DOCUMENT No. 6, REPORT Qu^rlerm^^Ier-GeDer^I -OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY, FOR THE YEAR 18S8. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from Lyrasis IVIembers and Sloan Foundation http://www.archive.org/details/reportofquarterm1888newj : REPORT. State of New Jersey, Office of Quartermaster-General Trenton, October Slet, 1888. •} To His Excellency Robert S. Green, Governor and Commander-in- Chief: Sir—I have the honor to lay before your Excellency my report, ^agreeably to the provisions of the act entitled "An act for the organization of the National Guard of New Jersey." The Quar- termaster-General is also required to lay before the Legislature a particular return of all the arms and equipments belonging to the State, the number loaned out, in whose hands, and whether under proper responsibility. Statement A, to which you are respectfully referred, contains an account of clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Quartermaster stores, baggage train, and ord- nance and ordnance stores, serviceable and unserviceable, remain- ing on hand at the State Arsenal, on the Slst of October, 1888. Detailed statements of the daily operations will be found in the appendices, under their appropriate heads; the issues of all ord- nance stores, clothing, camp and garrison equipage to the sev- eral organizations of the National Guard, and the receipts of the same, from all sources, at the State Arsenal during the past year. I have the honor also to submit a financial statement of the disbursements of the Quartermaster-General's Department for the year ending October Slst, 1888, also the strength of the National Guard, and the condition of the arms in its possession. The duties of the Quartermaster-General have been increased during the year by reason of the increased service and duty of the National Guard, the inspection of Regimental and Battalion • organizations, the yearly Brigade parades, the encampment of the Second Brigade at Sea Girt, and the dedication of New Jersey monuments on the battle-field of Gettysburg, These duties have necessitated the employment at different times of an extra clerical force. In my last annual report I wrote (3) 4 QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT. "In consequence of the annual State Encampment, and issues to the Posts of the Grand Army of the Republic of this State, under the act of 1879, the services required of the employes, both at the office and Arsenal, have been largely increased, but no increase has been made either in number or pay. I would respectfully recommend that the annual appropriation for this department be increased to ten thousand dollars ($10,000)." The present allowance for clerk hire, pay of Military Store- keeper and employes at the State Arsenal is seven thousand seven hundred dollars (|7,700). The necessity for the increase asked for is well known to every officer of the National Guard or civilian who visits or haa business with this office or the State Arsenal. At the date of my last annual report, this department was engaged in endeavoring to settle accounts of officers of the National Guard for property not returned or accounted for. Every spare hour of time has been devoted to this necessary work, and much has been done towards the accomplishment of this desirable object. The system of accountability for property issued to the National Guard, which has for a long time been in use, is faulty, and no proper checks are provided for. The law making annual appropriations should be so modified, allowing the Quartermaster-General to make stoppages against pay, and permitting the Comptroller of the Treasury to deduct indebted- ness of officers from the appropriation. ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT. A large part of the rifles issued to the companies of the National Guard are not of the latest patterns and have been in the service for a long time, are much worn, and lacking in the necessary appendages, such as extra parts, etc. These are sup- plied upon requisitions made upon the Chief of Ordnance, United States Army ; but a large part of these rifles cannot be placed in first-class condition, and should be replaced by entirely new arms of the latest patterns. The accoutrements are uniform, and are such as at present issued to the United States Army. Where these are damaged they should be replaced by new ones of the same regulation. Of the pieces of artillery on hand, named in Statement A, hereto appended, the Napoleons are suitable for only Horse Artillery, and are too heavy for the State troops for drills and parades, and in every way unwieldy. The Gatling guns and breech-loading howitzers are preferred, and are an important arm. The Gun Detachments have become very per- : QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT. 5 feet in their exercise. The carriages of the four Gatlings in the possession of Gatling Gun Companies