The times., 1898-11-12

II covers forty printed pages and con-
tains a mass of valuable Information con-
cerning the regular and volunteer armies,
the war with Spain, the Government Hos
pital for the Insane on the heights oppo-
site East Washington, and other pertinent
subjects, besides making number of i'm
portant recommendations.
The first chapter of the report treats of
the regular army, the strength of which
on April !, 1898, just before the breaking
out of the war, was 2,1i3 officers and
5000 enlisted men. BY authority of act of
Congress the regular army was increased
until in August last it reached its maxi
mum war strength of 2,S23 officers and
56.36s enlisted men.
Three hundred and eighty-seven officers
OF the regular army were nominated and
confirmed in the several grades in the vol
unteer army. as follows:
Major generals Is; brigadier generals,
IS; assistant adjutants general, IS: inspec-
tors general, l6, judge-advocates, 3; quar-
termasters. i3; commissaries of subsist-
ence. n; surgeons "A; paymaster,1; engi-
neers, %; ordnance officers. 2l: signal Of
ficers. u; field officers of volunteer regi-
ments, Sc
THE joint resolution approved April
20, 1925, demanding that Spain relinquish
Its authority and government in the ISL
and of Cuba and withdraw its land and
naval forces from Cuba and Cuban
waters, authorized the President 10 use
the land and naval forces of the United
States 10 carry the resolve into effect
Congress followed this step by the pas
sage of an act, approved April %, 1898
providing for the temporary increase Of
the military establishment of the United
States"
Then followed the Presidents calls for
troops, which resulted in the organiZa-
uon of the volunteer army with a maxi
mum strength in August, 1895 of S7s5
officers and 207, ,24i enlisted men These.
with the regulars formed a grand army
in that month of 27i,717 officers and men.
The suspension of hostiities, resulting
from the short but brilliant operations of
the army against Santiago. Cuba, leading
TO its capture and of that of the Spanish
forces defending the city, the surrender
of Spanish troops in Porto Rico. no less
than the successful operations of our
troops in the Philippines, led 10 the de-
termination to muster out 100000 men.
nearly one-half OF the entire volunteer
force, and the first order looking to that
end was issued on the 18th of August
last.
Praise for the VOIunteerS
In the performance of the delicate
duty of selecting the organizations to be
mustered out of service it is perhaps un-
necessary TO state that in this case, as In
that of the apportionment of the volun-
teers called into the service of the United
States, 1t has been impossible, for obvious
reasons, 10 preserve the absolutely cor
rect arithmetical proportion, in the frs,
instance, to the State quotas. and, in tn.
second, to the actual number OF troop:
from the several States. accepted anC
mustered into the service of the United
States"
The report states that since the sign
ing Of the protocol the officers and meI
of the volunteer regiments have remained
at their posts of duty, in most cases al
great personal sacrifice. That they hav.
done this cheerfully and without com
plant makes il all the more desirabl.
that a speedy increase of the regula
army be provided for in order that tn
volunteers may be released from furthe
service and be allowed to return to thei
peaceful vocations.
Referring TO staff organization, Gen
Corbin says:
Much has been said of late concernin
Abt ei vi Alit several SldIl ut
partments. If. as recommended in anoth
er part of this report, additional officer
are given the line of the army, so as t
give plenty of trained officers for stat
duty in time of war, the main objectio
will have been met; and il is doubtful il
under all the conditions peculiar to thi
Government a general reorganization G
the staff, or the adoption of the new sys
TENS, will be found to be desirable; cer
I,
upon.
Under the present system Grant Sher
man and Sheridan conducted great an
successful campaigns; II has worked we
in our Indian wars, and ii is confidentl
asserted that. when the work of the stai
departments in this war is more fully uu
derstood. it will receive the approval c
military men and of the people general,
That there can be improvements j
many ways there is no doubt: that thi
should be done as the result of eXperieno
is also tr1Ie.
THE following is the average length {
service in the line of officers previous
their appointment in the staff corps: Al
.lutant Generals department, 20 years
Months: inspector generals department
q years q months; quartermaster's d.
partment, 13 years months; subsistenC
department, II years.
II Will Dt nDleu NIldk llit OAliIHis Vi u
general staff are in no sense lacking
actual service with troops.
New Military Departments.
Three new military departments hay
been created as result of the war wit
Spain. These are the Departments of c.
ba. Porto Rico and of the Pacific. II
latter department is to consist of Mani
and ANY or all of the Philippine Islan'
that may come under the control of Il
United States"
ION July Z, 1898. Congress ratified al
confirmed the cession of the Hawaiis
Islands made by the Government of TIL
Republic. and provided that the COVER
ment of such islands shall be vested
such persons as the President of Il
United States shall select.
1.-The First New York Volunteer Infa
try and four companies of the Secol
United States Volunteer Engineers sail
July % for Honolulu, under command
Col T. II. Barber. First New York Volu
teer Infantry, ffty-seven officers and j.
enlisted men, arriving at destinati
August H.
The total casualties during the W
with Spain is given as follows:
Cuban campaign-Killed. % officers a
257 enlisted men; wounded, SO officers a
1882 men.
Campaign in Porto Rico-Killed, 3 e
listed men; wounded, officers and S6 me
Philippine campaign-Killed, II enlist
men: wounded, 10 officers and 96 men.
THE number of deaths from all cause
between May i and September 80. incl
sive. as reported to the adjutant genera
office up to October 3, were: Killed,
officers and 257 enlisted men; died
wounds, officers and 81 enlisted me
died OF disease. SO officers and 2,4S5 e
uSfad q I