Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 November 1879 — The Army—General Sherman’s Annual Report. [ARTICLE]

The Army—General Sherman’s Annual Report.

Washington, Novembers. General Sherman’s annual report to the Secretary of War was completed to-day. It is prefaced with the usual tabular statements and returns compiled by the Adjutant-General, commenting on which General Sherman says: “The eleven Generals, 1,559 officers, 20,586 men and 233 Indian scouts, together with such officers of the staff as are assigned by the War Department to duty with the troops, constitute the army proper, or the ‘combative force.’ All other parts of the military establishment are provided by law for special service more or lees connected with the army or militia, but are not available for frontier defenses. Thus, for instance, the 897 enlisted men of the Ordnance Corps are in fact workmen at arsenals; the 19* men of the Engineer Corps are at Wlllet's Point undergoing instruction In toroedo practice, and are not subject to the Division Commander. The 456 men of the Signal Corps are employed in observing the weather or in working telegraphs. The 114 Ordnance Sergeants have charge of old forts or fixed magazines. The 151 Commissary Sergeants are in charge of stores; 187 men are Stewards of hospitals. The West Point detachment, 186 in number, to localized at the Military Academy. The prison guard at Fort Leavenworth comprises seventy men, and recruiting detachments absorb 1,707 men at Davis Island, Columbus, 0., and Jefferson Barracks, Mo. These various detachments, aggregating 3.463 enlisted men of the highest grades, compose about one-sixth part or the enlisted men provided by law for the whole army, leaving but 20,799 for actual service. “ I mention these figures in some detail, because . I know that it is the popular belief, shared by many members of Congress, that we have 25,000 men on duty. I have done all in my power to reduce these detachments to the lowest number possible, so as to afford more men to our skeleton companies, but “ve found It impossible, and I notice that similar detachments are reported on all army returns for fifty years back. There are companies In the regular army; 25.000 men would give fifty-eight to each, which is as small as any company should be, and I earnestly recommend that you ask Congress to so legislate that the 26,000 men provided by law may bo allowed exclusively for regiments of the line, and that special provision be made for these several detachments, as has already been done for the Signal Service. The army cannot, with Justice, be held responsible for the work of 25,000, when so large a fraction to necessarily diverted to other u *©?’ of equal National Importance.’’ The tables above referred to show that the grand aggregate of the army roll is 2,187 officers and 24.262 men in service, and 388 officers retired.

General Sherman devotes a large portion of his report te the Ute troubles. He Introduces the subject with a history of the tribe. These Indians, he says, are of the worst class, and occupy the roughest part of our oountiv for farming, grazing, or military operations. Their management is complicated by the fact that their country is known to possess mineral deposits, which attracts a bold and adventurous class of white men. They are very warlike, and have no difficulty In procuring in exchange for their ceer-skins, horses and sheep any amount of the best rifles and ammunition. As long as the game lasts they will not work or attempt iMming, except in the smallest and most ridiculous way, and that only by compulsion. The report details at some length the history of the well-known events leading up to the movement by Major Thornburgh’s command, and continues; “With a knowledge of the result, and to throw as much light on the immediate cause of this war as possible, I give the last letters which passed between Major Thornburgh and Mr. Meeker, and I will here record my Judgment that Major Thornburgh was an officer and gentleman of whom the army has reason to be proud. He was young, ardent, ambitious, of good judgment, and no man could have done better In life nor met death with more heroism. ..... THORItBUROH TO MEEKER. , Hkadq’rs W hit* River Expedition, ) Camp or Fobtihcation Creek, V September 25, 1870. j “ ‘Mr. Meeker, Indian Agent, White River Agency. “Bib.-— ln obedience to instructions from the General of the Army, 1 am m route to your Agency, and expect to arrive on the 20th Inst., for the purpose of affording you any assistance in my power, and to make arrests at your suggestion, and to hold as prisoners such of your Indians as you desire until Investigations are made by vour Department. I have heard nothing definite from your Agency for ten days, and do not know what rtrte of affairs exists, whether the Indians will V*° W •“•ttUtles. 1 by Mr. Lowry, one of my guides, and desire you to communicate with me as soon as possible, giving me all the Information in your power, In order that I may °°«»I *ni to pursue. If practicable, meet me on the road at the earliest moment.

“ 1 V cry respectfully, obedient servant, September f eeker date September 27,as follows: httß^ T n - d ?, l^ a ?. dl . n * OO the way htther with United States troops, I send a messenger,Mr. Eskridge, and two Indiana, Henry and John Ayersly, to inform you • bsttor understanding can *e had. This I agree to. I do not propose to order your movements; but it seems for the best. The Indians seem to oonsider the advance of the

“Under SttT'Stoibar *, Major Thornburgh writes to Agsnt Meeker asfot* 1 stall more wlta my entire command to some convenient camp near, end £?£,“ .SST’TnLSr.&SKUS here carefully considered whether or not tt would be advisable to here ay command at e point as distant as that desired by the Indians, who were in my camp last night, and have reached roe conclusion that, under ay orders, which require ae to march this command to the Agency, lam not at liberty to leave it at a point where It would not be available In case of trouble. You are authorised to say for me to the Indians that my oourae of conduct is entirely dependent on them. Our desire to to avoid trouble, and we have not eoae tor war. I requested you In my letter of the Mth to meet me on the road before I reached the Agency. I renew my request that you do so, and farther desire that you bring such Chiefs as may wish to accompany you.'

