The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-11-13

Z
tabular statements and returns COM
piled by the Adjutant-General, COM
menting on which General Sherman
says : '..'.-.. =. .--' ?
The eleven Generals, 1859 officers, 2O,566
men and 233 Indian scouts, together with such
officers of the staff Us are assigned Blythe War
Department to duty with the troops, constitute
the army proper, or the 'comoatlVe force
All other parts of the military establishment
are provided by law for special service more
or less connected with the army or militia but
are not available for frontier defenses.
Thus, for instance, the Sgl enlisted men
of the Ordnance Corps are in fact wOrkmen at
arsenals; the 192 men of the Engineer Corps
are ut Willet's Point undergoing instruction
in torpedo practice, and are not subject TO the
Division Commander. The 456 men of the Sig
nal Corps are employedin observing the wealth
or or in working telegraphs. The III Ordnance
Sergeants have charge OF Old forts or
liked magazines The l5l Commissary
are Stewards of hospitals. The West
Point detachment, 1856 in number, is localized
at the Military Academy. The prison guard
at Fort Leavenworth comprises seventy men,
and recruiting attachments absorb 1,IOI men
at Davis Island, Columbus, o., and Jefferson
Barracks, No. These various detachments,
aggregating 3,463 enlisted men CT the highest
grades, compose about one-sixth part of the
enlisted men provided by law for the whole
army. leaving but 20,799 for actual service.
mention these figures in some detail, be
cause know that il is the popular belief.
shared by many members of Congress- that
we have 1000 men on duty. have done all
in my power to reduce these detachments to
the lowest number, possible, so us to afford
more men to our skeleton companies, but
have found it impossible, and l notice that
similar detachments are reported on all army
ret a5 for tfty years back. There are
5000 men would give fifty-eight to each,
which is as small as any company should
be, and earnestly recommend that you ask
IfNrNn fgN1 lr,w 1aN
provided by law may be allowed exclusively
for regiments of the line, and that special pro-
vision be made for these several detachments,
as has already been done for the Signal Serv-
ice The army cannot, with justice, be held
responsible for the work of 5000, when so
large q fraction is necessarily diverted to other
uses, perhaps of equal National Importance"
The tables above referred to show that the
grand aggregate of the army roll is 2,1S Of
ticers and 262 men in service, and 3SS officers
retired.
his report to the Ute troubles. He Introduces
the subject with a history of the tribe. These
Indians, he says, are of the worst class, and Oc-
cupy the toughest part of our country for farm
ing, grazing, or military operations. Their man
agement is complicated by the fact that their
country is known TO possess mineral deposits,
which attracts bold and adventurous class of
white men. They are very warlike, and have
no difficulty in procuring in exchange for their
GccT-skins, horses and sheep any amount of
the best rifles and ammunition. As long as
tllC game iiStS IDey VIII not. NOrk or
farming, except in the smallest and most
ridiculous way, and that only by cOmpulsiOn.
The report details at some length the history
of the welEknown events leading up to the
movement by Mai Or ThOrnburgh's command,
AID continues: aga .. .....
with knowledge Of the result, and to
throw as much light on the immediate cause
o. this war as possible, / give the last letters
Which passed between Major Thornburgh and
M. Meeker, and will here record my judg-
mcnt that Major IhOrnburgh was an officer
and gentleman of whom the army has reason
10 be proud He was young, ardent, ambi-
tiOus of good judgment, and no man could
have done better in life nor met death with
more heroism.
THORNBURGH To MEERER.
"'IIEADQ'Rs WHITE RIVER EXPEDITION.
CAMP on FORTIFTCATION CREEK, b.
.. September p, 1879.
"'Mr Meeker, Indian Agent, White River
Agency. ..H.
