OfM A NATIONAL PAPER, PUBLISHED WEDNESDAYS AN'O SATURDAYS I> -JOHN FEN NO, No. 34. HO Pill FIFTH-STREET, A [No. 64 of Vol. IV.] sj* 'v CONGRESS. HOUSE or REPRESENTAnrES. WEDNESDAY, January a. De bate on Mr. SrgEie's motion for of the Military Establishment of the United States. In Committee of the Whole. Mr. White i— Ciair* Mr. Wadfworth firft noticed Mr. Steele's statements and calculations.— These he said, were erroneous, and even if cone&, the inferences the gentleman had drawn from them, did not appear to himjuft. He was fuiprifed the gentle man (hould so pofitivelv have pledged himfelf for their accuracy, when they were so very far from deserving that cha racter. As the statements of Mr. Steele had been published to the world he tho't it right to Hate in what they aie errone ous. The great object of that gentleman in offering his calculations to the House, was to (hew a prodigious progrefiive en creafe in the expences of the war depart ment, since the establishment of the new government. Fc)r this purpose he had compared what he Hated as the appropri. ations of the years 1790, 1791, and 1792, with one another, and with the sum now called for from that department for the year 1793. Mr. Wadfworth proceeded to (hew the inaccuracy of the gentleman in this at tempt, by the following llatement. Mr. Steele stated, that for 1790, the appropriations for the Quartet-matter's department amounted to Whereas the sum appropri ated was Omitted by Mr. Steele For the holpital in the fame year, Mr. Steels states r>ooo Bum actually appropriated 1,250 Omitted for contingencies in the fame year, Mr. Steele states 3,000 -Snm a&ually appropriated 3,750 Omitted Pay, fubdflence and cloa thing for 1790, Mr. Steele llates 126,020 ■Sum actually app. 147,100. 8 Omitted •'Total omiflions for 1790 In the year 1791, Mr.Steele states the Quar termafker's department at 25,000 Sum really appropriated 75,000 Omitted The ho (pita) department 1,635.20 JUally appropriated 5,635.20 Omitted Contingencies at Appropriated Opiittcd 'ay, fubfiilence, and doatliing, at jipropriated ij8,475-8o 331,788.20 Omitted Total omiffiopa Omitted Fay, Subsistence, and cloathing Appropriated Total omiflions for 1791 Dolts. 567,530.72 Fiom the foregoing, the inaccuracy of Mr. Steele's flatements, and of the calcu lations founded on them, were evident. The prodigious rapid cncreafe of the war department expences did not appear, ynd the gentleman's saving plan, founded on the difference of the appropriation for J792, and the sum estimated for 1793, proved very trifling indeed, amounting to a few thousands only. Mr. Wadfwoith said he did not posi tively pledge himfelf for the absolute ac curacy of his statements, but if there were errors in them he ventured to fay they were but tiifling. He next took notice of Mr. Steele's ar guments relative to the ordnance depart ment. Fiom what had been said by that gentleman on this he truly thotight, as he had exprefied it, that the business boie a ludicrous appearance . but on further en quiry, by looking over an account of the expenditures of the war department, it ap peared that the large sums appropriated for the ordnance department, far from be ing expended in the purchase of cannon, not one (hilling had gone to that life, it was all for repairs to arms, See. The state ment of the gentlemen in this particular he could not conceive confident with can dour. As the gentleman from N. C. relied his aflertion ofarbufes in the war department, on the ftatern,entß he had produced, these aflmioiis, he conceived, he fufSgiently answered, by ffiewing the statements inif ftated. Hollars 15,000 20,000 J,ooo Mr. Wadfworth referred to parts of the Secretary at war's reports to (hew that that officer had been in favour of concilia tory, and averse to hostile measures with the Indians, to another part to fhnw hid opinion where and how militia were effec tive. 250 He next turned to the causes of the war. The establishment of a war depart ment was, in his opinion, by no means, as had been fuggetled, the cause of the In dian war, but rather theeffeft. The war existed before the eftablilhment of the pre sent government, it is an inheritance from the old confederation and so is the war department. The history of its origin and progtefs was in record and might be traced by a reference to the resolves of congress. The war exitted in 1784. A communication received some years back from the executive of