Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-11
SHERIDAN ON THE ARMY.
26,3S3 ITS GREGATE
STRENGTH AT PRESENT.


Hard Indian Fighting Probably over,
but Force Necessary to Over-awe
Them-Magazine Rifles the Weapons
of the Future-RevOIutIOn More I'm
minent Than a Foreign Attack.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1O.-Lieut. Gen. sherl-
dan has submitted to the Secretary of War
his annual report, which shows the army 10
consist of an aggregate OF 2,l47 officers and
24,2S6 enlisted men. Every year shows that
although the Indian question, so far as hard
nghting is concerned, is practically eliminated
from military considerations. control OF the
reservations and encouragement to actual
settlement Will not permit the military SER
vice in the West to be dispensed with for
many years to come. Gen. sheridan saws that
in his opinion the weapon Of the future will
be the magazine rifle or one equal in its ra
pldlty of discharge, but adds that as the
seems remote we can wait for still
further improvements before finally adoptin0
some good and reliable standard maga-
zine gun. In regard to the National
Guard OF the States. he recommends that
Congress designate the number of men each
State should have, and provide arms, and
camp and garrison equipage. Excepting for
our ocean commerce, and for seaboard cities
he does not think we should be much alarmed
about the probability of wars with foreign
powers, since 1t would require more than q
upon land against us. To transport from he
yond the ocean that number of soldiers with
al their munitions of war. their cavalry, ar
tillery ana infantry, even If not molested by
the United States while in transit. would de-
mand large part of the shipping of all Eu-
rope. The nation is growing SO rapidly. how
ever, tnat there are signs of other troubles
Whlch VIII probably not come upou us il both
capital and labor are conservative.
GOOD DISCIPLINE.
The discipline of the army ia exeellapt ond
the only change recommended is a uniform
organic ttlOn of the three arms of the service
by adding two companies and correspondinn
majors TO each regiment of infantry. The re-
port says:
I'm our army regiments are now merely
skeletons, the companies averaging only about
40 men for duty, but in time of need these can
De increased to 100 men, 50 that regiment
VIII then pe from 5000 to 200 strong, accord
ing as there are ten or twelve companies.
There is quite enough for Colonel Ia com
mand In order to obtain the best results
Most OF the projects now advanced Tor army
reorganization are based upon desire for
better promotion rather than upon any real
need OF increase in regimental efliciency
III Congress would only relieve the army Of
an the officers who are now incapacttated
Ior uuty, ana whose cases have been passed
upon by retiring boards, promotion would
soon become rapid enough To satisfy all who
are not unreasonable upon this subject " Re-
Ierrlng TO the slight increase in the number of
uesertOns, the Lieutenant General saws that
they are due in some cases to a desire on the
part OF men without means to secure free
transportation to the West, and in others to
the temptation of higher wages and the ex-
cltement OF the mining regions. There are
many incOrrigible offenders who enlist. desert
and re-enlist, as did the notorious bounty
Jumpers of the last war. There seems to lie
no way OF putting stop to the practice till
some method is adopted whereby a man once
enlisted may be recognized when he again
presents himself for physical examination.