"Sm:-In obedience to instructions from the
General of the Army, am en- route to your
Agency, and expect to arrive on the 10Th inst,
for the purpose of atfording you any assist
ance in my power, and to make arrests at
your suggestion, and to hold as prisoners
such of your Indians as you desire until
Investigations are made by your Department.
have heard nothing definite from your
Agency for ten days, and do not know what
state of affairs exists, whether the Indians Will
leave at my approach or show hostilities. l
send this letter by Mr.. Lowry, one of my
guides, and desire you TO communicate with
me as soon as possible, giving me all the infOr-
nation in your power, in order that ! may
know what course | am to pursue. If practi-
cable, meet me on the road at the earliest mo-
ment. .,....l
livery respectfully. goTr 95ediSnt servant,
"Alt the world now knows that Specialize gent
General Charles Adams, of Colorado, appoint
ed by the Secretary OF the Interior TO conduct
these negotiations with the hostile Utes, has
partially succeeded in his mission, has OBJ
tanned TIE surrender of Mrs. and Miss Meek
er, Mrs. Price and two children, who are al
ready safe with their friends. He is now sup
posed to be again with the hOstiles on Grand
River endeavOring to effect the other condi-
tons required of the Utes by the honorable
Secretary of the Interior, who is primarily re-
spOnsible for the entire management of the
case. l certainly applaud the courage and en-
ergy thus far displayed by General Adams,
and hope he will fully and completely succeed
i'll his pTaisewOrthy mission, and yet believe
that prudence demands that the military prep
aratiCns and precautions shall not slacken.
Thus far we have lost eleven citizens, two offi-
GERS and twelve soldiers killed, and forty-one
wounded. The Indians admit a loss of thirty
nine warriors killed, so thGt they have not
much reason to boast. -
Tue report next treats of the Apache raid,
and states that troops are in pursuit, but moth
ing definite can be given as yet. The Apaches,
the General says, only resort to the Agency to
rest, recuperate and make ready for the next
war. He infers that as soon as winter comes
they will return to their agencies and be good.
. General Sherman refers at some length to
last summers incursions of Indians from Sit
ting Bulls camp, and kindred subjects, and re-
marks that some more permanent security
must be found than results from he good will Of
urneighbors HetherefOre recommends that
Congress be asked to appropriate 100000 to
complete Fort Assiniboine, and S2OO,OOO to
build new post near Wood Mountain, and
says: I'm this connection also beg to sub
NIT my conviction that very soon the progress
of events will make it absolutely necessary to
move all the Indians now located. on the Up
MlgSOIITI--IIZ-s
VentreS, Piegans, BlOOds and Crows, to the
Sioux reservation below Cannon Ball Creek,
and to open to actual settlers all the land in
the region north and west of that reserva-
ton"
General Sherman reports a highly satisfae-
tory condition of Affairs in the Department OF
Texas, especially along the Rio Grande from
tier. The large immigration which has pour
ed into Texas having now extended to what
were formerly her waste lands the removal OF
some of the frontier posts further west is neces-
sary, and General Sherman therefore indOrses
the recommendation made to him by General
Ord for Congressional appropriations to con-
struct military posts on the new. western
frontier.
Referring to the troubles caused during the
past year by the attempted emigration to the
Indian Territory from the southern border OF
Kansas, General Sherman says: The delicate
duty imposed on the military was admirably
performed by the troops under the order of
General Pope. The opinionis expressed that
at least thirty superfuOus military posts might
be sold to great advantage"
The report in conclusion treats of the sub
ject of military education, and after referring
to the artillery school at Fortress Monroe and
academy at West Point, says: "Similar
schools should he established and MAIN
tanned for cavalry and infantry. These
have repeatedly been attempted at Forts
Leavenworth and Smelling, but no sooner
have they been begun than some Indian
outbreak has imperatively called away the
troops, so that at this time we have nothing Of
the kind. But the day must come when schools
for infantry and cavalry will be established in
the nature of postgraduate course, and if
possible for instruction in the use of the rife
and horse, before your officers and recruits are
pushedinto battle and. danger"
MEEKER TO THORSBURGH.