The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-02


i1dWdlldn lSIanuS OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 4bb
General Corbin adds the following to this
summary: 1T is expected that by Dec. l
next all the infantry regiments of United
States volunteers shown above as in the
United States, will have sailed for the
Philippine islands. These. with the troops
now there, will give a total strength of 2,1l7
officers and 636OS enlisted men (an aggre-
gate of %. RS,
TING service of many of the troops after
their enlistment had expired causes General
Corbin to say in his report: 1.-The patriot
ism of the regulars and volunteers who en-
listed only for the war with Spain by will
irgly and actively serving after the expira-
ton Of their terms of service, calls for evil
oence OF appreciation on the part of the
department To this end 1T is respectfully
recommended that each officer of the several
volunteer organizations and each enlisted
man who continued in service in the Philip
pine islands after the I'd of March, 1899. until
honorably discharged be awarded suitably
inscribed medal
THE NEW REGIMENTS.
AS to the newly-organized regiments ne
says: 1.-The reports and inspections of these
regiments since their organization chow
them to be efficient and possessed of excel
lent material, both in officers and enlisted
men; in truth, it is not too much to saw
that better volunteer regiments have never
been organized"
General Corbin also pays a tribute to the
officers of the new colored regiments drawn
from the noncommissioned officers of the
coiored regiments in the regular army or
from those who saw service i'm the war
with Spain, and says it Is believed the best
equipped men of our colored citizens have
been commissioned
During the year there have been 60 T.;
enlistments and re-enlistments. of which % :
O24 were native born and 9,151 foreign born.
In point of color 56,154 were white. 6OOO col.
ored and twenty Indians
Ihe following recommendation is made
Ior extra pay for officers serving in our new
possessions: THE pay of all officers be1ou,
the grade of brigadier general should he In
creased at least SO 1-3 per cent while on
| duty In Cuba or in our new possession.
Most of these men have families that tbev
| are unable to have with them and ora
| therefore, compelled to maintain two es.
| taDilshments. Also that provisions be ma5a
that all officers below the grade of major
general, who retire by reason of age or
| wounds received in action, shall do So ON
| the next grade above the rank held nv
them in the regular army ON the data NJ
| their retirement"
or the criticisms on the staff orgon,z.
| ton of the army General Corbin s.ys.
Much has been, written of late concerning
better staff system Ours may be and
! doubtless is open to improvements. but II
should be borne in mind that the nrese,,
| organization s. 10 reSuIt Of ,,aare 80
| iation, born of the best thought and labors
OF our best military men, and has stood
| successfully the test of all of our wars
The criticisms of our system are too often
the result of disappointments Seldom has
| there appeared in print a criticism whose
author has not been long-standing an
| plicant for place in one of the staff corns
or departments. The suggestion that orr
| staff officers are not experienced I'm ,be
duties of line officers is not borne ont nv
| facts"
A YEARS CASUALTIES.
| General Corbin's recapitulation of casual.
ties in actions and deaths in the regular
| and volunteer armies between May /. 1895
and June 30. 1899. shows a grand total OF
| 1906 men. The casualty list alone aggre-
| gated 3,i54, of whom thirty-five officers and
| ASS enlisted men were killed and 1877 officers
| and 2.16i enlisted men were wounded. The
| death list, numbering 6.6l9, was made vi
| OF 22i officers and 6.3ej enlisted men, OF
this total but thirty-e ght officers and As,
| enlisted men were killed, the remainder
| of the deaths resulting from various causes
including the following: Wounds, ten Off.
GERS and 1872 enlisted men; disease, 1s5 off,
| GERS and 5,3H enlisted men; accident, six
| officers and 209 men; drownings. three eff.
GERS and lightweight men: suicide, two
officers and ffty-swo men. and murder OF
homicide, ffty-two enlisted men. In the