Huntingdon journal. (Huntingdon, Pa.) 1843-1859, February 24, 1847, Image 1

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BY JAMES CLARK :]
VOL. XII, NO, 8.
c:s)u.=o.6:s
The. , JoeuxaL" will ho published every Wed
nesday morning, at $2 00 a year, if paid in advance,
and if not paid within six months, $2 50.
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ed ac .tordinelv
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OFFICES:
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P ETI (IA 1„
TIME.
Chide not the lingering hours of iirc,
Its toils will sums
Its schemes of glory owl of strife,
Its dreams with dissppoititmettts rife.
VVill vex the heaWno more—
Axel yet the very souls that grieve
A moment's weary track,
Perhaps in after years wo uld give
A world--to win it buck.
Chide not the lingering lapse of time,
Nor count its movements dull;
For soon the hell with mournful chime,
Will waft the split to a clime
More bright and beautiful—
A land where grief will never fling
Its darkness on the soul;
Where faith and hope shall gladly wing
Their path without control.
Chide not Times slow and silent hours,
Though heavy they may seem;
The post has sought oblivion's shores--
The present which alone is ours,
Is passing like a dream ;
And they who scarcely heed its truck,
Or wish its course more fast.
With fruitle s prayer may yet call back
One moment of the past.
Chide not a moment ' s
weary flight,
Jon soon it speeds away ;
And nearer brings the hour of night--
And dimmer makes the feeble sight—
Then work while yet 'tis day !
Thus shall life's morning ray depart,
WUhout one rain regret,
Anil death stun! gladly on the heart,
When Life's bright sun halluset.
MISC ELLA N FM-N.
TUE MAD IVOLF,
A TALE Ol' TUE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
SOLITAIRE. "
In the month of October, 1833, I was ; chance had only placed him within gun
on my return from a trapping tour on ' shot. On my return, I again corona-
Green River, the Grand Colorado of the tcred the Crow party, the eh iefof which
West, in company with three compan- I informed me that a .Ibrd Wolf had visit- •
ions, one named Alexandre, ahalf-breed, ied their camp the night previous. He .
Verboncceur, a Frenchman, and an Ante- I, bad been driven oil; however, before be
rican named Worthington. After a long I had bitten any of their party. This in- '
day's tramp, we halted in a neck of tint- telligence chilled my blood with a bor.
ber, upon a tributary of the Colorado, ; rid apprehension; and when he added
itntnediately bordering upon a wide- ' that the animal fled in the direction of
spreading prairie; and, having . here our camp, I felt assured he had been our
pitched our tent, and tied the animals, fierce visiter. With gloomy forebodings
we started out to reconnoitre the neigh- of cooling ill, I returned to my compan
borhood surrounding the camp-ground. ; ions, who were preparing for a start.
The country we had been travelling over . ; Everything being in readiness, we de
an day lay immediately in the path of I parted from the camping ground, and,
the roving bands of Arapaho and Crow holding our way down the valley, came
Indians, and the former tribe was the upon the great Crow trace, where, dis
white man's inveterate foe. Caution, covering the tracks of a largo party of
therefore, counselled its to examine the white men, we followed it up, and fell
tracks imprinted around us before we in with a trapping party of the North.
