2.-REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
INSPECTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, D. C., October 27, 1883.

SIR: I have the honor to submit, for the information of the honorable Secretary of War and the General of the Army, the following report of the operations of the Inspector-General's Department.

The number, rank, and station of the officers of this department remain the same as at the date of my last annual report.

The undersigned has continued in charge of the office at these headquarters, performing the various duties pertaining thereto, and has also made reports on the special subjects which have been referred to this office by the Secretary of War.

Inspector-General Nelson H. Davis has remained on duty as inspectorgeneral of the Military Division of the Missouri. He has made such investigations and inspections, under the orders of the Lieutenant-General commanding, as the necessities of the service required; and has also, under directions from the Secretary of War, made the quarterly inspections of the Leavenworth Military Prison, provided for by section 1348, Revised Statutes.

Assistant Inspector-General Roger Jones has continued on duty as inspector-general of the Military Division of the Atlantic, and has been actively engaged in making investigations and inspections, under the orders of the major-general commanding.

Assistant Inspector-General Absalom Baird has continued on duty in this office as my assistant. In addition to his regular current duties, he has examined the money accounts of various disbursing officers of the Army stationed in this city, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Norfolk, and has also made several investigations under orders of the Secretary of War.

Assistant Inspector General Joseph C. Breckinridge has been on duty as inspector general of the Military Division of the Pacific. In addition to his regular duties at those headquarters, he has made and completed a careful inspection of all the posts in the Department of the Columbia, on which duty he was engaged, under orders from the division commander, at the date of my last annual report.

It will be seen that the officers of the Inspector-General's Department are actively engaged at these headquarters, and at the headquarters of the three military divisions, leaving none of them available for assignment to the eight departments; and it has been deemed necessary to continue on duty as acting assistant inspector-generals the line officers specified below.

The law approved June 23, 1874, reorganizing the several staff corps of the Army, after enumerating the number and rank of officers of the Inspector-General's Department, says:

The Secretary of War may, in addition, detail officers of the line, not to exceed four, to act as assistant inspectors-general: Provided, That officers of the line detailed as acting inspectors-general shall have all the allowances of cavalry officers of their respective grades. (Supplement to Revised Statutes, Vol. 1, page 100.)

The four officers detailed under this act, and the orders so detailing them, are as follows:

Maj. John J. Coppinger, Tenth Infantry, to headquarters Department of the Missouri, by Special Orders No. 162, Adjutant-General's Office, July 12, 1879.

Lieut. Col. Edwin C. Mason, Fourth Infantry, to headquarters Department of the Platte, by Special Orders No. 191, Adjutant-General's Office, August 18, 1882.

Capt. Thomas Ward, First Artillery, to headquarters Department of the East, by Special Orders No. 267, Adjutant-General's Office, November 15, 1882.

Capt. Robert P. Hughes, Third Infantry, to headquarters Department of Dakota, by Special Orders No. 61, Adjutant-General's Office, March 15, 1883.

At the four remaining departments, officers have been placed in charge of the acting assistant inspector-general's office, by authority of the respective department commanders, as follows:

Department of Arizona: Maj. Abraham K. Arnold, Sixth Cavalry. Department of the South: Maj. Francis L. Guenther, Second Artillery. Department of Texas: Capt. George B. Russell, Ninth Infantry.. Department of the Columbia: Maj. Oliver D. Greene, assistant adjutant-general.

All the above-named officers have been busily engaged in inspecting the garrisoned posts within their respective departments, examining the money accounts of disbursing officers of the Army, and performing, under the orders of the department commanders, the duties pertaining to the inspection branch of the service, all of which have been executed with a zeal and fidelity worthy of commendation.

In compliance with the requirements of the act of Congress approved April 20, 1874, inspections have been made of the accounts of all officers of the Army who have disbursed public money during the year. The funds received and expended, with balances reported due to the United States, have been compared and verified by official statements from the Treasury and designated depositories, and by careful examination of the check-books, vouchers, &c., of the disbursing officers.

