The Portland daily press., 1877-12-06
Way the Battle List was Omitted.
The following lettsr, of generalEiuterest, ex-
plains itself:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
Wa Nnvamhsr


To the Hon James II. Wilson, Fair field, la.
My DEAR SIR: l have your favor OF the 26th
inst, in which you say that the recent order Of
the department relative to the omission of the
names of battles from the army register as It is
now understood and as the newspapers are
treating it, sis doing me injustice" You very
properly ask me to explain to you the reasons
for the order, and l cheerfully comply with
pour request, appreciatiog fnlly the friendly
spitit in which it was made. For several years
efforts. have been 10 progress for revision of
the army register in this respect, with view
to the perfect treatment of all regiments. This
work of revision is not yet finished, but have
given orders to complete it as soon as possible,
so that an edition of the register containing
correct list of the battles may be issued at an
early day. In the opinion of the General Of
the army, in which concur. IL was not practi-
cable to complete the work iu time for an issue
of the register now in press, and consequently
upon bis recommendation the order for pubca-
ton was temporarily suspended, not revoked.
The necessity for this revision grows out of the
fact that the list of battles as heretofore
published was not prepared upon any uniform
plan. 1t should contain under each regiments
list of the battles in which the regiment has
been engaged, but the difficulty has been
to determine what engagements are TO be
regarded as battles within the meaning of the
order. Great diversity of opinion has ex-
listed upon this point, and also upon the
question whether . battle in which only
part of a regiment was engaged, say one or two
u.
pOrtant how these questions are decided, but it
is quite important, 10 order to prevent injus-
tice, that one rule should be applied to all regi
ments. This was not done in preparing the
lists as heretofore published. and hence the
necessity for careful revision. These lists
were furnished by the commanders of regi-
meuts, each acting upon his own Judgment as
TO what was proper, some, instead of confining
themselves to battles, including skirmishes,
campaigns and scouts; Others forwarded for in-
SEXTON only battles in sense of engagements Of
Importance; some incuded only battles in
which the entirs regiment had been engaged,
while others reported all battles aud skrmishes
in which any portion of the regiment had
taken part. Numerous requests for amend
ments have been received since the lists were
published, and mary complaints naturally re-
suited from the want of consistent rule TO apply
in all cases. Under these circumstances, upon
the recommendation of the General Of the
army, an order suspendng the publication of
the list of battles was issued for the purpose of
awaiting the establishment, through board of
officers CT otherwise, of proper standard as q
guide hereafter. need hardly to say to you
that l am surprised to hear that anyone should
charge that the order was issued with view to
oblterate any part of the glorious record made
by the army in the war for the suppression of
the rebellion and the preservation of the Union.
Very respectfully yours, etc,
GEORGE W. MCCRARY.