Adjutant-General

~ ANNUAL REPORT ~.' ; ~ OF THE ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. TRANSMITTED TO THE LEGISLATURE FEBRUARY 6, 1874. ALBANY: WEED, PARSONS AND OOMPANY, PRINTERS. 1874. " ~ j 1 STATE OF NEW YORK. No. 42. IN SEN ATE, Februarv 6~1874. I .llNNUAL REPORT t OF THE ,r ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. STATE OF NEW YORK: EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, ' } AI,BANY, February 6, 1874. To the Legislature: I have the honor to transmit herewith the annual report of the Adjutant-General of the National Guard of the State of New York. JOHN A. DIX. \ 1 1 REPORT. STATE OF NEW YORK: ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, } ALBANY, January 15th, 1874. To IIis Excellency JOHN A. Dlx, Governor and Commander-in- Chiif' : GOVERNOR- I have the honor to present the following report of this department for the year ending December 31, 1873: ORGANIZATION. The National Guard consists of eight divisions and twenty brig- ades; one regiment, one battalion and nine separate troops of cavalry; twelve batteries of artillery ; thirty~one regiments, twelve battalions and three detached companies of infantrJ. The grand aggregate of the force is twenty-three thousand three hundred and sixty (23,360) officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians and privates. During the year two regiments of infantry have been disbanded, six regiments of infantry reduced to battalions, and one regiment reorganized. INSPECTIONS. During the past year the Inspector-General has made a rigid and thorough inspection of all the organizations in .the state, and the ef1'ectof his visitation has been very noticeable in the improved condition of the troops, both in discipline and in the character of the men composing the various organizations; the namesof persons borne on the rolls, but who had performed no duty for a long time, have been dropped and their places filled with active energetic men, and both officers and men are more fully alive to their duties than has been the case before for many years. 6 [SENATE, ACCOUNTABILITY FOR STATE PROPERTY • .In accordance with your Excellency's instructions, the Chief of Ordnanee has caused inventories to be taken, and inspections made of all the property in the arsenals of the state, and also of that in possession of the several organizations of the National Guard. A system of accountability has been instituted which it is believed will insure in the future the proper care and safe keeping of the property of the state. The Chief of Ordnance has collected a large nunlber of muskets and other military property to the amount of nearly $10,000. for which no one appeared to be responsible. Unserviceable military property has been sold during the past year, realizing $7,283.90, and a large amount still remains to be dis- posed of. ARSEN ALS AND ARMORIES. Since the date of the last report the state armories at Ballston, Westport, Ogdensburgh, Corning and Dunkirk, and the arsenal lot at Malone, have been sold, producing in the aggregate $25,550. '1 By this sale the salaries of the keepers and the cost of keeping the buildings in repair will be saved annually. In the appendix will be found a statement giving the date and terms of sale, and the sum I paid for each armory respectively. BREECH-LOADING ARMS. By chapter 643 laws of 1873, the legislature authorized the purchase, under the direction of the governor, of 6,000 breech- loading rifles to complete the arming of the National Guard, and appropriated for that purpose the sum of $96,000. By the same law $12,000 was appropriated for the purchase of two batteries of Gatling guns. On the 21st of August last a. contract was made with the Messrs. Remington for the manufacture and delivery of 4,500 improved breech-loading rifles with bayonets, at the rate of sixteen dollars ($16) for each rifle, and 1,500 rifled· breech-loading carbines, at a cost of fifteen dollars ($15) for each carbine. An inspector from tbe United Sates armory at Springfield, Mass., has been detailed by orders frOlu the War Department, and will proceed to Ilion in a few days and commence the examination of these arms, all of which must pass his inspection before they will be accepted by the state. The two batteries of Gatling guns are now being manufactured at Hartford, Oonn.; the carriages and No. 42.J 7 caissons will, by permission of the Secretary of War, be made at the Watervliet arsenal under the direction of Gen. Hagner, U. S. A. WAR CLAIMS. During the last year there has been received from the United States on account of war claims the sum of $300,148.39, leaving an apparent unsettled balance in favor of the state of $1,209,286.11 ; in this amount, however, is included the sum of $131,188.02 interest on comptroller's bonds issued in anticipation of the collection of the tax of $3,000,000, imposed by chapter 277, laws of 1861, and which cannot, under the existing regulations of the treasury department, be paid without further legislative action, and also $341,580.10 the amount of the last installment presented in December last, and not yet examined. The remainder $736,507.99 is made up of dis- allowed and suspended items of which probably not more than one- third will be allowed. For more detailed information on this sub~ ject, reference is made to the report of 001. J. B. Stonehouse, which will be found in the appendix. RIFLE PRACTICE. Since the substitution of breech-loading rifles for the old muzzle- loaders lately in use, it has become a matter of vital importance that the National Guard should be familiarized with these improved weapons, and that they should give the subject of rifle practice their earnest attention. The establishment of the National Rifle Asso- ciation, and the laying out and equipment of the Oreedmoor range, have provided a means by which the National Guard of the first and second divisions may improve themselves in markmanship, and by devoting a portion of their unemployed time to this exercise become experts in the use of the rifle. The annual meeting at Creedmoor, held in October last, brought together a large number connected with the :National Guard of this state, and the contest tor the prizes given by the state, as well as for those offered b.ythe Adjutant-General, by the commanding officersof the first and second divisions and the association, was quite spirited. No teams from the regiments outside of the first and second divisions were present on this occasion, with one exception, that of the 19th battalion. In order that these organizations may be able to compare favorably with the metropolitan regiments, immediate steps should be taken to establish ranges in every brigade district, that the grounds may be put in condition for use early in the summer. 8 [SENATE, The State having appropriated $25,000 toward the purchase of the site at Oreedmoor, and provided for the purchase of prizes and distribution of ammunition annually, some steps should, in my opinion, be taken either by legislative action or otherwise, to give the state authorities such a controlling interest in the management of the association, as will be a guaranty of its permanancy, and an assurance that the property will not be diverted from the purpose for which it was originally intended. CONCLUSION. As a whole, I think it will be found that the National Guard of :New York was never in a better condition than at the present time. It is well uniformed and equipped and armed with a weapon which has no superior in the world. The officers and men evince great pride in the organization and display an efficiency of drill and discipline which is worthy of all commendation. In all the attributes of an effective force I am warranted in saying it is unequalled in any other state. Probably the National Guard of Massachusetts most nearly approaches it; but with an organization much smaller than ours, more money is expended than for a similar purpose in this state. In Oanada, with a force less than a third larger than ours, the sum asked for its maintenance is six times as great as we appropriate. In view of such comparisons it might- justly be urged that the appropriation asked for at the hands of the legislature for the sup- port of our National Guard is equally moderate and reasonable. It is still lamentably true, however, that it frequently encounters strenuous objection, impelled no doubt in large degree by a mis- conception of the real efficacy of the object to which it is applied. It is too often regarded as an expenditure of so much public money upon mere display and glitter. The military organization is treated as a showy but useless appendage of the state. Those who are not brought into immediate contact with it or in whose section it neither exists nor seems a present necessity, are apt to estimate it simply as a medium for pomp and parade. There could not be a greater mis- take. I-Iowever we might have been lulled into a delusive sense of security and indifference by the long period of public peace, the experience of our more recent times should lead to a juster apprecia- tion of the importance and value of an efficient militia. It was the National Guard of New York, ill-organized, ill-armed and ill-pre- pared as it then was, that saved the national capital at Washington I No. 42.J 9 at the outbreak of the rebellion.

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