ARMY, UNITED STATES. 



33 



expenditures for clothing amounted to $667,- 

 529.63 ; the amount deposited by the Quarter- 

 master's Department in the Treasury, from 

 sales of clothing and equipage during the year, 

 was $1,843,831.40, which sum was not avail- 

 able for current use. The changes in the uni- 

 form and dress of the army, recommended by 

 a board of officers convened for that purpose, 

 were, with some modifications, approved, and 

 the new clothing is being manufactured as 

 rapidly as possible. The uniform adopted is 

 believed to be a great improvement. About 

 $370,000 were collected from the Southern rail- 

 roads, leaving $4,734,442.43 still due. The 

 Quartermaster examined and transmitted for 

 settlement 665 claims by loyal citizens for 

 quartermasters' stores taken during the war, 

 amounting to $367,102.72. 



Subsistence supplies to the amount of $89,- 

 048.12 were issued to Indians visiting the mili- 

 tary posts on the frontier, or in their respec- 

 tive nations, while subsistence stores valued at 

 $103,137.99 were issued to Indians to meet 

 special emergencies. During the year the 

 affairs of the Freedmen's Bureau were trans- 

 ferred to the War Department and regulations 

 were put into execution for the speedy pay- 

 ment of bounty, pay, etc., due colored soldiers, 

 properly coming under that bureau. About 

 one-sixth of the army is located in the South- 

 ern States east of the Mississippi. The aver- 

 age mean strength of the army for the year 

 was 24,101 white, and 2,494 colored soldiers. 

 The total number of cases on the sick list was 

 47,575 white, and 3,514 colored, while the 

 total number of deaths reported amounted to 

 367 white, and 54 colored. Desertions have 

 decreased in number, the legislation concern- 

 ing the pay of enlisted men having contributed 

 greatly to that end. 



The amount paid for pensions in the last 

 fiscal year was $30,169,340, an amount larger 

 by $3,708,434 than was paid during the pre- 

 ceding year. Of this amount $2,313,409 were 

 paid under the act of Congress of February 17, 

 1871, to survivors of the War of 1812. The 

 annual increase of pensions by the legislation 

 of Congress has more than kept pace with the 

 natural yearly losses from the rolls. The act 

 of Congress of June 8, 1872, has added an 

 estimated amount of $750,000 per annum to 

 the rolls without increasing the number of 

 pensioners. The whole number of soldiers en- 

 listed in the civil war was 2,688,523. The 

 total number of claims for invalid pensioners 

 is 176,000, being but six per cent, of the whole 

 number of enlisted men. The total number 

 of claims on hand at the beginning of the year 

 was 91,689^ The number received during the 

 year was 26,574. The number disposed of was 

 39,178, making a net gain of 12,604. The 

 number of claims now on file is 79,085. On 

 June 30, 1872, there were on the rolls the 

 names of 95,405 invalid military pensioners, 

 113,518 widows, orphans, and dependent rela- 

 tives, making an aggregate of 208,923 army 



VOL. XII. 3 A 



pensioners. At the same time there were on 

 the rolls the names of 1,449 navy pensioners, 

 and 1,730 widows, orphans, and dependent 

 relatives, making the whole number of naval 

 pensioners 3,179. There have been received, 

 since the passage of the act to provide pen- 

 sions for the survivors of the War of 1812, 

 36,551 applications prior to June 30, 1872. Of 

 these there were allowed during the last fiscal 

 year 20,126 claims, 4,845 were rejected during 

 the year, leaving 11,580 claims pending at 

 that date ; the number of pensions of all classes 

 granted during the last fiscal year was 33,838. 

 During that period there were dropped from 

 the rolls, for various causes, 9,104 names, leav- 

 ing a grand total of 232,229 pensioners on the 

 rolls on June 30, 1872. It is thought that the 

 claims for pensions on account of the War of 

 1812 will all be disposed of by May 1, 1873. 

 It is estimated that $30,480,000 will be re- 

 quired for the pension service during the next 

 fiscal year. 



The Army Medical Museum continues to re- 

 ceive valuable contributions, which are at once 

 properly prepared and mounted, and their 

 histories entered in the descriptive catalogue. 

 Memoranda and photographs have been fur- 

 nished, to assist in the decision of cases of ap- 

 plicants for the benefits of the various acts of 

 Congress in relation to maimed and disabled 

 soldiers and pensioners. The first part of the 

 medical and surgical history of the war was 

 laid before Congress early in the year, but its 

 distribution is yet to be ordered by that body. 

 A constant necessity is felt for a medical corps 

 of the full number established by the act of 

 Congress approved July 28, 1866. There are 

 59 vacancies, while the number of successful 

 candidates rarely exceeds eight or ten in any 

 one year. 



The appropriation for the manufacture of 

 arms for 1872-'73 is limited in its application 

 to such system of breech-loading arm as may 

 be selected by a board of officers. " The system 

 being once adopted," says the Secretary of 

 War, " arms sufficient to supply the army and 

 militia should be at once manufactured, and a 

 large reserve should be accumulated year by 

 year, for the exigencies of war, and, to this 

 end, liberal appropriations will be required." 

 Reports from the field are favorable to the use 

 of revolvers using metallic cartridges. 



Five thousand sets of new infantry equip- 

 ments, combining the knapsack, haversack, 

 canteen, cartridge-box, waist-belt, and the 

 bayonet-scabbard into one system, were made 

 during the year, and issued to the troops for 

 experimental trial. An appropriation to sup- 

 ply the service with these equipments was 

 recommended. 



The board on heavy ordnance, authorized 

 by the act of June 6, 1872, having made their 

 report, measures were taken to carry out their 

 recommendations. The procurement and trial 

 of the guns recommended by them will prob- 

 ably consume the whole of the year 1873. 



