CHRONICLE. 



JANUARY. 



THE following Message was 

 received from the President 

 of the United States, by Mr. J. 

 J. Monroe, his Secretary : — 



To the House of Represen- 

 tatives of the United 

 States ; 



In compliance with the resolu- 

 4;ion of the House of Representa- 

 tives of the 11th of this month, 

 requesting to be informed of the 

 present strength of the army of 

 the United States, its distribution 

 among the several military posts 

 which it is designed to protect, 

 and its competency to preserve, 

 and defend the fortifications 

 amongst which it is distributed, 

 and to aid in constructing such 

 other military works, if any, as it 

 may be deemed proper to erect, 

 for the more effectual security of 

 the United States, and of the 

 territories thereof, I now trans- 

 mit a report from the Secretary 

 of War, which contains the in- 

 formation desired. 



Dec. 22. James Monroe. 



In compliance with the resolu- 

 tion of the House of Representa- 

 tives, requesting the President of 

 the United States " to cause to 

 be laid before the House of Re- 

 presentatives a return of the pre- 

 sent strength of the army of the 

 United States, with the distribu- 



Vol. LX. 



tion thereof among the several 

 military posts which it is designed 

 to protect, together with any 

 information which he may be 

 able to afford respecting the com- 

 petency of such force to preserve 

 and defend the fortifications 

 amongst which it is distributed, 

 and to aid in constructing, and 

 to defend such other military 

 works, if any, as it may be in the 

 contemplation of the Govern- 

 ment to erect, for the more effec- 

 tual security of the United States, 

 and of the several territories 

 thereof;" the Secretary of War 

 has the honour to make a return 

 of the present strength of the 

 army of the United States, with 

 the distribution thereof among 

 the several military posts. 



The military establishment, as 

 it now stands, is sufficiently ex- 

 tensive to keep the fortifications 

 in a state of preservation, but is 

 wholly inadequate to defend 

 them against a regular attack by 

 a force of sufficient strength or 

 skill. To garrison the forts on 

 the maritime frontier alone would 

 require, according to the best 

 information and estimates of this 

 department, more than thrice our 

 present number, to repel the 

 assaults of such a force. The 

 portion of the army stationed in 

 the neighbourhood of fortifica- 

 tions now erecting are employed 

 to aid in constructing them ; but 

 15 only 