resigned ourselves to security and re- American Fur Company. From them I
pose. Having mounted a willow-cover- obtained some whiskey and salt, which
ed ridge near the encampment, I de- I applied to my wounds, and advising
scended into a small valley on our right, my companions to use the same precau
and had not proceeded far before I des- tion, I intimated that the animal which
cried smoke issuing from the covert.— bit us might be rabid. They laughed
Carefully approaching the spot, I soon , at my fears ; but after, as I thought, suf
discovered a numerous war party Cll- liciently amusing themselves about my
campment of Crows, and as they were ' « womanish " dread of a wolf bite, I
friendly to the company I belonged to, checked their mirth by imparting to
without hesitation 1 entered the circle them the intelligence I had gained from
seated around the fire. All seized their the Crows. Having, however, commen
weapons with a general exclamation of cod amusing themselves at the expense
44 how !" when informing them in their • of my fears, in a spirit of bravado they
own language, that I was a Little Wolf continued. I was awed by a presenti
-a name conferred upon me by an old ment of coining evil, and exhibited it,
chief of the tribe while I was sojourning no doubt, in my countenance. Moreo
in their village—they immediately re- ver, between dread of the wounds I had
membered me, and all signs of hostili- received, and chagrin at their ill-tinted
ties were stayed between us. After a merriment, I was influenced to drink
friendly shaking of hands, and a short freely of the liquor. My stolid air of
smoke of the calumet, I obtained all the indifference, together with m continued
information I needed relative to the Ara- libations, alarmed them, for I y
was habit
pahoes, and with pleasure learned that unity temperate as regarded drink—but
the war parties of the Crows had driven the reverse in passion. An outburst of
theta fur from the Southern hunting anger on my part would have been net
grounds. The chief of the party, and ural, and have amused them—but my
a number of his braves, accompanied troubled countenance, coupled with the
me a short distance on my return, and quiet despair of my actions, made them
when we parted, it was with mutual cx- uneasy, and they watched me with lute
pressions of friendship. On arriving rest. The liquor first made keen my
at camp, I found my companions await- ' sensibilities, then imparted a reckless
ing my coming. Each reported his oh- ; indifference, which was followed by the
servations, and the information which stupor of deep intoxication, and wrap
imparted was received with general sat- pod in its attendant robe of oblivion, I
isfaction. It also confirmed their save- forgot the previous night's encounter.
gal reports, all declaring their search The songs and adventures related a
yielded no sign of hostile footsteps. round the camp fire on that night, were
Every preparation was now made for
a night of uninterrupted repose, and ev
erything promised the luxury. Our
I wearied march, with the unceasing
watchfulness necessary for safety, had
worn us down, until a night of unbroken
sleep was looked forward to as the great- •
est boon circumstances could confer up
on us. A foe would not approach us in
the position we occupied, with our friends
the Crows, posted in such close prox
imity—they were nearly within hail—
' certainly within sound of our guns. A
final examination was made of our lariat
ropes which confined our animals, and
then a short smoke—the trapper's great
, est luxury—was indulged in; after which
spreading the buflido robes, we dropped
off into a slumber that needed no artili
! cid aids to prolong its soundness.
How long we had lain in sleep I know
not ; but at once, with a suddenness'
which started repose into flight, 1 felt
myself, erked from the robe on which I
was resting. My first thought was that I
the Indians had attacked us, but the
light of the fire disclosed my antagonist
to be a wolf, who had seized, such still
held me fast by the left band. I had no
weapon within my reach ; so, without 1 ,
hesitation, I struck him with my shut
fist, anddelivering the blow upon his
grinning muzzle with all my force, I
broke his hold, but in doing so, lacera
ted my thumb against his tusk. The j
whole was but the work of a moment.
Alexandre, who lay nearest to me, a
roused
himself, and no sooner was I re-
lensed from the infuriated beast, than it
seized him by the cheek. He choked it
off, when by this time, Verboncomr nod
Worthington having secured their knives
they rushed upon the animal. Eachin
flicted wounds upon him, but both were
bitten. With a howl which curdled the
hearer's blood, our assailant fled nod dis
appeared in the darkness. This sudden
and 'violent interruption to our slumbers
was not endured with christian meek
ness, nor commented on in those choice
epithets which bespeak n delightful sur
prise. On the contrary, we all indulged
in a few bitter expletives against this
nocturnal visiter, and having thus in a
measure appeased the wrath within us,
we hastily bound up the wounds we had
received, and once more forgot our elan-
gers in the oblivion of sleep.
When morning broke, till sallied forth
in different directions,. filled with re
vengeful purposes against the wolf, be
lieving that lie Would lurk in our neigh
borhood. But, after an extended search,
we were forced to forego the promised
revenge, and vent our auger in declara-
tions 'et what we W0111(1 have done if
CORRECT' PRINCIPLES-SUPPORTED BY TRUTH
HUNTINGDON, PA., FEI3RUARY 24, 1847,
unheard by me—and both companies
were prepared to separate in the morn
ing before they aroused .me from my
deep sleep. All the painful feelings of
intoxication awoke with me, and, stu
pid and sick, I made my way to a brook
beside the halting ground, and laved my
fevered head and body in its cool waters.
