222 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



In this connection attention is invited to a few of the records on 

 this subject: 



There wore purchased for the armies of the Federal Government in the fiscal 

 year ending June 30, 1804, 188,718 horses. Tliere were captured from the 

 eueuiy and reported 20,388. Leaving out of consideration those captured and 

 not reported, it should be observed that the army required 500 horses each day 

 for remounts. This, therefore, is the measure of destruction of horses during 

 the same period. 



During the eight months of the year 1S64 the cavalry of the Army of the 

 Potomac was supplied with two remounts, nearly 40.000 horses. The supply 

 of fresli horses to the army of General Sheridan during his campaign in the 

 Valley of the Shenandoah has been at the rate of 150 per day. 



During the Russian campaign the French crossed the Nieman in June, 1812, 

 with cavalry, artillery, and train horses to the extent of 127.121. About 60,000 

 of these pertained to the cavalry. On December 13 the remnant of the invad- 

 ing army recrossed the Nieman with 1,000 cavalry horses. In six months the 

 horses had all disappeared. 



Examples of the terrible waste of horseflesh during war might 

 be multiplied ad libitum. 



The question of remounts for the arm}' became so serious during 

 the civil war that in 18G3 the Cavalry Bureau was established. One 

 of the principal duties of this bureau was the purchase and inspection 

 of horses for the army. Six remount depots were established. The 

 most important of these was Giesboro Manor, situated on the north 

 bank of the Potomac, nearly equal distance between Washington and 

 Alexandria. To show the magnitude of operations of the Cavalry 

 Bureau, the following report of the Giesboro depot is given: 



On hand October 1, 18G3, cavalry horses 4, 281 



Received to December 31, 1863 36,932 



Total : 41, 213 



Issued 22, 204 



Sold 1, 651 



Died 1, 637 



Total 25, 492 



On hand January 1, 1864 15, 721 



Received by purchase, January 1, 1864, to June 30, 1866 5,326 



Received from other depots for issue 59, 507 



Received for recuperation 85,980 



Received by transfer from artillery 4,120 



Total 170,654 



Issued to armies in the field 96,006 



Issued to officers after June 30, 1865 1, 574 



Issued for sale or sold at depot 48, 721 



Died 24, 321 



Total 170,622 



On hand June 30, 1866 32 



This does not take into consideration the twelve or thirteen thousand artillery 

 horses handled at this depot. 



This report closes with the abandonment of the depot, but it is 

 to be remembered that nearly all the volunteer cavalry was mustered 

 out immediately after the surrender of General Lee's army the pre- 

 ceding year, so that nearly all the horses were handled during a 

 period of eighteen months. 



