Year: 1863

continued absence OF commissioned off g.
GERS. Where 1t is without sufficient cause
it would seem but Just that the commits
sion should be thereby vacated.


Where 1t results from capture by the
enemy, which, under their barbarous re.
fusal to exchange prisoners OF war, may
be regarded as absence for an indefinite
time. there is necessity so supply their
places in their respective Commando
This might be done by temporary ap-
pointments, to endure only until the re.
turn Of the officers regularly commission.
ed. Where it results from permanent
disability incurred 10 the line Of their du. q.
ty, 1t would be proper to retire them and
fill the vacancies according to establish
ed mode. I.would also suggest the or.
gsnization OF an invalid corps, and that
the retired officers be transferred to il.
Such corps, it is thought, could be
made useful in various employments for
which efficient officers and troops are now
detached.


An organization of the general staff of
the army would be highly conductive to
the efficiency Of that important branch Of
the service. The plan adopted for the
military Establishment furnishes a model
for the staff of the provisional army, if
it be deemed advisable TO retain the dis
tinction, but recommend to your con-
sideration the propriety Of abolishiDg it,
and providing for the organizations Of
the several staff corps in such number
and with such rank as will meet all the
wants of the service To secure the req.
uisite ability for the more important po-
sition, it will be necessary to provide for
officers of higher rank than is now au-
thorized for these corps. To give to the
officers the proper relation and cointelli-
gence in their respective corps, and to
preserve in the chiet of each useful inhu-
ence and control over the subordinates,
there should be no gradation on the basis
OF the rank of the General with whom
they might be serving by appointment.
To the personal staff of General it
would seem proper to give grade cor
responding with his rank and the number
might be fixed to correspond with his
command. To avoid the consequence of
discharge upon change of duty, the va
riable portion of the personal staff might
be taken from the line of the army, and
allowed to retain their line commissions.


IMPREssMENTs FOR THE ARMY.


The disordered condition Of the curren.
cy, to which l have already alluded, has
imposed on the government system of
simplifying the wants of the army is SO
unequal in it's operation, vexatious to the
producer, injurious to the industrial in
terest, and productive of such discomfort
among the people. as only to be justified
by the existence of an absolute necessity
The report the Secretary on this point es
tablishes conclusively that the necessity
which has forced the bureau of supply to
provide for the army by impressment has
resulted from the impossibility of pur-
chase by contract or in the open market,
except at such rapidly increased rates as
would have rendered the appropriations
inadequate to the wants of the army. In
deed, it is believed that the temptations
to hoard supplies for the higher prices,
which could be anticipated with certain
ty, has been checked mainly by the fear
of the operation of the impressment law;
and that commodities have been offered
in the markets principally to escape i'm
pressment and obtain higher rates than
those fixed by appraisement. The com
plants against this vicious system have
been well founded, but the true cause OF
the evil has been Inexperienced. The
remedy is to be found, not in change of
the impressment law, but in the restora-
ton of the currency to such a basis as
will enable the department. to purchase
necessary supplies in the open market,
and thus render impressment rare and
exceptionable process.


The same remedy will effect the result
universally desired, of an augmentation
of the pay of the army. The proposals
made at your previous sessions to increase
the pay of the soldier by an additional
amount of Treasury notes, would have
conferred little benefit on bin; but rad
ical reform of the currency will restore
the pay to value approximating that
which it originally had, and materially
improve his condition.


The reports from the ordinance and
mining bureaus are very gratifying, and
the extension of our means of supply of
arms and amunitions of war from our
home resources has been such as TO insure
our ability soon to become mainly. if not
entirely, independent of supplies from
foreign countries. The establishments
for the casting of guns and projectiles,
for the manufacture Of small arms and OF
gunpowder, for the supply of nitre from
artificial nitre beds, and mining opera
tions generally, have been so distributed
through the country as to place our re,
sources beyond the reach OF partial dis
asters.


The recommendations of the Secretary
of War on other points are minutely de.
tailed in his report, which is submitted
to you, and, extending as they do to al
most every branch of the service, merit
careful consideration.


EXCHANGE OF PRISONERS.


| regret to inform you that the enemy
have returned to the barbarous policy
with which they inaugurated the war.
and that the exchange of prisoners has
been for some time suspended, The cor
respondence of the commissioners of ex-
change is submitted to you by the Sec
retary Of War, and it has already been
published for the information of all now
suffering useless imprisonment. The
condpct nf ,ha onth oritias of tho IIn;