Here Worthington, one of my compan
ions, separated from us, and joined the
other company. Bidding him and the
party adieu, we turned our horses heads,
;nil again took up the line of march for
the Laramie river. We were in a re
gion where danger lurked in every bush
:Hid where the footsteps of human being
brought hostility almost as surely as the
clouds betoken rain. Thus far through
i he whole season of trapping we had es
caped unhurt, and were returning, rich
-1- laden with spoils.
But while successfully avoiding the
savage foe, a hidden one was at work in
our midst more terrible than the paint
ed warriors of the western desert—more
appalling in its promised fatality than
the torturing knife of the ruthless red
man. Hydrophobia ' in all its horrid
panoply of terrore, looked out from the
eyes that surrounded me, and I thought
the madness was reflected back from my
own.
On the day we crossed Cache-a-la-
Pondre river, a colt, on which we had
strapped some light articles, betrayed
symptoms of the malady, and for the
first time we found out he had been bit.
ten. Alexandre and Verboneccur had
listened their guns upon his back to re
lieve themselves of the burthen while
climbing the river banks, and now with
dismay they observed him break loose
front the mule to which he has tied, and
with a yell of terror fly from the stream
we had just crossed, the foam gathering
around his mouth, indicating with cer
tainty the cause of his frantic actions.
The arms he bore away were necessary
to our protection. I therefore started in
pursuit—but the mad animal being light
ly laden, soon left my jaded mule far be
hind, and, dashing over a ledge to our
left, ere I reached the promitory he was
entirely lost to view. Misfortune ap
peared.to have thrown her Mantle over
us, and, to a dread of the disease which
threatened us, was now added the loss
of weapons. Continuing our course
down the borders of the Laramie, which
became frozen over by the continued
cold weather, we approached the North
Fork of the Platte, and while in its im
mediate neighborhood, fancied we ob
served the colt quietly grazing in a plain
before us. Leaving Alexandre, who com
plained of being ill, in the tent, Verbon
mar and myself started in pursuit. A
flicker of hope stole about our hearts
that this might indeed be the runaway
animal free from hydrophobia, which
had fled, startled by the close proximity
of a beast of prey, or had been only
stung to momentary madness by sonic
venomous insect. As we neared the
animal all hopes fled; distance and our
ardent wishes lied converted the hump
of a buffalo into the semblance of a pack,
which, on nearer approach, resolved it
self into its real character, and cast us
back again into a state of despondency.
At this moment a cry from my compan
ion, who was pointing toward camp, di
rected my attention thitherward, and
the next moment I beheld our tent on
lire, and the half-breed flourishing around
Lis head a burning fagot. We instantly
turned our horses heads, and rode with
all speed toward him—as we approached
he started off the pack mules with his
brand, and when we reached the spot,
all our wen=t fears were confirmed—he
was a howling madman !
After a violent struggle, in which he
inflicted severe blows upon us both, we
succeeded in securing his arms, and
having bound him upon a pallet of skins,
we drove stakes into the frozen ground,
and there tied him. While he raved and
howled, all the savage in his nature
made predominant by his malady. Ver
boncceur and myself sat weighed down
with horrid dread, and were contempla
ting each other with fear. I fancied 1
beheld a wild expression in his eyes, no
doubt lie observed the same in mine.—
Alexandre, in the meantime, recovered
from his convulsion, and in tones of ear
nest supplication, besought us to end his
torture by sending a bullet through his
brain. His supplications but echoed the
thoughts which were coursing through
my mind—l was meditating suicide
with all the coolness of a wretch whose
cup of despair is to the full, and the tide
of which but lingers to the brim. Ano
ther, and another convulsion followed
the progress of the disease upon poor
Alexandre; in his terrible paroxysms he
tore one arm loose from the cords, and,
with a howl, begun to rend it with his
teeth ; when we secured the limb, lie
tried to seize his shoulder, this we pre
vented by placing a strap across his
forehead, anti fastening it on each side
with stakes—he now hit his lips with
bloodfury, and the and pil of lus dark
n ball, which a c about them in ir,scoe,y,,,viae fo wt fi a ir in ei
e g at a nh t de h e tp r h e ue d .
go s i l ) 1
white as the
sumed a hue as
d a tt isi 3; b s oino p o previous, v e i ,
All other easrs.
dangers vanished before this one—the
savage foe no longer inspired fear; in
deed he would have been welcomed to a
conflict which promised certain death.
