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GENTLEMEN, IN THE COURSE OF HIS CONSTANT RESEARCH DAVID JARNAGIN HAS FOUND THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND KINDLY REFERRED IT TO ME. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OF GREAT INTEREST TO AC CAVALRYMAN IN REGARDS TO FEDERAL HORSES DURING THE WAR AND IN PARTICULAR THE HORSE PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS, GREAT NUMBERS OF HORSES EXPENDED, CARE/ABUSE AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT RELATED ISSUES, ETC.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CENTRAL POINTS BUT FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION (AND SOURCES) I HAVE INCLUDED LINKS TO THE AVAILABLE TEXTS. TAKE A LOOK. INTERESTING HUH? KEN R KNOPP
December 1861:
'' HORSES WANTED FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
"Sealed proposals for the delivery in Washington city of 1,450 cavalry and artillery horses, for the United States government, will be received at the office of Colonel D. H. Rucker, depot quartermaster, in this city, until 12 m. on Monday, the 17th instant.....................
"Of the above horses, 500 are required for cavalry and 950 for artillery.
"DESCRIPTION OK HORSES REQUIRED.
"Cavalry horses.—From 15 to 16 hands in height; between 5 and 8 years of age; of dark colors; well broken to the saddle; compactly built and free from all defects.
"Artillery horses.—To be from 15^ to 16 hands in height; between 5 and 8 years of age; dark colors; free from all defects; well broken to harness, and to weigh not less than 1,100 pounds.
"The horses will be inspected by a board of officers detailed from the regiments requiring them.
"The undersigned reserves the privilege of rejecting each and every bid, should he consider the interests of the service require it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
HORSE ISSUES 1862..................
Major General Halleck, General-in- Chief.
War Department, Washington City, D. C, October 13, 1862.
General: Complaint is made by General McClellan of the inadequate supply of cavalry horses for his command. Your authority has been for a long time unrestricted in that regard, and you arc expected to spare no effort to procure an adequate supply. You will please report what efforts have been made, and are now making, by your department for that purpose, and whether any, and what, authority, aid, or instructions can be given by the Secretary of War to accomplish the object.
Yours, truly, EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.
REPLY.........
To: Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War.
From: Quartermaster General Meigs.
Quartermaster General's Office,
Washington City, October 14, 1862.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant, stating that complaint is made by General McClellan of the inadequate supply of cavalry horses for his command, ...................................
No effort will be spared by this department to supply all the horses necessary to the efficiency of the army. The number issued to the army of the Potomac since the battles of the latter part of August exceeds any estimate presented to this department from the staff of that army. The waste and destruction have no doubt exceeded all estimates.
In this connexion it is perhaps proper that the attention of the Secretary should be directed to the causes of this destruction.
No doubt a number of horses have been killed in action, and some have been captured by the rebels; but in a campaign of no great duration in a country not a desert, with two railroads leading directly to the field of operations, the number of horses disabled and broken down is alarming.
There are to-day in this depot 2,671 unserviceable horses, broken down by hard usage, by insufficient food and care. The number of such in depot here has been sometimes, during the past few weeks, as high as 3,300. Many of these horses die, some are shot, some sold as not worth the cost of keeping; but many of these, after a week or two of rest and good feed, recover condition, and are issued again to the army.
The cost of the horses issued within the last six weeks to the army of the Potomac is probably not less than $1,200,000. The department has purchased these horses on credit. It has to-day, lying in the treasury, requisitions unfilled which were required in July to meet the demands of the service, and the total amount of its requisitions which have passed the War Department, and which still lie in the treasury unfilled, is §11,334,324 S4.
The destruction of horses is a heavy drain upon the military resources of the country, both in horses and money.
I have no reports showing the destruction in battle, or the losses by captures of horses and other supplies of the quartermaster's department during the campaign; but the large number of broken down horses turned in to this depot, and requiring to be replaced, indicates a fault in the management of horses in the army.
This is a question of discipline which this department cannot control. The horses of cavalry and artillery, once issued, pass entirely under control of the military commanders. In the wagon trains the enforcement of proper care of the horses and mules also depends upon the state of discipline among the troops.
The efforts of a quartermaster alone are not sufficient to prevent abuse, suffering, overwork, or neglect. Every commander, from the highest to the lowest in rank, from the commander of an army to the chief of the smallest detachment to which a wagon is attached, has a direct interest in the condition of the stock. Upon the efficiency of animals depends the precision, rapidity, and success of his marches, and thence of all his military operations.
