56 



AEMY, UNITED STATES. 



Similar applications were made by other 

 counties on the Mississippi Eiver, south, of 

 Chi cot. 



On December 19th an order was issued by 

 the sub-commander of Arkansas, Brigadier- 

 General 0. H. Smith, directing the county 

 courts, in compliance with the State '4aw, to 

 make suitable provision for their poor by the 

 establishment of almshouses, etc. At the same 

 time General Ord issued an order directing 

 Major-General A. S. Gillem to proceed to Wash- 

 ington, and to represent to the President and 

 Secretary of War "the starving condition of 

 the freedmen in a large number of the counties 

 in his sub-district of Mississippi, due to the ruin 

 and bankruptcy of cotton planters, and the ab- 

 sence of corn or the means to buy it." 

 .. Commanding officers were directed to notify 

 leading colored men,' and take such other meas- 

 ures as might be necessary to give publication 

 of the fact that all freedmen, who were able, 

 would be required to earn their support during 

 the next year, and to go to work upon the best 

 terms that could be procured, even should it 

 furnish a support only, and thus prevent their 

 becoming a burden to the Government. All 

 freedmen who can, but will not, earn a liveli- 

 hood when employment can be procured, will 

 lay themselves liable to arrest and punishment 

 as vagrants. The cooperation of sheriffs, con- 

 stables, and police magistrates, was requested ia 

 the enforcement of this order, and any just 

 action of theirs under the provisions would be 

 sustained by the military authorities. 



On December 21st an order was issued by 

 General Ord, stating that at the recent election 

 41,134 votes were cast on the question of a 

 convention; and of this number 27,576 were 

 cast for the convention, and 13,558 were cast 

 against it, and the total number of registered 

 voters in the State was 66,805, and the conven- 

 tion would accordingly be held as previously 

 ordered. 



On December 28th an order was issued by 

 General Grant, directing General Ord to turn 

 over his command to Major-Geueral Gillem, 

 and to proceed to San Francisco, California. 

 Major-General Irvin McDowell was then or- 

 dered to the command of the Fourth Military 

 District. 



The agricultural result of the year was suffi- 

 cient to convince every one that the old system 

 of an exclusive cotton-crop must be abandoned. 

 Grain-crops, with the use of labor-saving ma- 

 chinery, it was urged, would, in a few years, 

 put the planters in a state of independence. In 

 every district of the State the cotton-planters, 

 at the close of the year, determined to abandon 

 its cultivation. The grain-crop in the State 

 was -unusually abundant. No statement has 

 been made of the condition of the various in- 

 stitutions of the State. 



ARMY, UNITED STATES. According to 

 the report of the Adjutant-General, Septem- 

 ber 3,0, 1867, the total strength of the army 

 was 56,815, including officers and men. Of the 



great volunteer army which has so quietly 

 passed away, there then remained in the ser- 

 vice but 203 officers, and no enlisted men. On 

 November 26, 1867, General Grant, who had 

 been appointed Secretary of War ad interim 

 upon the removal of Mr. E. M. Stanton, August 

 12, 1867, issued the following order : 



HEADQUABTEES OP THE AEMY, ADJTJTANT-GBNEKAL'S I 

 OFFICE, WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 1867. j 



The following orders have been received from the 

 War Department, and will be duly executed : 



First. All the regiments of infantry and of artillery, 

 except the Eighth light battery, will be reduced to 

 the minimum allowed by law, of fifty privates per 

 company. The reduction will be by casualty, and 

 when one company falls below the minimum, it will 

 be re'cruited by transfer from other companies of the 

 same regiment until all are at the minimum. 



Second. The general recruiting service will be 

 immediately reduced by breaking up all excepting 

 four principal rendezvous to each arm, cavalry and 

 infantry, and ordering the surplus recruiting officers 

 to their regiments. No more recruits will be sent to 

 regiments until they are reduced as above ordered. 

 This will not be construed to prevent the reenlist- 

 ment in their regiments of men who may be dis- 

 charged by expiration of term of service. 



Tnird. All volunteer officers now retained in ser- 

 vice will be mustered out, to take effect January 1, 

 1868, except the commissioner and the disbursing 

 officer of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmeu, and 

 Abandoned Lands. 



By command of General GRANT. 

 E. D. TOWNSEND, Assistant Adjutant-General. 



The maximum strength of the army, as 

 established by the act of July 28, 1866, allow- 

 ing one hundred men to a company, would be 

 nearly 76,000; the above order will eventu- 

 ally reduce it to about 45,000, probably the 

 smallest number necessary for the security 

 of the extended and increasing territory of the 

 country. The number of recruits for the year 

 ending September 30, 1867, was 34,191, and 

 of desertions 13,608. General Grant recom- 

 mends the extension of the term of enlist- 

 ment to five years for the infantry and artil- 

 lery ; also an improvement in the courts-martial, 

 to prevent the numerous desertions. 



The Bureau of Confederate Archives, and the 

 Bureau for the Exchange of Prisoners, etc., 

 were, during the past year, transferred to the 

 Adjutant-General's Department thereby effect- 

 ing a needed reduction in the Government ex- 

 penditures. 



The total estimate for military appropria- 

 tions, for the year ending June 30, 1869, is 

 $77,124,708, being $51,919,038.44 in excess 

 of the estimate for the previous year. This 

 large increase is owing partly to a deficiency 

 in the appropriation of the previous year, and 

 partly to the large balance on hand at the com- 

 mencement of the present fiscal year. For the 

 following departments no appropriations are 

 asked : Office of Inspector-General, Bureau of 

 Military Justice, Subsistence Department, and 

 Bureau of Eefugees, Freedmen, etc. 



The disbursements of the Paymaster-General 

 for the year ending June 30, 1867, were 

 $58,875,858, of which $28,389,213 were paid 

 to disbanded volunteers, and $14,369,243 to the 



