Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-08-30

A TIMELY AND INTEREsriNa TALK WITH
THE HOUSE MILITARY COMMITTEE
PREsESr CONDITION AND NEEDS ar
or THE ARMY--srREN0rn
OF TERRY's FORCE.

VI AhMI-oLhkNOAu
OF TERBY's roRcE.
WASHINGTON, August S.-Gen. Sher.
man and the Secretary Of War were In
attendance this morning before the
House committee on military affairs in
reference to the Senate bill now before
that committee for the increase Of the
cavalry regiments for operations against
the Sioux Indians. General Sherman,
being asked to give his opinion on tho
subject, said;
l think il will be very prudent to
provide now, in advance, for at least
$500 men, and cannot conceive of q
more economical or better method of
doing 1t than the one proposed by the
Senate, which is simply to increase the
number Of private soldiers to that ex-
tent. By this plan We can reinforce
the regiments in the field, SO tina: each
company Of cavalry will consist Of 100
men. An increase Of $500 men will
enable us to do that, and the estimates
prepared and sent to the Senate will
be amply sufficient for the purpose.
The Chairman. Have you any doubt
as to tho ability Of our army now In
front of the Sioux to whip them? Gen
eral Sherman. | have not particle
Of doubt but that, if the Indians will
stick together, Crook alone can whip
them, or Terry alone can whip them.
Jointly, there is no doubt of it. But
the Indians may scatter, and propably
will scatter, and the mountainous char
acter of the country will facilitate their
concealing themselves. They will divide
up into small parties, and that will
probably neccssitatc an increase Of force
over that which would be necessary to
whip them in the aggregate. If the
Indians scatter, then we will have to
divide up into detachments, and each
detachment is liable to encounter the
whole of these Indians if they should
assemble again.
Mr.. Hurlbut. What is your view in
regard to the material out Of which
this increase of force should be obtained?
A. We have got to trust, in way, to
luck for that. The pay Of soldiers is
very small compared with that paid
for labor, and therefore, as matter Of
course, we have got to take the best
material we can get for that pay, but
those who are in charge of the field
operations against the Sioux, Terry,
Crook, Sheridan and others, are will
ing to risk that branch of the PROPOSE.
uon.l They are all in favor ofincrcas-
ing the strength OF the companies
rather than of resorting to call for
volunteers. flBVf tffhN Ntf
Mr.. Mcdonald. Do you think that
recruits can be got in time? A. Yes (;
l think the recruits will be collected
pretty rapidly now. ss9i4 asso.ol
The Chairman. Under law passed
by this Congress it is provided that all
cavalry regiments may be recruited TO
one hundred men for each company,
and it is further provided that this
shall not increase the total aggregate
of the army to moro than $4,000 en-
listed men. General Sheridan, by his
letter appears to understand that this
increase applies to only regiments on
the Texas frontier2 A. You will re-
collect that was the first proposition
suggested by member from Texas,
General Mills. ] think that proposi.
ton obtained o good deal Of publicity,
and General Sheridan was under the
impression that the bill as passed. by
Congress was passed or that basis
He was in error there. Tho bill as
passed enables us to put hundred
men into each company Of a)l the ten
cavalry Regiments, but in trying to do
that we would have to deplcto the in
fantry companies in oil parts Of the
United States so low as to almost
make them valueless. When you got
q company below 80 or 40 men Il ceases
almost to be a military organization.
The officers lose interest in their pro-
fession, and the consequence is that il
you put the whole IL, 900 men into ton
cavalry regiments, the infantry rcgi.
ments and the artillery regiments
would be probably below rs men to
the company. Every gentleman who
has served in any army must know
that that takes the life out of any mil
itary Organization. | would call the
attention of the committee to another
branch Of tho proposition. 1t is very
easy to take $4,000 men and divide
them up into ten regiments Of cavalry,
five of artillery and twenty Of infantry
in a very fair proportion, but we have
other detachments what we call nom
combatants, unavailable mon. You all
know that in q battle you can only
bring about two-thirds of the best or
ganization to tho front, and would
challenge any member Of the commit
tee to say that he could take 10000
men and bring 6,00O into line of battle.
We have S52 mon unassigned to any
regiment or organization, engaged in
the recruiting service. That may be
in excess of propriety, but IL seems to
be the result Of experience, and ! Ger.
tainly have striven by all means in my
power to reduce that number. Then
we have 300 men charged as general
service men, men who are employed
at the War Department, at the head-
quarters of the army and in the differ
ont militia ~, d;y;a;ors - d.raxt,,o...