A and B, are light and serviceable. These are easily moved by hand. The harness is good. The indebtedness of the United States to this State is four- teen thousand one hundred and six dollars and eleven cents ($14,106.11). In the matter of an emergency or a Division Encampment, the State has not sufficient camp equipage on hand to shelter the men. There are in the Arsenal eight thousand two hundred and eixty-one (8,261) muskets, calibre .58. These arms remain in the Arsenal, subject to issue to Posts of the Grand Army of ths Republic. Nothing has been done in the way of altering these muskets into breech-loaders. They are of little value to the State, but can be readily sold at a fair price to dealers. There are also seven hundred and twenty-eight (728) rifles. United States, brass mounted, calibre .54, which might be sold, it is believed, to advantage. Ammunition is manufactured at the Arsenal, with tools and machinery bought and set up in 1880. With these tools there oan, in case of an emergency, be produced from twenty to twenty-five thousand re-loaded cartridges daily, at a considerable saving to the State. As a matter of information, I give below a statement of the entire number of arms, of all calibres, held in the different coun- ties of the State, which includes the National Guard organization and the associations of the Grand Army of the Republic Atlantic 53 I Middlesex 80 Bergen 190 Monmouth 332 Burlington 173 | Morris 125 Camden 249 Ocean Cape May 59 Passaic 303 Cumberland 175 Salem 35 Essex 884 •Gloucester 150 I Sussex » 69 Hudson 572 ! Union 284 74 Hunterdon j Warren Mercer 221 I QUARTERMASTER S DEPARTMENT. The camp and garrison equipage, as regards tents, is entirely insufficient in number, and those on hand, having been in use for many years, are much worn and soiled—in fact, almost worn out and unfit for issue, requiring constant patching and other repairs. Camping outfits, such as cooking utensils, stoves, 6 QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT. spades, hatchets, etc., have been supplied, and are in good con-^ dition. The greatest need of our National Guard is uniforms. In many instances, these have been worn a number of j^ears, and are old and shabby. Under the law, uniforms are replaced after five years' usage, but the. financial condition of the State has prevented the supplying of all that are needed. One-half of the cost of uniforms is deducted from company appropria- tions. It seems but mere justice to the companies that the State should relieve them from this expense for uniforms only worn in its service. A refusal to supply these uniforms free of cost to our National Guard, shows a lack of appreciation of its services, and tends to seriously depress those already enrolled, and to discourage others from enlisting, and to crush out any military spirit they possess. The efficiency, spirit and strength of a volunteer militia is in the exact ratio of its generous recognition by the State. Were these men armed, uniformed and equipped entirely at the expense of the State and general government, as they ought to be, we would have an admirable, efficient body of citizen soldiery, which could be fully relied upon in any emergency, and of which every good citizen of the State would be justly proud. Should uniforms be furnished at the expense of the State, Captains of companies should be charged with the number issued to them for the men of their respective companies, and they should be responsible to the State for them. They ought not, in justice, be charged with uniforms issued to men who afterwards desert and carry their uniforms away, but the law should be made so strict that every loss in any other manner should be paid for by a deduction from the annual appropriation. The total number of flannel sacks, which have been made a part of the uniform of the National Guard, issued, is two thousand nine hundred and twenty-three (2,923). The law should be so amended that every arm, uniform and equipment issued by the State shall be used only in the discharge of military duty ; and any non-commissioned officer or private who shall willfully or wantonly injure or destroy any uniform, arm or equipment, or other military property belong- ing to the State, or to the regiment, battalion or company, and: refuse to make good such injury or loss, or who shall sell, dis- pose of, secrete or remove the same with intent to sell or dispose thereof, or who shall fail, within sixty days after being notified, to return the same to the State or his commanding officer, shall be tried by general court-martial, and sentenced to pay a fine of not more than one hundred dollars, or, until the return of the same, undergo an imprisonment in the county jail of not more than thirty days, and all clothing, camp and garrison equipage, ordnance, ordnance stores and Quartermaster stores issued by QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S REPORT.