Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1881 — THE ARMY. [ARTICLE]

THE ARMY.

Gew. Sherman’i Annual Report. Gen. Sherman has submitted his annual report to the Secretary of War, inclosing the reports of Gens. Drum and Sackett antl tiereports of the commanding Generals of the divisions and departments. The General says, referring to the reports of the latter, that they all show that our companies are too small for efficient discipline aud for economical service. When the treasury was poor and loaded with debt, the army endeavored to gracefully submit to overwork, but now, says Gen. Sherman, they appeal for relief, and it is recommended that Congress repeal that clause of the existing law which limits the enlisted force of the army to 25,000 men. Considerable space is devoted to the discussion of the subject of officers’ servants, Gen. Sherman maintaining that no soldier should ever be compelled to do menial labor without compensation, or without his consent, and he recommends that the existing law be repealed or modified so as to secure this end. Referring to West Point, he says it has been, and must continue to be, the fountain-source of military education in time of peace. In his judgment, the military academy at West Point fulfills its uses, and can safely be intrusted to prepare boys to become the soldiers of the future. There are in the army 430 companies, necessarily widely scattered over our vast domain, to guard the property and prevent, as far as foresight can, complications • and troubles of' every variety and kind ; at one time protecting settlers against Indians, and, again. Indians against settlers. When these occur it is always sudden, and reinforcements have to be hurried forward from great distances and always at a heavy cost for transportation of men, horses, wagons and supplies. This cost in the aggregate will, iu my judgment, be more that sufficient to supply an increase of 20 per cent, of private soldiers —all that I would ask-for this time—because I believe this increase will add little, if any, to the annual cost of the army, and yet give great relief to our overtaxed soldiers. In the last ten years our frontiers have so extended under the protection of our small army as to add at least $1,000,000,000 to the taxable wealth of the nation. This has enabled emigrants to settle up remote parts of the country, and is the principal cause of the great prosperity which is felt throughout all parts of the country. When the national treasury was poor and loaded with debt, the army endeavored gracefully to submit to overwork, but they now appeal for relief; and I do most earnestly ask the honorable Secretary of War to apply to Congress to repeal that clause of the existing law which limits the enlisted force of the army to 25,000 men, aud to enact that each and every company in the army may be enlisted to at least fifty’privates, making sixty-two enlisted men and three officers to each 430 companies, thus increasing the army proper to 36,660 enlisted men, which number, in practice, will probably never exceed 25,000. ..This should form the combatant force ; aud, as experience and universal practice have demonstrated the necessity for another or non-combatant force, 1 further urge that special provision be made.by law for each of the following separate and distinct purposes—viz:

Engineer battalion 200 Permanent recruiting companies and parties... 250 Enlisted men detailed on general service (c'.erks) 420 Ordnance Department (laborers and mechanics) 400 West Point detachments (military academy).... 192 Prison guard at Fort Leavenworth (special).... 90 Hospital stewards 195 Ordnance Sergeants. U 2 Commissary Sergeants 150 Indian scouts 300 Signal detachment RvO Total 3,789 Which number, added to the 26,66,0 before explained, will mike the total enlisted force of every nature and kind 30,449. Gen. Sherman submits a statement of the actual number of enlisted meu in the regular army Oct. 15: Cavalry 6,882 Artillery2,4ol Infantry 1i>,530 Total combatantsl9,Bls Non-combatants (engineer battalion, ordnance department, recruiting service, signal corps, etc.) 3,781 Total enlisted force of army 23,596 “Nearly every general officer commanding troops on the frontier asks for a larger increase than I have herein indicated, but this may be better accomplished by giving to the President the right to increase, at his discretion, companies most exposed to danger to any number of privates not exceeding 100, limited always in practice by the actual appropriations of money rather than by the fixed uumb.r of men.” The General asks for au increase of nine Majors in the Inspectors’ corps, and recommends that the whole question of coast defense be submitted to a board 0' high officers, while a similar board should comider the matter of military posts and stations now obsolete. These recommendations are wilh a view to the sale aud relief of the army from the care of useless forts, posts aud stations. Some old forts, Gen. Shennan admits, are worth retaining, and, in order that these may be properly taken care of, he recommends that ‘the President be authorized to transfer out of the class of enlisted meu who have served for twentyfive years or more, a number not to exceed 500, including Ordnance Sergeants (now 112), and establish a ‘veteran corps’ to be stationed at those old forts, with the rank and pay they held at the close of their active career of army service, to be subject to tffa rules and articles of war, but only te be used for guarding public propertv. One or two officers of the retired class andhalf a dozen of these old soldiers would compose a good garrison for an abandoned post or fort. By granting the retired officers thus detailed fuel and quarters, we would provide homes for worthy veterans, which would be most honorable and charitable to them and advantageous to the Government.” Gen. Sherman, in his remarks on West Point, says : “ The Board of Visitors substantially recommended that the Superintendent of the Military Academy should be a Colonel of Engineers. I will concede to the engineers al) they ask, but when war comes the engineer naturally takesrto maneuvering and parapets, whereas the infantry, cavalry and artillery must ‘go in’ and do the fighting. It was so in 1812, and 1846, and 1861-65. West Point is intended to make ‘ soldiers,’ and not professional engineers, and the word ‘soldier’ embraces everything in war. If the engineer be a better soldier than the infantry officer, then let him in war and peace have all the honor and emoluments. But our recent experience does not fulfill this assertion.” Gen. Sherman takes direct issue also with other recommendations of the Board of Visitors.