MEKEEB TO THORNBCROH. u Under date one p.nu, September M, Agent Meeker replied: “ 4 Dsak Bin: I expect to leave In the morning with Douglass and Serrlck to meet you. Things are peaceable, and Douglass files the United States flag. If you have trouble in getting through the canyon to-day let me know. We have been cm guard three nights and shall be tonight, not because we know there to danC‘, but because there may be, I like your t programme. It la baaed on true military principles.* “ I give these letters entire because I believe that Major Thornburgh acted from the beginning to the mid exactly right. So did Mr. Meeker, and the crimes afterward committed rest wholly on the Indiana.’’ The report then recites the events inffident to the death of Major Thornburgh, the killing of Lleutenaut Wler, and the murder of Agent Meeker, and embodtos various dispatches and military orders relating to subsequent movements of the troops. EXIBTINO ORDERS. “The following dispatch will show the objects aimed at, and are the orders existing at this moment of time: “ ‘ Headquarters of the Armt, I Washington, D. C., October 24. t “ ‘ General P. H. Short dan. Commanding Division, Chicago: “ * I have received your three dispatches of yesterday, giving an account ot the killing of Lieutenant wier, and of the strength of your forces at White Klver and Forts Garland and Lewis. All those seem strong enough, and are well commanded. Let all preparations prooeed, and be ready the moment I give the word to pitch in. Should Agent Adams fail in his mission, I understand the civil authorities will stand aside, and the military will take absolute control of this whole Ute question and settle It for good and all. Meantime, humanity to the captive women and the friendly Utes, even of the White River Agency, Justified this seeming waste of time. W. T. Sherman, General.’ “ All the world now knows that Special-Agent General Charles Adams, of Colorado, appointed by the Secretary of the Interior to conduct these negotiations with the hostile Utes, has partially succeeded in his mission, has obtained the surrender of Mrs. and Miss Meeker, Mrs. Price and two children, who are already safe with their friends. He is now supposed to be again with the hostile* on Grand Klver, endeavoring to effect the other conditions required of the Utes by the honorable Secretary of the Interior, who to primarily responsible for the entire management of the case. I certainly applaud the courage and energy thus far displayed by General Adams, ana hope he will fully and completely succeed in his praiseworthy mission, and yet I believe that jprudence demands that the military preparations and precautions shall not slacken. Thus far we have lost eleven citizens, two officers and twelve soldiers killed, and forty-one wounded. The Indians admit a loss of thirtynine warriors killed, so that they have not much reason to boast.”

The report next treats of the Apache raid, and states that troops are in pursuit, but nothing definite can be given as yet. The Apaches, the General says, only resort to the Agency to rest, recuperate and make ready for the next war. He infers that as soon as winter comes they will return to their agencies and bo good. General Sherman refers at some length to last summer’s incursions of Indians from Sitting Bull’s camp, and kindred subjects, and remarks that some more permanent security must be found than results from the good will of our neighbors. He therefore recommends that Congress be asked to appropriate SIOO,OOO to complete Fort Assinlbofne, and $200,000 to build a new post near Wood Mountain, and says: “In this connection I also beg to submit my conviction that very soon the progress of events will make it absolutely necessary to move all the Indians now located on the Upper Missouri—viz.: The Arickarees, Gros Ventres, Piegans, Bloods and Crows, to the Sioux reservation below Cannon Ball Greek, and to open to actual settlers all the land in the region north and west of that reservation.” ■ A General Sherman reports a highly satisfactory condition of affairs in the Department of Texas, especially along the Rio Grande frontier. The large immigration which has poured into Texas having now extended to what were formerly her waste lands, the removal of some of the frontier posts further west is necessary, and General Snerman therefore indorses the recommendation made to him by General Ord for Congressional appropriations to construct military poets on the new western frontier.

Referring to the troubles caused during the past year by the attempted emigration to the Indian Territory from the southern border of Kansas, General Sherman says: “ The delicate duty imposed on the military was admirably performed by the troops under the order of General Pope. The opinion Is expressed that at least thirty superfluous military posts might be sold to great advantage.’' The report hi conclusion treats of the subject of military education, and after referring to the artillery school at Fortress Monroe and academy at West Point, says: “Similar schools should be established and maintained for cavalry and Infantry. These have repeatedly been attempted at Forts Leavenworth and Snelling, but no sooner have they been begun than some Indian outbreak has Imperatively called away the troops, so that at this time we have nothing of the kind. But the day must oome when schools for infantry and cavalry will be established in the nature of a post-graduate course, and if possible for instruction in the use of the rifle and horse, before your officers and recruits are pushed into battle and danger.”