Georgia would e vince its exigence and shew its violence. The executive complained that the fron tier was too thinly fettled, and some coun ttes broken up, and ordered out 3000 men to protest it,—since that even the city of Savannah was, he had heard, so fenoufly threatened,that the citizens were obliged to keep guard in it—and this be fore the prefcat war system. Neither could the present mode of car rying on the war be called the creature of the war department. It was rather the Prelident s war,—or the war indeed of the house, the war of the legislature : the plan was a good one as the experience of the Prefulent in these wars made him a proper judge ; it had his approbation and we know it. rJ° 21,080. 8 27,080. 8 50,000 4,000 5,000 30,060 25,000 173,312.4 a »J»,3»»-40 Wednesday, January 9. 1795. !ji tj/ i?r a. Mr. Steele stales tftt <^nar termafter's deprt. at 50,000 Sum really appropriated 120,000 Omitted Hofyutal department at Really appropriated Omitted Ordnance department at 7,204.64 Appropriated 28,704.64 Omitted « Contingencies at Appropriated »70,374-70 707,405.43 Omitted 253 I * ifitioned fev?ra! Infianoejj >,/ cruelty of the whites towards the- »riilians, he also Hated the information of Judp-e Innis, of the depredations of the Indians: the single diftrid of Kentucky had tall from 1783 to 1790, 1500 men, women, and children, killed and taken, with 2000 horses and other property, amounting to at least 50,000 dollars, and to these lie attributed the war in which we were in volved. The hiftoiy of the settlement of Kentucky, if recurred to, would afford a series of causes of Indian h»ltilities. Two hundred persons had annually fallen facri fices to the Indians in this district. He .next proceeded to examine the opi nion advanced of the superiority of militia over regular forces in an Indian war. He recurred to history to disprove the opini on. So early as the year after Braddock's defeat, he said, Virginia attempted to pro tect itfelf agaitift the incurlions of the In by cfULlHaing a number of pofU «- long their frontier. The Indians, notwith ftaading, penetrated the frontier, came -60 miles within it, and drove the inhabi tants as far as Winchester. In the war which succeeded the peace of '62, garri son», 14 or 15 in number,>were ettablifti ed, to afford the wi/hed for protection ; they were all captured by the Indians, 3 or 4 excepted. The Pennsylvania fron tier had been more than once penetrated notwitbftanding the resistance of the mili tia. He next cited the instance of Col. Bouquet's success against the Indians with only two regiments of regular troops, which had even been much weakened by campaign in the Well-Indies.— These two regiments marched into the Indian country. At firlt finding 110 sup port on the frontier, and when arriving at Carlisle where he expedted to be aided by stores, troops, See. he found a general pa nic had taken poffeflion of the frontier— the counry of Cumberland, through which he was to pass deserted—the roads covcred with distressed families; but here having got together a few pack horses he stood in need of, he ilill advanced with the few troops under his command, and gave the Indians battle. The combat lalted from one o'clock till night, was re newed the next morning, continued thro' the day, and ended with the total rout & aeftrudtion of the Indian army. Fie then stationed his force in a commanding fort, and so effectually restored peace to the frontier, and spirit to the inhabitants, that lliey returned to their homes, which they had abandoned and lent their assist ance against the foe the next campaign. With the militia of Virginia and Penn sylvania he entered the heart of the ene mje's country, and forced the Indians to iubmiffion. He cited another instance ef the success of Indians against militia. The engagement between 800 militia, under Gen Herkemer, and 700 Indians, and others, where a total overthrow was given to the militia. T he firft check the troops of the Unit ed States niet with during the operation of the present war fyllem he adverted to, in the expedition under Gen. £larmar. In that instance the want of vigour in the militia is acknowledged by their own commander ; and as to the expedition un dei Gen. St. Ciair, the regulars were few and not to be named when compared with the number of the militia. The advanced guaid, in this action, composed entirely of these, not only run off without firing, but even threw away their guns and per haps their coats too, which circumllancc may account for the appellation of coal men, given to our men by the Indians. He next took notice of a late instance, the engagement between Major Adair, commanding a party of militia, and some Indians. He expressed his good opinion of that officer, but the conduit of his men he wiftied to bring to view ; and this he etinced from the commander's own letter wherein he fays, " that the Indians ob tained their end, the triumph is theirs," and in another place, " I will candidly 70,000 6,000 15,000 9,000 arjoo 40,000 50,000 30,000 437.