The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-13

Text of Secretary AIger's Order-TvO
New Departments.


partment to-day promulgated it's order
creating the Departments of the Gulf and
of the Lakes and abolishing the Depart
ments of the Missouri and of Texas The
Department of the East will embrace the
States on the Atlantic coast to and includ-
Ing North Carolina: the Department of the
Lakes will include Wisconsin, Michigan, Ill
inois, Indiana, Ohio. Kentucky and Tennes-
see, with headquarters at Chicago, and the
Department of the Gulf will comprise the
States of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas,
with headquarters at Atlanta. Major Gen.
John r. Brooke will command the Depart
ment of the Lakes, and Brigadier General
William M. Graham the Department of the
Gulf The text of the War Department.
order is as follows, being called General
Orders, No. - and dated Headquarters of
the Army, Adjutant Generals Office, Wash
ington, March:
THE following orders have been received
from the War Department and are pub
hshed for the information and guidance of
all concerned:
by direction of the President, the fol-
lowing changes are made in the territorial
limits designation, and headquarters of
geographical departments:
F1rst-The Department of the East will
embrace the New England States New
York, New Jersey Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland District of Columbia West Vir-
ginia Virginia and North Carolina, with
headquarters at Governors island New
York
lished, to be known the Department of
the Lakes to consist of the States of Wis
consin. Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio,
Kentucky and Tennessee, with headquar-
.Third-The Department of Dakota will
embrace the States of Minnesota, North Da-
kota, South Dakota. Montana and as much
nf aiF1cr nd doh &c ON rcd in
the Yellowstone National Park, with head
quarters at st. Paul, MINI.
"FOurth-The Department of the. Column
bia will embrace the States of Washington,
Oregon, Idaho Except so much of the latter
as is embraced in the Yellowstone National
Park, and the Territory of Alaska. with
headquarters at Vancouver Barracks,
'Fifth-The Depai .ment of California will
embrace the States of California and Ne
yada, with headquarters at San Francisco,
Cal.
"Sixth-The Department of Colorado will
embrace the States of Wyoming Except so
much thereof as is embraced in the yell
lowstone National Park, Colorado, Utah
and the Territories of Arizona and New
Mexico, with headquarters at Denver, Col.
Seventh--The Department of the Platte
will embrace the States of Iowa, Nebraska,
Missouri Kansas and Arkansas, the. In
dian Territory and the Territory of Okla
homa, with headquarters at Omaha, Neb.
Eighth-A department is hereby estab-.
lished to be known as the Department OF
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mis-
sissippi. Louisiana and Texas, with head
quarters at Atlanta, Ga.
1.-The Departments of the Missouri and of
Texas are hereby abolished The records
of the Department of the Missouri will be
tranSfrred to the Department of the Lakes,
and those of the Department of Texas to
the Department of the Gulf. Major General
John r. Brooke is assigned to the COM
mand of the Department of the Lakes, and
Brigadier General William M. Graham to
the command of the Department of the
Gulf. The officers for the several staff de-
partments now on duty in the Departments
of the Missouri and of Texas are assigned
to like duties in the Departments of the
Lakes and of the Gulf, respectively.
THE travel required under these orders
is necessary for the public service
The War Department is making every
effort to execute the changes in the great
military departments announced in the or
DER. The important changes are the crea-
ton of the new Department of the Gulf by
the combination of the old Department of
Texas with the southern portion of the
Department of the East. The other changes
made were in the direction of rectifying the
lines of the Central Western departments
so as to make them more symmetrical and
easily accessible in all portions from their
respective central headquarters. For this
reason the State of Ohio, for many years
has been thrown into the Department of
the Missouri, which now rejoices in the new
name of the Department Of the Lakes,
change of name made, it is said al he War
Department, for purely sentimental v psnns.
The Southwestern States included : the
Department of the Dakota have bee Il traus-
ferred to the Department OF the tic,
while, to- maintain the present pr 'Hrtsons
of this department, the northeI-s eactlon
has been thrown into the Depa. n mt Of
the DakotaS. No changes have been made
in the Department of the Columbia, the De-
partment of California or the Department
of Colorado.
General Graham telegrapheS the War De-
partment to-day that he wou,a go to Attain
ia on Monday next to establish his head
or m NJ pcin
was at the War Department to-day and
expressed his qualification that Georgia had
ment, with headquarters at Atlanta. This
step, Mr.. Bacon said. was due entirely to
military considerations and no personal or
political motives had figured in the transac-
ton Heretofore there had been only one
military confer along the Atlantic. namely,
that att New York, but the present condi-
itary standpoint that it was desirable to
have another center on the South Atlantic.
As result the interior military center,
heretofore known as the Department of
Texas, had been moved eastward and CEN
tered at Atlanta. The same commander
Brigadier General Grahanl--would be in
command at Atlanta. as he had previously
been in command of the Department of
Brigadier General John M. Wilson. chief
of engineers of the War Department. re-
turned to-day after trip of over 1000 miles,
which he accomplished inside of one week.
Naturally. his visit to Southern coast points,
where extensive fertilization work is in
progress has excited much comment Gen
Wilson declined however, to discuss in any
way this phase of his trip. 1t is understood
that he visited Cumberland river. st. Johns
river and the werks at Tampa and Key
West, Fla The inspection of the Cumber-
land and the St. Johns rivers was in con-
nection with the river and harbor improve
ments. the former being the point where
Captain Carriers alleged irregularities oc-
CURED. General Wilson spent day at Key
West and another day at Tampa, but the
nature of his inspections there are not dis
closed. While at Key West he met a num-
Der of officers of the United States fleet con-
ment on the cause OF the disaster to the
Maine which. however was purely specula-
tive He did not go TO Tortugas notwith-
standing the reports current while he was
in the South that he was examining this
strategic point with view 70 having hur-
ried plans for its fertilization put into ef-
feet.
E.rSrTEc Ar NAuE AVN