The attention of Congress is invited to the recommendations contained in
the report of the Secretary of War herewith accompanying.
The apparent great cost of supporting the Army is fully explained by this
report, and I hope will receive your attention.
While inviting your general attention to all the recommendations made by
the Secretary of War, there are two which I would especially invite you to
consider: First, the importance of preparing for war in time of peace by
providing proper armament for our seacoast defenses. Proper armament is of
vastly more importance than fortifications. The latter can be supplied very
speedily for temporary purposes when needed; the former can not. The second
is the necessity of reopening promotion in the staff corps of the Army.
Particularly is this necessity felt in the Medical, Pay, and Ordnance
departments.
At this time it is necessary to employ "contract surgeons" to supply the
necessary medical attendance required by the Army.
With the present force of the Pay Department it is now difficult to make
the payments to troops provided for by law. Long delays in payments are
productive of desertions and other demoralization, and the law prohibits
the payment of troops by other than regular army paymasters.
There are now sixteen vacancies in the Ordnance Department, thus leaving
that branch of the service without sufficient officers to conduct the
business of the different arsenals on a large scale if ever required.