As the sun of that day of sorrow went
down, the half-breed's paroxysms be
came more violent, and seating ourselves
beside his rude mountain Couch, we
watched him through the gloom of night.
Morning at length dawned, and we were
rejoiced that with its first blush the
spirit of our comrade fled, leaving its
tortured body to its long sleep.
Alexandre's knife had been carried
off by the colt, with the guns, and the
amount of arms between Verboncceur
and myself was one rifle, two knives,
and a pistol; of these my companion
had but a knife as his share, and I felt
selfishly glad, for he was an athletic
man, who, armed in madness, would
slay me in a moment; I therefore clutch
ed the weapons I possessed with an
eager gripe; and watched my comrade's
motion with painful vigilance. We could
not bury Alexandre's body, the earth be
ing so frozen it was impossible to dig
it with our knives ; we therefore started
down to the river, with the intention of
cutting a hole through the ice, and de
positing it in the stream, out of reach of
the wolves. Verboncwur first commen
ced eluting, but had not succeeded in
making a crevice before he snapped his
knife-blade off about midway. This ac
cident, at any time while in the moun
tains, would have been looked upon as
a great misfortune—in our situation it
was viewed as a frightful calamity—a
loss which rendered us weak and help
less in defence, and which it was impos•
sable to replace; and yet, paradox as it
may seem, while I grieved I rejoiced—
for, while it diminished the number of
our weapons, it robbed my companion
gf the only dangerous one be had left,
and one I had looked upon with dread.
I represented to him the necessity of
carefully preserving the other knife, and
he assented ; we therefore concluded not
to risk it in the ice, but folding up the
remains of our dead companion in a buf
falo robe, left it upon the prairie without
a sepulchre, with the the winds alone to
murmur his dirge. So perished the first
victim of the Mad Wolf.
When we again started, my compan
ion asked me for the pistol in my belt,
and the knife in my sheath, which he
argued would be a fair division of the
weapons, and Iliad no good reason for
refusing him, other than my wakeful
fears • but I put hint off with an excuse
that I wished to place them in proper,
order . before I resigned them. He smiled
and we journeyed on. After observing
his countenance for some lime, I began
to grow re-assured; it looked calm and I
undisturbed, and his step displayed a
firmness and decision which I believed
could only belong to health in body and
mind. When we were about to cross a;
small branch which emptied into the
Laramie, I again watched his features,
and all the symptoms of hydrophobia
burst forth in a paroxysm unmistakable
in its character. He instantly rushed
upon me, when, with the heavy barrel
of my rifle, I felled him senseless—my
fears had made the a Hercules in strength
—and then leaping upon his insensible,
body, I bound him with a halal rope so
tightly that in vain he struggled for free
dom. I sat down beside him with my
teeth clenched, and listened unmoved to
his ravings and prayers for death—for,
like Alexandre, he besought we to des
patch him—but finding his supplications
moved me not, he broke into horrid im
precations and threats, in which he swore
he would kill me—that he would tear
me with his teeth, and bound as he was,
he rolled his body towards me. I held
him down to the earth, and he again re
lapsed into dreadful convulsions. My
despair had now no lower depth. I
looked upon my remaining comrade, and
shared in his agony, for I expected that
inevitable as fate, my turn would come
next ; and yet, with this belief preying
at my heart, some unknown power of ,
the human will, held back my hand when
I would have yielded to my comrade's
entreaties for death.
At times the resolution to despatch
him, and follow it up with my own death,
was on the eve of being consummated,
when a whisper of hope would bid me
to firmly suffer on. Worn out nature
could bear up no longer without repose,
and so wearied was I in mind and body,
that ahnost unconsciously I sunk into
slumber. While the fire grew more and
more dim, my senses wandered away in
a delightful dream to the fire-side of my
old home, and the wilderness of the
trapper life, its many perils and hard
-1 ships, melted away in the soft sun-light
of an autumn sky, which appeared to
throw its golden beams over my far•oti
home. The settler smoked his pipe in
security, his household slumbered in
peace, and the morning sun awoke him
to enjoyment instead of fear. My dream
had taken the hue of my hopes and
wishes.
lighile my senses were thus wrapt, the
report of fire-arms dispelled the vision,
and not knowing for a moment whether
it was a dream or reality, sprung to my
feet and felt for my pistol—it was gone
I stood for it moment collecting my
thoughts, and partly waiting to feel the'
effects of a wound, but no sensation of
pain manifesting itself, I seized a brand
from the smouldering fire and held it
over my bound companion; it was solved
at a glance—he had in his struggles re
leased one arm, and a lucid fit interve
ning, poor Verboncwur had drawn the
pistol from my belt, while I slept, and
ended his agony by his own hand.
