one-half of the privates have been but recently enlisted; but with the advantage of experienced commissioned and non-commissioned officers, you will find them well instructed and efficient. These seven companies will be about 700 strong. Colonel Gates and Lieutenant Colonel Belton, of the 3d regiment of artillery, and Brevet Major W. W. Morris, of the 4th, have been assigned to duty with this regiment, organized, as it probably will be, out of companies taken from the several regiments of that arm. The Colonel will report to [you,] and await your orders at Point Isabel The quartermaster's and commissary's departments at Washington have been notified of the contemplated expedition under your command, and your requisitions for transportation and supplies will be promptly met by the proper officers of the respective departments as soon as made and received. I enclose, for your information, a copy of the quartermaster general's instructions to Lieutenant Colonel Hunt, the resident quartermaster at New Orleans. Company H, 2d dragoons, recently recruited and reorganized at Fort Columbus, will proceed without delay to Point Isabel, at which place its commander, Captain Hunter, on his arrival, has been ordered to report to you, subject, of course, to the further orders of Major General Taylor. The company will be available for service either as cavalry or infantry, as you or Major General Taylor may deem expedient.. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major General R. PATTERSON, Commanding, &c., &c. No. 27. Adjutant General. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington, September 30, 1846. GENERAL: Four hundred recruits, in separate detachments of 100 each, have this day been ordered to join their regiments-the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th infantry, now in the field-as may be seen by the instructions of this date to Colonel Mason, the superintendent, of which a copy is herewith respectfully forwarded for your information. These recruits would have been organized as permanent companies to replace one of the broken up companies in each of the regiments named; but it was seen that those serving in the field. were weak, scarcely averaging 50 privates at the last returns. It was, therefore, deemed preferable to send them as recruits for their regiments, to be distributed equally among the respective companies. This arrangement, made here for the reasons stated, I am desired by the general-in-chief to say, can be so far changed as to assign the detachment to their regiments as permanent companies, to supply the place of one of the blank companies in each, if, on their arrival in the field, you shall deem such arrangement best; but it is desirable not to allow them to serve as an organized body of recruits, irrespective of regimental organization. You are also auauthorised to retain the officers in charge of the recruits, if necessary for the efficiency of their regiment. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major General Z. TAYLOR, Commanding, &c., Camargo, Mexico. [The following is a copy of the letter to Colonel Mason, referred to in the above letter.-R. J.] ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, COLONEL: Your report of the 25th instant has been laid before the general-in-chief, and it is decided to dispose of the infantry recruits in depot as follows: 1st. Organize four companies of recruits, each of one hundred men, to join their respective regiments, to wit: the 4th, 5th, 7th and 8th infantry, to each of which a captain and one subaltern will be assigned, who will take with them their non-commissioned officers. It is seen that the recruits in depot belonging to these regiments fall short of one hundred, except those for the 5th; the deficiency must, therefore, be made up from the general service, which it is supposed you may be able to do as soon as the transport shall have been provided. The last reports show that there were twenty-one recruits for the 8th infantry at Fort Monroe, which will be ordered to proceed to Point Isabel with the battalion of artillery to embark from that post, with instructions to join the company of recruits to be sent from New York, and thus make up the complement of one hundred men for the 8th. 2d. On the arrival of the four detachments of recruits at Point Isabel, instruct the commanding officer of the battalion (which must be organized as such for the time being) to join the division of the army in which their respective regiments are serving, as soon as circumstances will permit, when the hundred recruits for each will be equally distributed among the respective companies now in the field, which, it is seen, do not average fifty privates per company. 3d. The following are the officers it is proposed to assign to this body of recruits: Captain G. Morris and First Lieutenant H. D. Wallen, 4th infantry. Captain D. Ruggles and Brevet Second Lieutenant W. H. Tyler, 5th infantry. Brevet Major E. S. Hawkins and First Lieutenant S. G. Simmons, 7th infantry. Brevet Major G. Wright and First Lieutenant J. Beardsley, 8th infantry. The officers above named, of the broken up companies, you will order to return to the United States to rejoin the recruiting service, unless Major General Taylor should deem it necessary to retain them. The other officers recently relieved or appointed will, of course, join their regiments in the field. If you judge it expedient that other officers be named in place of some of those assigned, or some be added to the number, you will please to write me on the subject. You will make your requisition upon the quartermaster's department for transportation without waiting further instructions; and it is expected that the battalion of recruits will embark at the earliest day practicable. Report the day which you calculate the recruits may put to sea. The recruits at this place, Fort McHenry and Philadelphia, &c., I suppose, will be conducted to the depot by Captain Ruggles, of the 5th. