7 
THE TREATMENT OK THE U. S. ARMY HORSE IN THE LATE WAR. 593 
■ sergeants and shoeing-smiths, who compose the non-commissioned 
personnel of the corps and who serve with the troops and bat¬ 
teries. The Department has its own administration, it renders 
reports and returns, controls its medical stores, purchases and 
condemns horses, inspects forage and- cattle and meat for army 
consumption, and superintends the military shoeing-school at 
Aldershot. 
In the field the “ regulations for the organization of the 
line of communication,” issued in army circulars of June 
j 15, 1887, veterinary officers are stationed as follows : The 
• principal veterinary surgeon attached to Headquarters, one staff 
veterinary surgeon attached to each army corps, one staff vet¬ 
erinary surgeon attached to the Inspector-General of the line of 
communication. At the advance depot and veterinary hospital, 
calculated for 500 horses, the personnel consists of: One veter¬ 
inary surgeon in charge; 3 assistant veterinary surgeons; i 
farrier-major ; 8 farrier-sergeants ; 8 shoeing-smiths. 
It seems superfluous to comment on the character of such an 
, organization or the work that must come from it. To those 
1 who have never heard of an army veterinary corps, or who 
have never seen the results of intelligent veterinary service, it 
may look appalling, and to those who have reason to fear it, it 
may be a shock. Yet it is the natural outgrowth of actual ex¬ 
perience gathered in many wars, especially in the colonies, and 
as the English war authorities are noted for their good common 
sense and practical accomplishments, they must have found it a 
paying investment or they would not have kept it and improved 
it from time to time as they have done. 
The Italian army veterinary corps is similarly constituted, 
and its officers are commissioned, ranking from colonel to lieu- 
I tenant. In the French army the veterinary officers are also 
j commissioned, the principal veterinary surgeon ranking as lieu¬ 
tenant-colonel. In the German and Austrian army the veter- 
: inary surgeons are not technically officers, but as non-com- 
I batants they rank as “ higher military officials,” equivalent 
I to the officials of the Judge-Advocate’s Department, Paymasters 
I 