Discipline can be enforced only through the military commander. The galloping of orderlies and cavalry without necessity wears out the horses more than their proper service in campaign. Orders have been repeatedly issued to prevent this in the streets of this city, but they arc not enforced...................................
With great respect, your obedient servant,
M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster General
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HORSES AND MULES.
The purchase and supply of the animals of the army pertains to the Frst Division of this office, of which Brevet Brigadier General James A. Ekin, of the Quartermaster's department, has charge.
He reports purchases of cavalry horses during the year ending June 30, 1865...............141, 332
Total from January 1, 1864, to May 9, 1865, at which time purchases ceased .............193,388
Of artillery horses, from September 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865, purchases having
ceased May 9 .................................................. .................................................. ... 20, 714
Of mules, from July 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865, purchases having ceased May 9........... 58, 818
The earlier purchases of horses delivered in Washington at the beginning of the war were at $125. Subsequently, for a time, horses were delivered here as low as $100. The price gradually advanced until the close of the war.
The prices of cavalry horses during the last fiscal year (1865) have varied from $144 to $185
Of artillery horses $161 to $185 and of mules $170 to $195
There have been sold at the depots since January 1, 1864, of cavalry horses................ 40, 070
There have died at these depots............................................ ................................... 38, 277 Artillery horses reported having died at the depots, Sept. 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865....... 434 Mules sold September 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865 .................................................. ......13, 479 Died at depots in same .................................................. ........................................ 7, 336
The deaths reported occurred at depots principally among animals sent in from the field as broken down and unserviceable.
The destruction in the field was greater, probably nearly equalling the number supplied by purchase and capture, as neither the trains nor the cavalry of the armies have been materially increased during the last year of the war, and the purchases have been almost entirely to supply losses.
The issues of cavalry horses to the army of the Shenandoah, actively engaged •under Major General Sheridan, have been at the rate of three remounts per annum. The service of a cavalry horse under an enterprising commander has therefore averaged only four months.
Of the animals which are sent to the dépot for recuperation, about sixty per cent, recovered, and becoming serviceable, have again been issued.
SALES.
There have been sold, so far as reported, to October 17, and since May 8, 1865, and in accordance with General Orders No. 28, of the Quartermaster General's office, dated May 8, 1865, 53,794 horses and 52,516 mules, for the sum of §6,107,618 14. It is probable that when the full returns are received the total amount of sales from May 8 to October 17 will proveto exceed §7,000,000.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE CENTRAL POINTS BUT FOR MORE COMPLETE INFORMATION (AND SOURCES) I HAVE INCLUDED LINKS TO THE AVAILABLE TEXTS. TAKE A LOOK. INTERESTING HUH? KEN R KNOPP
December 1861:
'' HORSES WANTED FOR THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT.
"Sealed proposals for the delivery in Washington city of 1,450 cavalry and artillery horses, for the United States government, will be received at the office of Colonel D. H. Rucker, depot quartermaster, in this city, until 12 m. on Monday, the 17th instant.....................
"Of the above horses, 500 are required for cavalry and 950 for artillery.
"DESCRIPTION OK HORSES REQUIRED.
"Cavalry horses.—From 15 to 16 hands in height; between 5 and 8 years of age; of dark colors; well broken to the saddle; compactly built and free from all defects.
"Artillery horses.—To be from 15^ to 16 hands in height; between 5 and 8 years of age; dark colors; free from all defects; well broken to harness, and to weigh not less than 1,100 pounds.
"The horses will be inspected by a board of officers detailed from the regiments requiring them.
"The undersigned reserves the privilege of rejecting each and every bid, should he consider the interests of the service require it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
HORSE ISSUES 1862..................
Major General Halleck, General-in- Chief.
War Department, Washington City, D. C, October 13, 1862.
General: Complaint is made by General McClellan of the inadequate supply of cavalry horses for his command. Your authority has been for a long time unrestricted in that regard, and you arc expected to spare no effort to procure an adequate supply. You will please report what efforts have been made, and are now making, by your department for that purpose, and whether any, and what, authority, aid, or instructions can be given by the Secretary of War to accomplish the object.
Yours, truly, EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.
REPLY.........
To: Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War.
From: Quartermaster General Meigs.
Quartermaster General's Office,
Washington City, October 14, 1862.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th instant, stating that complaint is made by General McClellan of the inadequate supply of cavalry horses for his command, ...................................
No effort will be spared by this department to supply all the horses necessary to the efficiency of the army. The number issued to the army of the Potomac since the battles of the latter part of August exceeds any estimate presented to this department from the staff of that army. The waste and destruction have no doubt exceeded all estimates.