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Colonel R. B. MASON, R. JONES, Adjutant General. 1st dragoons, Supt. recruiting service, New York, N. Y. NOTE. With regard to the supply of clothing which may be required for the recruits, you will take the necessary measures to procure it. R. JONES, Adjutant General. No. 28. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, GENERAL: Captain T. W. Sherman, 3d artillery, having addressed the general-in-chief upon the subject of his assignment to duty in the quartermaster's department, and his claim to succeed to the company to which he has been promoted, I am desired by the general-in-chief to inform you that company D, 3d artillery, to which Captain N. B. Bragg has just succeeded by his promotion, is now under orders for Point Isabel. This will afford you an opportunity of placing both Captains Sherman and Bragg at the head of their companies, to which they have been respectively promoted. Should you, however, deem it essential to the good of the service in the field to transfer the two captains, you are authorized by the general-in-chief to do so.. I am, general, very respectfully, &c., Major General Z. TAYLOR, R. JONES, Adjutant General. U. S. Army, Camargo, Mexico. No. 29. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, GENERAL: Instructions have this day been despatched to Major Burbridge, of the rifle regiment, to organize and equip four of his companies, now at St. Louis, and proceed, without unnecessary delay, to Point Isabel, there to await your orders, or such as he may receive from Major General Patterson. These troops are now made available for service in Mexico, with some reference to the force to be organized for the expedition to Tamaulipas, under Major General Patterson, agreeably to the instructions of the Secretary of War of the 22d ultimo. You were duly apprized, in my letter of September 28th, that, to make up the complement of the regular force which is to form a part of the expedition under that general, it was supposed that these companies must be drawn from the stations on the lower Rio Grande, as but seven companies of regulars could be sent from the east. The companies of the new regiment now under orders for the Rio Grande will be in position in time to replace [if by you deemed necessary] the veteran troops which may be taken from the line of posts in that quarter for active service in the direction of Tampico, or for any other service that you may think proper to direct. Major Burbridge has been informed that nothing could be said at this time with respect to the mounting of his battalion, as it was not known that the active service in immediate view would allow time to provide horses and other equipments. general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major General Z. TAYLOR, Commanding, &c., Monterey, Mexico. No. 30. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, GENERAL: In sending to-day by mail a duplicate of my letter of yesterday's date, the opportunity is afforded to add in the last sentence of the first paragraph, after the word "replace," the words "if by you deemed necessary," inserted by the general-inchief, in order to avoid the slightest chance of misapprehension respecting the availability of the battalion of riflemen under Major Burbridge, for any service you may deem necessary. Please to insert the five words above in the original borne to you by Major Graham. I am, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major General Z. TAYLOR, Commanding, &c., Monterey, Mexico. No. 31. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, GENERAL: I enclose a copy of a letter from his excellency Governor Whitcomb, of Indiana, to the Secretary of War, dated the 16th instant, requesting that certain individuals holding civil offices in the State, and now serving with the Indiana volunteers in the service of the United States, may be furloughed or discharged, to enable them to return and perform their civil duties; and I am instructed by the Secretary of War to say that you will permit the individuals named by the governor to retire from the army, should they desire to do so, either by furlough or discharge. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. G. FREEMAN, Assistant Adjutant General. Major General Z. TAYLOR, Commanding, &c., Monterey, Mexico. [The letter of Governor Whitcomb, referred to above, does not appear to be on the files of the Adjutant General's office.] No. 32. ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE, GENERAL: I am instructed by the general-in-chief to say that the field batteries belonging to the light companies of the 2d and 3d regiments of artillery, commanded by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Duncan and Brevet Captain R. Ridgely, having been in use since 1839, it is deemed expedient to supply them with new batteries, in order that the old may be thoroughly repaired or refitted at some arsenal. Accordingly, it is suggested that the batteries taken to the Rio Grande by Major Munroe and Captain F. Taylor, neither of which it is believed is in use, be given Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Duncan's and Captain Ridgely's companies. Should, however, either of these batteries be in use, then the general thinks you had better direct the battery at Baton Rouge arsenal, which is subject to your orders, to be immediately sent to you. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. G. FREEMAN, Assistant Adjutant General. Major General Z. TAYLOR, Commanding, &c., Monterey, Mexico. |