I was now alone—far in the wilder
ness—a dreadful apprehension of the
poison being in my veins ever present.to
my thoughts—and thus seated in dark
ness by my dead companion, my heart
bowed down, and my mind cheerless as
the gloom surrounding me, I yielded to
the feelings which were preying upon
my manhood, and wept like a child.
Morning at length dawned, and folding
my dead companion up, as we together
had previously bestowed the first victim,
I mounted a mule, and with the pack
animals pursued my solitary way. My
march was now one of indifference, and
with a kind of foolish daring I plunged
through every stream impeding my pro
gress, and drank freely of their waters,
inviting, as it were, the madness I was
sure would come. My progress was te
dious, difficult, laborious and full of hard
ships,
but at length, almost worn down,
I arrived at our trading post on the
North Fork of the Plate. When I pre
sented myself to the commander of the
post, lie did not recognize my gaunt form
and seared visage. Suffering of both
body and mind, had so stamped my fea
tures, that I looked like some escaped
maniac, and the uneasy appearance of
my sunken eye made old friends look
upon me with suspicion—they thought
I was crazed. When I told my story,
and showed the wounds upon my hands
inflicted by the rabid wolf, and related
the death of my comrades, they shook
their heads with doubt, and I could hear
it whispered among them that some
dreadful affray had occurred between us,
resulting in their death. Others sug
gested that the savage had slain my
companions, and that through suffering,
alone in the wilderness, I had become
insane. All 'these doubts worked upon
my troubled mind, until reason did be
gin to totter upon its throne. A few
days after my arrival at the North Fork
post, an express rider arrived, who had
passed a night in the camp of the Amer-.
Man trapping party our companion
Worthington had joined, and lie not only
had heard our encounter with the mad
wolf related, but the fact of his having
the malady being dreadfully confirmed
in the death of 'Worthington, who per
ished in their camp under all the certain
symptoms of liydrophia. My story be
ing thus confirmed, and painful suspi
cions removed, I felt a change in the
tone of my mind ; fears which had liar
bored there began to diminish in inten
t situ, and no symptoms of the nitwit
dreaded malady appearing, hope grew
strong within me. This produced a cor
responding improvement in health, until
gradually the marks of my dreadful
march disappeared from my features:
I have oft s .eii since endcavo - red to assign
a cause for my escape, and have as fre
quently been led to attribute it to my
free use of liquor and salt, at our meet
ing with the North-western trappers—
combined, they nullified the poison.
Fifteen years have passed since the ad
venture, and with a thankful heart I
chronicle the fact that no vestige of its
effects remain, except the vivid recollec
tion of our night encounter with the
.4fad Wolf' of the Prairies!
LYRICAL.—The favorite street song of
the Philadetphia b'ltoys is said to be the
following :
Old Zack 's at Monterey,
_ Bring out your Santa Ann-er!
For every time we raise a gun,
Down goes a Mexican-er!
Old Zack 's in Mexico,
Bring out your James K. Polk-ers!
For every time he lifts his pen,
Down goes the Locofoc-ers!
" Ma, ain't Jo Smashy a eourtin' our
Aleley In
" No—what makes you think so, my
son 'I"
"Why, always when he comes near
her, she sorter leans up to him like a
kitten to a hot brick."
Kr Congress will adjourn in less than
two weeks.
[EI)Prol: AND PROPRIETOR
WHOLE NO. 578,
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
In the House of Representatives, on 13th inst.,
the following message was received from the Pres
ident f the United States :
To the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States:
Congress by the act of the 13th of May (aft,
declared that, "by the act of the republic of Mex
ico, a state of war exists between that government
and the United States;" and "for the purpose of
enabling the government of the United States to
prosecute eau) war to a spevdy and successful ter
mination," authority was vested in the President
to employ the "naval and military force of the
United States."
