 |
| Closeup, San Antonio in 1849 by William G M Samuel, Bexar County Courthouse |
Since writing you from Austin, my dear Bob:
I find that my movements have been premature. The report of the Sec: of War has come to my hands since then. I accordingly apologize for my haste, but can't refrain from calling to your attention to some portions of that report.
The accompanying pamphlet contradicts emphatically what is said of the peaceful condition of this frontier, & the statements in it are far short of the truth -- because in Austin full evidence was not to be had.
Since the printing of this pamphlet intelligence has been received of the murder by Indians of an agent sent by the Legislature to the Lower Rio Grande to ascertain the extent, in that quarter, of Indian depredations.
I am safe in asserting that there is never less than one plundering party within the settlements, & then, we are bound by the last treaty with Mexico to keep our Indians out of that country.
Now all the Indians of this S.W. region have been taught that Mexico is their natural prey, & that plundering Mexicans is the only manly mode of subsistence -- for variety's sake they occasionally turn off into Texas.
Now six hundred miles at least, of the Rio Grande is without an American soldier, because we have none to place on it, & this is the very frontier that the Indians are & have long been in the habit of crossing into Mexico.
The troops we have on the occupied parts of the Mexican frontier are infantry, & therefore of little efficiency in the pursuit of the prairie Indians. As to the idea of mounting the foot soldiers on emergencies, you know as well as any one how fit they usually are for cavalry service, & how fit muskets and bayonets are for cavalry arms. Two mounted regiments (additional) would not be more than sufficient in the fulfillment of this treaty obligation.
Corrections in abuses of brevet commissions in the way of pay, we recommend. If you will examine the military laws, including articles of war, you'll find that the remedy is already in the hands of the executive. The present abuses are by regulations of the war department, contrary to law -- see in opinions of attorney general, Mr. Wirt's opinion on the subject of brevet pay. You will benefit the army, tho: by abolishing this sort of commission.
There is another recommendation, the injustice of which you will understand, when you read it. To make senior staff officers, in certain cases & for certain purposes, to a certain extent subject to be commanded by their juniors of the line -- this for the sake of harmony.
Such evils as are referred to do exist, but they come from a disregard on the part of the govt., of existing military organization, of European experience, in the establishment of an enormous qr. master's dept. independent of the regimental organization, & in giving military rank to the civil branches of the service -- surgeons and paymasters.
The remedy therefore is not in continuing to overturn established principles & usage, but in undoing the measures which produced the evils complained of. Because medical officers ought to be under the command of the commanders of their posts it does not follow that an old field officer of Engineers who has served in the front of every campaign, perhaps, since the revolution, should be inferior in military rank to any 2d Lieut:
It isn't necessary to argue these matters with you; but it is a relief sometimes, you know, to express oneself in such a case. I can't do so to the author, & therefore make a victim of you.
Tell Caldwell howdy for me.
as ever
J. E. Johnston
[Captain Joseph Eggleston Johnston (1807-1891), Topographical Engineers
Robert Milligan McLane (1815-1898)
Secretary of War = George Walker Crawford (1798-1872)
Caldwell = George Alfred Caldwell (1814-1866)]
[Many thanks to Sue Davis, William Myers, Mary Davy and Sally Young for their ongoing research collaboration.]
No comments:
Post a Comment
Commentaires