The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 54, July 1950 - April, 1951 Page: 208
544 p. : ill., ports., maps. (some col.) ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
grades, consists of twenty-five paymasters, of whom only four have
been assigned to duty in Texas. Whether the "unavoidable" necessity
contemplated by the law ought to exist under such circumstances, is
a question that I fulfill my duty by presenting for the decision of
my superiors.
TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGINEERS.
Maps. I was rather surprised at the want of acquaintance with
the country which I found prevailing throughout my tour. It was
impossible to procure exact information, and scarcely a guide fur-
nished me from one post to the next, had a proper knowledge of
the route. There should be sketches at each post of all the roads
leading to the other posts with which it communicates. These should
be on a large scale, and on them should be delineated in detail all
the streams, watering places, and the most prominent natural objects,
with their courses, distances, &c. Such a map I saw at Fort Chad-
bourne, drawn by Lt. Dodge, 8th Infantry. There may be similar
ones at other posts, but if so the fact did not come under my ob-
servation.
Bvt. Lt. Col. Johnston has made an excellent skeleton map of the
8th Department, with all the posts and the roads leading to them,
&c, correctly laid down. It is respectfully recommended that this
map be engraved and copies furnished to every post commander, if
not to every officer, within the Department. With the aid of this
map, and by requiring every scouting party sent out to make a sketch
of the ground passed over, we should possess in a short time the
means of acquiring an intimate knowledge of the topography of the
whole country.
ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT.
1.--Musketoons. There is but one opinion as to the worthlessness
of this arm. A forcible illustration on this point was given me by
Lieut. Hawes of the 2d Dragoons. While commanding at Fort Inge,
for two and a half months, it was his practice to cause the guard,
four men, to discharge their pieces daily at a target, the outer circle
of which was 17 inches in diameter and the inner 31/2 inches. As a
stimulant to accuracy of firing, the orders were to excuse from a
tour of guard those men who should strike within the smaller circle.
In the whole two and a half months only four such shots were
made, and but eleven within the circumference of the larger circle.
2.--Belt plates. The new belt plate bearing the Arms of the
United States, is only issued to those who wear swords. The inten-
tion was that every officer and soldier in the Army should wear this
plate, in order to show that, however attached to regiments and
corps, they all belonged to a common service. I know this to have208
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 54, July 1950 - April, 1951, periodical, 1951; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101133/m1/274/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.