AEMY OF THE UNITED STATES. 



15 by civil authority, 116 on account of minor- 

 ity, and 653 by order. The assignments of re- 

 cruits and reenlistraents amounted to 5,620: 

 recruits assigned, 4,166 ; non-commissioned of- 

 ficers reenlisted, 474 ; musicians, etc., 41 ; pri- 

 vates, 939. 



The deaths reported among the white troops 

 by the Surgeon-General were 219, or about 1 

 per cent, of the mean strength (22,100), of 

 which number 126 died of disease and 93 of 

 wounds and casualties. The proportion of 

 deaths to cases treated was 1 to 179. The 

 number of white soldiers discharged from the 

 service on surgeons' certificates of disability 

 was 734, 3'3 per cent, of the average strength. 

 The number of deaths among the colored sol- 

 diers was 46, or 1-9 per cent, of the mean 

 strength ; 21 of these died of disease, and 25 

 of wounds, accidents, and injuries. The pro- 

 portion of deaths to cases treated was 1 to 88. 

 The number of colored soldiers discharged on 

 certificates of disability was 42, or 2'2 per cent, 

 of mean strength (2,368). Casualties of seven- 

 teen hostile engagements with the Indians were 

 reported for the year ending June 30, 18 SO. 

 The organization of the army at present pro- 

 vides for 11 general officers, 555 officers, and 

 1,286 enlisted men for the staff; and 1,989 

 officers and 24,214 enlisted men for the line. 

 Secretaries Sherman and Ramsey in their re- 

 ports to the President recommend that the 

 strength of the army be increased to 25,000 

 men in the troops of the line, instead of that 

 number of enlisted men for all duties, to which 

 limit the army is confined by the appropriation 

 bills. Frontier tactics have undergone a great 

 change since the extension of railroads through 

 the Territories. It is no longer necessary to 

 guard stage-routes and maintain small posts; 

 but considerable bodies of troops may be con- 

 centrated at points of intersection on the rail- 

 roads, whence they can be rapidly forwarded 

 to the scene of action when Indian outbreaks 

 take place. It is desirable to build permanent 

 quarters for the soldiers at these central posts. 

 Many of the small posts are still occupied, be- 

 cause they afford the only available quarters 

 for the troops, which have ceased to be of any 

 strategic importance. Secretary Ramsey and 

 General Sherman recommend that authority 

 be given to sell these useless sites and build- 

 ings, and apply the proceeds to erecting new 

 barracks at the important military positions. 

 The lack of officers for field-service prompts 

 the suggestion that only retired officers be 

 allowed in the educational employments for 

 which regimental officers are now frequently 

 detailed. 



There are 78 schools in operation in the 

 army, under the supervision of officers, with 

 an aggregate attendance of 2,305 enlisted men 

 and children. The enlistment of 150 school- 

 masters, with the rank and pay of sergeants, 

 is recommended by the Secretary of War. 



Adjutant-General Drum addressed a circular 

 in July to the adjutant-generals of the different 



States, offering to aid in the organization of the 

 State militia, and to help assimilate the rules 

 and forms used in the State organizations to 

 those employed in the regular service. The 

 motive of the interest in the discipline of the 

 State forces manifested on the part of the au- 

 thorities of the regular army is to enable the 

 army to be readily strengthened by the State 

 troops and regular and volunteer recruits suit- 

 ably officered by officers of the militia in the 

 event of a war. Officers were detailed to visit 

 and inspect the summer encampments of the 

 State troops. 



The year has witnessed the suppression of 

 the two troublesome bands of hostile Indians 

 who have infested the Northern and Southern 

 frontiers for many months, escaping over the 

 borders when hard pressed by the military. 

 The Apache leader Victoria and his band have 

 been destroyed in Mexico, and the main body 

 of the Sioux led by Sitting Bull have deliv- 

 ered themselves up to the military authorities. 



In the engagement between Major Thorn- 

 burgh and the Dtes, near the White River 

 Agency, September 29, 1879, 10 were report- 

 ed killed and 35 wounded. In an attack upon 

 Colonel Miles's command by the Sioux, at Bea- 

 ver Creek, Montana, 3 were killed and 3 wound- 

 ed, July 17th; in a skirmish at Salt Lake, Tex- 

 as, July 25th, 2 were wounded ; at Big Creek, 

 Idaho, July 29th, 2 were wounded, and 1 killed 

 at the same place August 20th. In an engage- 

 ment with the Apaches, near Fort Bayard, New 

 Mexico, 4 were killed and 1 wounded, Septem- 

 ber 5th. A number of engagements took place 

 in New Mexico between a detachment under 

 Colonel Morrow and the Apaches belonging 

 to Victoria's band. On September 30, 1879, 

 2 were killed at the head-waters of the Rio 

 Cuchillo Negro ; 3 were killed and 1 wounded 

 at Grozman Mountain, October 26th and 27th ; 

 on the Rio Perche, January 13, 1880, 1 was 

 killed and 1 wounded. In an engagement in 

 the San Mateo Mountains, January 17th, 2 

 privates were wounded and an officer killed. 

 In engagements in the Carvallo and San An- 

 dreas Mountains, January 30th and February 

 7th, 1 was killed and 4 wounded. A severe 

 fight took place on the east side of San Andreas 

 Mountain, April 6th and 7th, between Mescal- 

 lero Apaches and a portion of Colonel Hatch's 

 command, in which an officer and 8 men were 

 wounded. In a meeting on Ash Creek, Ari- 

 zona, with Victoria's Apaches, May 7th, 1 man 

 was killed. Trouble occurred also with the 

 Sioux in Montana, who attacked several scout- 

 ing parties. A party supposed to belong to Sit- 

 ting Bull's band attacked a small detachment 

 on Pumpkin Creek, February 7th, wounding 1 

 and killing 1 ; in another attack near Rosebud 

 River, March 8th, 2 scouts were killed. On 

 April 1st a skirmish took place on O'Fallon's 

 Creek, in which 1 man was killed. 



The Apaches were hotly pressed in New 

 Mexico and Arizona by the United States 

 troops and by volunteer organizations of citi- 



