Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-19
Tribute Paid Subsistence Bu-
reau of the u. S. Army.
ITS VALEDICT0RY WRITTEN
Department Becomes Part Of New
Quartermaster's Corps.
MERGED BY ACT OF CONGRESS
Branch of Service Organized Nearly
Century Ago-Commissary Gen.
erals Report.

The valedictory Of the subsistence de-
partment Of the army. which IS absorbed
in the new Quartermaster's Corps now
being organized in compliance with re-
Gently enacted law, is given by Henry
!. Sharpe cOmmissary general. In his
&nnual report to the Secretary Of War.
''Since it's establishment, nearly a hun
red years ago, the subsistence depart
.nent has answered every call made upon
IT, is the proud boast of Gen. Sharpe,
N his report, fully meeting. the respOn-
sibilities entailed by the stress Of the In
dian wars, the Mexican war, the civil
war. the war with Spain, the instruction
in the Philippines, the China relief expe-
dition. and the second military occupation
of Cuba, in a manner which has in gen.
eral not attracted public attention, but
which merited the encomium said to have
been expressed by President Lincoln dur
ing a visit to Richmond early in 1863,
when he is reported to have said to an
officer of the subsistence department.:
Your department we scarcely hear
of. 1t is like well regulated stomach
works so smoothly that we are not con-
scious of having it,
In addition to meeting the require
ments which have been made upon it by
the army, the department has always rem
dered prompt and efficient service and
afforded relief to various classes of citi-
zens of the. country who, owing to some
calamity, have been subjected to distress
and want. and number, of lives have
probably been saved by such ready relief.
The amount expended for the relief af-
forded from 1867 to June 80, 1912, Is in eX-
cess of $14,OO0,0O0 considerable portion
of which was, of course made from ap-
preparations specially provided for such
purpose to be expended through the SUBJ
sistence department.
Supplies and improvements.
1.-THE department has followed with
watchful care the increasing variety of
supplies and the improvements which
have occurred in the manner of living of
the citizens during the years it has pro-
vided for the army. 1t has established
schools for bakers and cooks: secured
the creation of field bakeries and equip
ment which eXcelS that in use in any
army; has provided for subsisting troops
travelling on railroads which revolution
lied the old system. and which has been
for years difficult problem; kept pace
with the methods of accounting and cost
keeping; adopted a system of war blanks
by which stores can in time of war be
accounted for in the simplest way, thus
making it possible to insure as full and
varied diet for the troops as the re-
sources of the country or available trans
make it possible to supply, and
at the same time eliminating all unneceS-
sary paper accountability.
1T has also been mindful of the re-
quirements Of article 81 of The Hague
laws and customs of war on land. This
work has been accomplished by the loyal
support of the officers and the civilian
who have manifested at all
times enthusiastic interest in their
work.
The history of the subsistence depart
ment is briefly set forth in the report:
Consideration Ordered.
The subsistence department. along with
the quartermaster's department and the
pay department, under the act of Au-
gust "a. 1912. is consolidated into the
Quartermaster Corps, and thus passes
out of existence. The subsistence de-
partment as it now exists was created
in 1918, after many previous trials and
makeshifts which had proven unsatis-
factory. 1t continued from 1918 to 1861
practically i'm the same form as when
established and under the same chief
Col. George Gibson-aS cOmmissary gen.
eral with the rank of colonel. Changes
occurred in the department in the fol-
lowing years: 1885, 1S47, during the
outbreak of the civil war; 1863. 1868, 1873,
1874, 1898, during the war with Spain,
and in 1901, when there was a radical
reorganization and a large increase Of the
army.
When first organized the subsistence de-
partment consisted of commissary gen.
eral, with the rank of colonel. and. sew
eral assistants. In the course Of time
the Importance of the work performed by
and the responsibilities placed upon the
1nvNp ,,tvr ,x<I 4
rank of the cOmmissary general to that
of brigadier general, which was done
February %. 1863, and that rank has
been held through the administrations of
Commissary Generals Taylor, Eaton.
Shiras, Macfee!y, Du Barry. Hawkins,
Eagen, Weston and the present chief.
And now. when the depa tment is about
to cease to exist, it consists of commits
sary general, with the rank of brigadier
ais, with the rank of colonel: deputy
generals, with the rank of
lieutenant colonel; 8 commissaries, with
the rank of major. and q commissaries
with the rank of captain.
It's List of Officers.
Embraced among its permanent officers
are the following:
Commissary general: Henry G. Sharpe,
brigadier general.
Assistant commissary generals: Edward
Z. bravo. Abel L. Smith and David L.
Brainard, with the rank Of colonel.
Deputy commissary generals: George B.
Davis, Albert D. Kniskern, Frank F.
Eastman and Charles r. Krauthoff. with
the rank Of lieutenant colonel
Commissaries: William H. Hart, Alex
ander NJ Davis. Hugh j. Gallagher.
Harry E. Wilkins. Henry G. Cole. Frank
II. Lawton, William r. Grove, Theodore
b. Hacker and Morton J. Henry, with the
rank of major.
Commssaries: Frederic Fl. Pomroy,
David b. Case. William Elliott, James A.
Logan, jr., julius N. Kilian and Sa mon
+. Dutton. with the rank of captain.
The following officers are detailed from
the line of the army:
Capts. Herbert o. Williams, Georse
Med. Weeks, GEORGE II. Estes, Samuel
Mop. Rutherford. Joseph e. Cusack.
Louis H. Bash. Alfred S. Morgan. John
II. Hughes. Lambert w. Jordon. jr.. Roy
3. Harper. Frederick w. Coleman
b. Clark, George F. Connolly,
Jairus A. Moore, Tilman Campbell. Will
liam NJ. Connell. Milton A. Elliott, jr.,
Jack Hayes. Will H. Point. Christian A.
Bach and Ernest S. Wheeler.