These examinations show that the public funds appropriated for Army purposes have generally been disbursed properly. One exception is noted, where official action has been taken and the offender convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary.

The reports of all these inspections are submitted herewith, for transmittal to Congress, as required by the law above referred to.

Thorough inspections have been made, during the past year, of nearly all the garrisoned posts in the United States, by regular and acting officers of this department, and, in compliance with paragraph 1327, Army Regulations, the commanding officers of the several posts have rendered reports of inspection of their respective commands. These reports, after receiving the notes and remarks of local and superior commanders in regard to any action taken or required, have been forwarded to this office. Here these reports receive a careful scrutiny, and extracts therefrom are furnished to the proper authorities of all subjects demanding further action.

From an examination of the annual reports of the division and department inspectors, as well as of the inspection reports above mentioned, I am enabled to present the following facts concerning the condition of the military establishment:

The business of the several supply departments has been excellently administered, the supplies being ample and of good quality. The health of the troops has been generally good. Improvements have been made and are contemplated in clothing for the soldier, under the able administration of the Quartermaster's Department, which has also maintained good and sufficient transportation for the Army. As

regards discipline and military bearing of the troops, a steady improvement over former years is shown, and the same remark also applies to target practice.

Military instruction continues to be seriously interfered with by the almost constant employment of troops at fatigue and mechanical labor.

It appears that the post schools have not been a success generally; few enlisted men attend, but the attendance of children has been fair. Early in this fiscal year, many or most of the post schools were closed for want of money for compensation of teachers.

At the Leavenworth Military Prison the condition of the buildings, hospital, grounds, &c., is good; and the management, in respect to discipline, police, messing, work, and humane and just punishment, is most excellent.

Inspector General N. H. Davis, in his annual report, thus sums up the condition of the personnel and matériel of the service in the Division of the Missouri:

The health, police, and discipline are good. Instruction in drills and target practice has generally been regularly given with satisfactory improvement; it has to a great extent been very marked in target and skirmish practice, thus increasing much the efficiency of the troops as combatants upon the field of battle. The draft upon the troops, in some commands, for detached service, and for work as laborers and mechanics, has materially interfered with and interrupted the discharge of their military duties. The percentage on extra and daily duty at many posts is large.

The public buildings are in as good condition as the circumstances of the service and the means available therefor permit. New buildings are needed, old ones want repairing, and others in use are reported unfit for occupation.

The concentration of the troops into larger commands at a less number of military posts, with good and sufficient shelter to properly cover them and protect the publie property, will obviate the necessity of going on from year to year patching dilapidated buildings, erecting temporary structures, and improvising mongrel habitations of shanty and canvas with the labor of our soldiers, and result in economy to and efficiency in the military service; it will improve the esprit de corps and promote the well-being of the Army. There are in this division sixty-nine posts and sub-posts at which the troops are distributed.

On the subject of desertion, Colonel Davis also remarks as follows: As the result of considerable investigation of this subject, it appears that the prime cause of so much desertion in our Army is the employment of so many soldiers as laborers and mechanics, and this in addition to the military service required of them; it is work and drill, guard and detached service, with too little recreation and time to themselves; they work frequently side by side with civilians at the same kind of labor for less pay, the latter having the time to themselves out of the eight hours daily work. And the idea prevails that this compulsory labor is a breach of the contract with the Government when the man enlisted; objection is made to both soldiering and working, exclusive of the ordinary garrison fatigue duty, at the same time. Other causes may be, the occasional enlistment of men who intend to desert, the sudden change of life of the recruit in the matter of restraint, duties, and punishments to which he is subjected, the temptations of better pay and greater freedom sometimes presented to the soldier.

If the condition of the military service and causes for desertion above given are correctly reported, and the changed condition in the life of the people from whom the Army is recruited that have taken place in the past thirty or forty years are recognized, the remedies for desertion, in a great measure, would, it seems, naturally suggest themselves.