°3<>-7» [Whole No. 586.] dity wjrsated the Mi** St lSfcffty' , toai ir.oi 'itf'ApSfaft' than neccffity." *> '? ' Mr. Wadfworth then combated the o pinion advanced, that Indian expedition by militia, were less expensive than by re gular troops ; after mentioning several iafts to the contrary, he inltanced Gene ral Clark's western expedition which had cost, he was not prepared to fay how much, but immetife Turns. He appealed to gentlemen who had commanded militia and continentals in the late war to de clare which appeared to them the moll efficient troops,—the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Parker) who had spoken in favour of the resolution before the house, he fakl, in one instance in the late war, if be recollected right, had no great " reaion to boast of Ins companions. He mentioned, as encroafing the expence, waft of (lores, inseparable from ex pet'iiio®: with militia, as well as wjlle J lives. One regiment of militia will de- Itroy, m the fame space of time more than a Brigade of regular troops, as it is impoflible to introduce discipline among The settlement of Kentucky, Tie said, which had been protected by militia, had colt more blood than the whole American war, he believed. If the number oflives 101 l in that undertaking could be compu ted it would make the refle6ting shudder. Something had been said of the tardy nature of military operations with regular troops, and it had been remarked, that an expedition this year had not been effec ted. He attributed this to the slowness of the recruiting service, owing to the clamour raised against the war by those opposed to the present system, Besides, the government had been blamed for not (hewing pacific dispositions towards the Indians, and had withheld the war, to procure peace by treaty—a vain hope, But leveral attempts had been made on our part to procure peace. The faate of" Harding, and others, were melanhcoly e vidences of this truth : But the certainty was, as it appeared to him, that the In dial's must be forced to make peace, they would not be quiet of choice. A gentleman fiom Virginia had objec ted to a refpe&able military eftablilhmenr, because it would produce an increase of military among the Britilh and Spaniards, to the North and South of us This was no rea lon with him, why the United States Jhould not make themselves respec table in the eyes of the Indians. Some years since, they told us of their confederacy, and to think of no separate treaties—to keep on our fide of the Ohio. We now flatter ourselves with peace, be cause they have told us they will treat but in what lanjrunge, and by whom dic tated, I am forbid to tell, the door 9 were closed when we received it. 1 tie fame gentleman had also mention ed those enhlting in our feivice as worth lets cliaradters : the sweepings of the streets, &c. They appeared to him as refpedtable, he said, as the generality of those who turned out in the American war. He made some further observations on the comparative excellence of regulars and militia, and brought some further instan ces into view in support of his opinion. Abuks, jt had been intimated, had ciept into our army ; no army could be totally free from abuses, he observed, and he gave it as his opinion, that the army of the United States was as free from them as most, especially when its diltance from the feat of government was considered. He concluded by a recapitulation of the sentiments he had expressed, and which should influence him to vote againll the motion. Efpccially as the system had been adopted after mature conHderation. I o change it now would argue that when it was firll adopted, it was done * with unbecoming halte, or (hew a great inilability. The Indians would laugh at us as inconsistent, and might be inducc4 [J« Ifjlpage J
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