The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-11-25
Report of General Sherman.
WASHINGTON, November 4


u agree with General Sheridan that the army
Is too small Ia enlisted men to fulfill the heavy
duties now imposed on it, and is Overworked.
i, therefore, renew my recommendation of
Ia year that Congress be asked to give 5000
enlisted men specifically to the troops of the
line of the army, and to make separate pro-
vision for detachments of advance men,,
engineer BATTALION hospital Stewards
'commissary sergeants,' West Point detach-
ments,' detailed clerks ETC., in the same
manner as has already been done for the
Signal Corps. In this connection l will ven
ture to call your attention to the fact that the
Revised Statutes, edition of 1878, Sec. l,ll5,
defining the organization of the army, limits
the strength to mot more than 5000 enlisted
men, but subsequent appropriation bills by
provisos have limited the expenditures 10 IS
900 enlisted men. Still the legal strength is
10000 enlisted men, and that number is the
least possible at which we can maintain the
present organization of forty regiments in
anything like good order, discipline and econ
omy, and infer this end can be reached by
simply emitting the provisos in the next ap-
preparation bill.
1.-The prosperous times and easy financial
condition of the Treasury may now enable
Congress to provide suitable ornaments for
the forts which guard the chief harbors of the
country"
Speaking of the Northern Pacific, Union Pa
cifc and Southern Pacific Railroads, General
Sherman says:
These railroads have completely revolu-
tionized our country in the past few years,
and impose on the military an entire change
of policy. Hitherto we have been compelled
to maintain small posts along wagon and stage
routes of travel. These are no longer needed,
because no longer used, and the settlements
which grow up speedily along the new rail-
roads afford the security necessary, and the
regular stations built for storage at conve-
nient distances afford the necessary shelter
for stores, and for the men when operating in
the neighborhood. We should now absolutely
abandon many of the smaller posts hitherto
necessary, and concentrate at strategic points,
generally near the National frontier or where
railroads interect, so as to send out de-
tachments promptly to districts where need
ed.
I'm my Judgment the time has now come
for the military authorities to select a suita-
BILE strategic point for permanent occupation
and improvement, whence attachments can
be sent out for special service. As long as we
possess and must care for these small posts it
is impossible to abandon them to waste and
we are forced to hold them, but if Congress will
designate to the President, the Secretary of
these posts and appropriate the proceeds of
sale to strategic points, am certain it will re-
suit in great economy and enable US to MAIN
tain large garrisons with increased discipline
and better service. For similar reasons and
because the commerce of the world is carried
on in ships of 5000 tons and over, and because
of the heavy draft of war vessels, most of our
sea-coast defenses are superfuous. We now
have 50,000,00O people, and the idea of any
hostile force landing on our coast is
preposterous; yet our great commercial ports
should be made so safe that even an apprehen-
sion of danger would not be felt. Portland,
Boston, Newport, New York, Philadelphia,
Hampton Roads, Port Royal, Key West, Pen
sacola, New Orleans, San Diego, San Francis
co and Port Townsend should all be properly
fortified and garrisoned. All minor forts
should be sold or abandoned. An annual ap-
preparation of Sl,OO0OOO would in ten years put
these forts in good order, and another million
a year would properly arm them, and the Sec
Rotary of War and President should have dis
erection in the disbursement of this money,
Artillery officers should also be associated
with engineers in constructing, altering and
repairing sea-coast defenses, because the men
who have to fight these batteries should have
something to do in their construction"
Referring to the reports of General Schoheld
and Colonel Getty relative to West Point and
the artillery school at Fortress Monroe, Gem
eral Sherman says:
an my Judgment both these institutions are
in as good order as possible, and both are an
honor to the country. Education must always
be the surest basis of National security and
honor The education and manly training i'm
: parted to young men at West Point have epaid
the United States a thousand times their cost,
hon, fo1f ha nf
General Washington. From time to time
periodical complaints have arisen to its preju-
dice such as occurred last year in regard to
the colored cadet, Whitaker. A thorough,
patient close investigation in the midst of
tumult of abuse resulted in the perfect vindi-
cation of the authorities of that Academy.
Every cadet at West Point is an appOintee of
a member of Congress, each member having
cadet of his own nomination there, with
only ten appointed by the President at
large. The corps of cadets is there
fore youthful counterpart of our
National House of Representatives. The
same laws, the same regulations, the same in
struction books, clothing and food are COM
mon to all, and more democratic body never
existed on earth than is the corps of cadets.
Prejudice is alleged against colored cadets.
Prejudice of race is the most difficult to con-
tend against of any in this world. There is no
more such prejudice at West Point than in the
country at large, and the practice of equality
at West Point is in advance of the rest of tn e
country. The authorities az the Academy
have no voice in the selection of candidates,
and must receive, train and educate such as
are there regardless of nationality, color, or
previous condition. To discriminate in favor
of a colored boy by reason of his color Is as
much a violation of the Fourteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution as to discriminate
against him, perfect impartiality being the
rule and that, believe, the authorities at West
Point have endeavored to follow. In this con-
nection desire to state that in my judgment
the requirement that all enlisted men of the
Ninth and Tenth Cavalry and of the Twenty
fourth and Twenty-fifth Infantry shall be co..
ored men, while the officers are white, is not
consistent with the amendment of the Constt-
tuition referred to. All men should be enlisted
who are qualified and assigned to regiments
regardless of color or previous condition.
Such has been the law and usage in the n avy
for years, and the army would soon grow &C
customed to it. No body of men on earth has
more reverence for the Constitution and laws
than the army, and pledge my own and the
good faith of all in the service to enforce faith
fully every part of the Constitution of the
United States, and every law made in pursu-
ance thereof. General Schofield is abundant
" able to enforce the laws and regulations of
the academy.
1.-The education at Fort Monroe, under the
supervision of Colonel Getty, is purely profess
sional, and limited chiefly to the artillery arm
of the service. This education cannot be
found in another college in America, and is
valuable because the use of artillery is limited
to war on large scale, and cannot be learned
in our Indian wars or in common life. When
the necessity arises for artillery officers, as in
our Mexican war and also our civil war, it is
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