In this connexion it is perhaps proper that the attention of the Secretary should be directed to the causes of this destruction.
No doubt a number of horses have been killed in action, and some have been captured by the rebels; but in a campaign of no great duration in a country not a desert, with two railroads leading directly to the field of operations, the number of horses disabled and broken down is alarming.
There are to-day in this depot 2,671 unserviceable horses, broken down by hard usage, by insufficient food and care. The number of such in depot here has been sometimes, during the past few weeks, as high as 3,300. Many of these horses die, some are shot, some sold as not worth the cost of keeping; but many of these, after a week or two of rest and good feed, recover condition, and are issued again to the army.
The cost of the horses issued within the last six weeks to the army of the Potomac is probably not less than $1,200,000. The department has purchased these horses on credit. It has to-day, lying in the treasury, requisitions unfilled which were required in July to meet the demands of the service, and the total amount of its requisitions which have passed the War Department, and which still lie in the treasury unfilled, is §11,334,324 S4.
The destruction of horses is a heavy drain upon the military resources of the country, both in horses and money.
I have no reports showing the destruction in battle, or the losses by captures of horses and other supplies of the quartermaster's department during the campaign; but the large number of broken down horses turned in to this depot, and requiring to be replaced, indicates a fault in the management of horses in the army.
This is a question of discipline which this department cannot control. The horses of cavalry and artillery, once issued, pass entirely under control of the military commanders. In the wagon trains the enforcement of proper care of the horses and mules also depends upon the state of discipline among the troops.
The efforts of a quartermaster alone are not sufficient to prevent abuse, suffering, overwork, or neglect. Every commander, from the highest to the lowest in rank, from the commander of an army to the chief of the smallest detachment to which a wagon is attached, has a direct interest in the condition of the stock. Upon the efficiency of animals depends the precision, rapidity, and success of his marches, and thence of all his military operations.
Discipline can be enforced only through the military commander. The galloping of orderlies and cavalry without necessity wears out the horses more than their proper service in campaign. Orders have been repeatedly issued to prevent this in the streets of this city, but they arc not enforced...................................
With great respect, your obedient servant,
M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster General
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HORSES AND MULES.
The purchase and supply of the animals of the army pertains to the Frst Division of this office, of which Brevet Brigadier General James A. Ekin, of the Quartermaster's department, has charge.
He reports purchases of cavalry horses during the year ending June 30, 1865...............141, 332
Total from January 1, 1864, to May 9, 1865, at which time purchases ceased .............193,388
Of artillery horses, from September 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865, purchases having
ceased May 9 .................................................. .................................................. ... 20, 714
Of mules, from July 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865, purchases having ceased May 9........... 58, 818
The earlier purchases of horses delivered in Washington at the beginning of the war were at $125. Subsequently, for a time, horses were delivered here as low as $100. The price gradually advanced until the close of the war.
The prices of cavalry horses during the last fiscal year (1865) have varied from $144 to $185
Of artillery horses $161 to $185 and of mules $170 to $195
There have been sold at the depots since January 1, 1864, of cavalry horses................ 40, 070
There have died at these depots............................................ ................................... 38, 277 Artillery horses reported having died at the depots, Sept. 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865....... 434 Mules sold September 1, 1864, to June 30, 1865 .................................................. ......13, 479 Died at depots in same .................................................. ........................................ 7, 336
The deaths reported occurred at depots principally among animals sent in from the field as broken down and unserviceable.
The destruction in the field was greater, probably nearly equalling the number supplied by purchase and capture, as neither the trains nor the cavalry of the armies have been materially increased during the last year of the war, and the purchases have been almost entirely to supply losses.
The issues of cavalry horses to the army of the Shenandoah, actively engaged •under Major General Sheridan, have been at the rate of three remounts per annum. The service of a cavalry horse under an enterprising commander has therefore averaged only four months.
Of the animals which are sent to the dépot for recuperation, about sixty per cent, recovered, and becoming serviceable, have again been issued.
SALES.
There have been sold, so far as reported, to October 17, and since May 8, 1865, and in accordance with General Orders No. 28, of the Quartermaster General's office, dated May 8, 1865, 53,794 horses and 52,516 mules, for the sum of §6,107,618 14. It is probable that when the full returns are received the total amount of sales from May 8 to October 17 will proveto exceed §7,000,000.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SOURCE AND A COMPLETE READING OF THIS TEXT......................
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