It is suggested that some of the remedies referred to are:

That there should be a provision of law by which the recruit should be retained at a depot and carefully instructed in all the duties of a soldier, under the command of a judicious officer, before he joins his company; for which purpose authority should exist to enlist, say, 1,000 men in excess of the legalized active strength of the Army. That there should be larger commands, better quartered, with more facilities for social recreations and amusements, mental and physical.

That the pay of privates, corporals, sergeants, and first sergeants of the line should be increased to, say, $15, $20, $25, and $30 respectively.

That the practice of employing soldiers at constant labor discontinue, and the troops, both officers and men, be restricted to the duties which more properly pertain to their profession.

The Army should hold that high position of honor, trust, and efficiency, that it will command the respect and support of the people. A republic should have intelligent, educated, and patriotic soldiers. It must keep abreast with the progress of the age. The smaller the Army, the more necessity for increasing its efficiency.

Our country of fifty millions of people, with their vast interests, cannot afford to dispense with an efficient military organization, if the people would have that protection of life and property that they expect and may rightfully claim from the Government. It is poor economy to save a few dollars at the expense of efficiency; but this work is not, in the end, economy. Let us have less of the pick and shovel, and

more of the saber and musket.

Maj. J. J. Coppinger, acting assistant inspector-general, Department of the Missouri, furnishes the following views on the same subject:

I am of opinion that, as a rule, company commanders treat their men with much consideration and kindness. Their comfort is much dependent on the good conduct and well-being of their men. Self-interest alone would prompt kind treatment; the old "knock down and drag out" school has passed away. Sergeants are perhaps occasionally injudiciously harsh, but cause for desertion need not be looked for in direct ill treatment by company commanders,

Of course we must expect some desertions, but the number of ours is, I think, greatly increased by the vast amount of labor imposed on our men, labor which they regard as breach of contract. They enlist as soldiers; they are too often worked as laborers. With the restraint of the first, they do the work of the latter, road-making, ditching, building, teaming, extra-duty work, without extra-duty pay. Working, perhaps, side by side with some authorized citizen mechanic receiving $60 per month and a ration, and this often near mining sections on the frontier, where laborers command $2 to $3 per day, mechanics $4, the temptation is frequently too strong for them. I would give them extra-duty pay for extra-duty work.

Our system of pay, too, is injudicious. Payments running two months beget thriftless lavishness; lavishness begets drunkenness; drunkenness begets desertion. Would it not be better to allow the men a small sum for pocket money once a week, and hold the balance of their pay until expiration of term of service? This would afford at once an inducement to good conduct, as well as a sum worth investment for their future benefit, in lieu of the two-monthly driblets, too often squandered in drinking saloons, to the prejudice of discipline. Company commanders can easily carry out this if authorized, without injury to the pay corps. The matter is at least worth some consideration.

Attention is invited to the views of Assistant Inspector-General J. C. Breckinridge, on the subject of the artillery arm of the service, as follows:

The personnel of the artillery arm is very specially affected by the changes of this year. Officers who have been its ornaments for years leave it for the retired list, with a sense of scant reward for services which have given them more than a national reputation.

The five regiments of artillery seem a sufficient force to be entitled to a brigadiergeneral, and every artillerist is aware how much their service would be improved if a brigadier-general were given a special and direct supervision over them. Greater dash and aggressiveness were never more demanded of the artillery than now. A nation whose young men are not seasoned soldiers will, when driven into civilized warfare, find its artillery of the utmost importance as a "stable element in battle."

Our light or horse batteries have no commisioned officers permanently attached to them now, and so our "company father" is but a step-father at best. There is no field officer in command with us, nor a first and second captain, as in the English horse artillery, and pity 'tis 'tis true.

I desire again to call attention to the subject of increasing the number of officers in this department. The bills which were introduced in both houses of Congress last session, providing for such increase, failed to become a law, owing, in a great measure, to the shortness of the session. This increase has been approved and recommended by the honorable Secretary of War and the General of the Army. I can see no reason why this measure should meet with objection from any source, and 1 recommend that the matter be again properly presented to Congress; and I think the members will see and appreciate the importance and usefulness of the Inspector General's Department, and the necessity for more officers therein.