cor Il
tally indOrse: If successful, of which s
do not doubt, the Sioux war and all u
ther Indian wars in the country of any lC
magnitude will be over forever Ar q
made for hemming in and q
apturing the remainder of the hostile II
ioux during the winter must result in u
or complete success. Mean n
me no change can be attempted this u
ear at the agencies, but trust that g
ext year all the Sioux nation will be II
1mpelled to remove to the Missouri c.
ver, near Fort Randall, where they can be u
uarded and fed at One-half the present Il
ost, and where, if there be any chance a
, civilize them, the opportunity will be A
Lr better than in their present scattered b