It has been my unalterable purpose since the
commencement of hostilities by Mexico; end the
I declaration of the existence of war by Congress, to
prosecute the war in which the country was una
voidably involved with the utmost energy, with a
view to its '•speedy and successful termination" by
an honorable peace.
Accordingly, all the operations of our naval and
military forces have been directed with this view.
While the sword has been held in one hand, and
our military movements pressed forward into the
enemy's country, and its coasts invested by our
navy, the tender of an honorable peace has been
constantly presented to Mexico in the other.
Hitherto, the overtures of peace which have
been made by this government have not been ac
cepted by Mexico, N ith a view to avoid a pro
tracted war, which hesitancy and delay on our
part would lie so well calculated to produce, I in
ormed you, in my annual message of the Bth
December fart, that the war would "continue to be
prosecuted with vigor a. the best means of secu
ring peace," and recommend to your early and fa
vorable consideration the measwes proposed by
the Secretary of War, in his report accompanying
that message.
-
In my message of the 4th !armor)* fast, these'
and other measures, deemed to be essenttal to the
"speedy and successful termination" of the War,.
and the attainment of a just and honorable peace,
were recommended to your early and favorable
consideration.
The worst state of things which could exist in
a war with such a power as Mexico, would be a
course of indecision and inactivity on our pall.
l'eing charged by the comitution and the laws
with the conduct of the war, 1 have availed my
self of all the means at my command to prosecute
it with energy and vigor.
The act 'to raise for a limited time an addition.
al military force, and for other purposes," and
which authorizes the raising of ten additional re
' giments to the regular army, to serve during the
war, and to be disbanded at its te•mination, whith
was presented to me on the 11th instant, and Bp
i proved on that day, will constitute an important
part of our military force. These regiments will
h e r a i n ed and moved to the seat of war with the
least practicable delay.
it will be perceived that this act makes no pro
vision for the organization into brigades and di
visions of the increased force which it authorizer,
nor for the appointment of general officers to com
mand it. It will be proper thatauthority be given
by law to make such mganization, and to appoint
by and with the advice of the -enate, such num
ber of major generals and brigadier gencrals us the
efficacy of the eervice may demand. The num
ber of officers of these grades now in service are
not more than ate required for their respective
commands; but further legislative action during
your present session will. in my judgment, be re
quired, and to which it is my duty respectfully to
invite your intention.
Should the war, contrary to my earnest desire,
he protracted to the close of the term of service of
the volunteers now in Mexico, who engaged for
twelve months, an additional volunteer force will
probably become necessary to supply their place.
Many of the volunteers now serving in Mexico, it
is not doubted, would cheerfully engage, at the
conclusion of their present term, to serve during
the war. They would constitute a more efficient
force than could be speedily obtained by accepting
the services of any new corps who might offer
their services. They would have the advantage
of the experience and discipline of a year's service,
and will have become accustomed to the climate,
and be in less danger than new levies of suffering
from the diseases of the country.
I recommend, therefore, that authority be given
to accept the services of retch of the volunteers
now in Mexico as the state of the public service
rosy requi. e, and who may, at the termination of
their present term, voluntarily engage to serve du
ring the war with Mexico, and that provision be
anode for commissioning the officer.. khould thin
measure receive the favorable consideration of
Longress, it is recommended thut a bounty be
granted to them upon their voluntarily extending
their term of service. This would not only be due
to these gallant men, but it would be economy to
the government; because, if discharged at the end
of the twelve months, the government would be
bound to incur a heavy espense in brining them
back to their homes, and in sending to the seat of
war new corps of fresh troops to supply their
place.
kiy the act of tire Iflth of May last, the Presi
dent was authorized to accept the services of vol
unteers, "it, companies, battalions, squadrons and
regiments," but nu provision was made for filling
up vacancies which might occur by death, or dis
charges from the service, on account of sickneas
or other caeushies. In consequence of this omie
eion, many of the corps now in service have been
much reduced in numbers. Nor was any provis
ion made for filling vacancies of regimental or
company offices* who might die or resign. Infor
mation has been received at the War Department
of the resignation of more than one hundred of
these officers. They were appointed by the Mate
authorities, end no information has been received,
exrept in a few instances, that their places have
been tilled; and the efficiency of the service has
been impaired from this rause.
To remedy Meer defects, I recommend that au
thority be givers is accept the services of individs
al volunteers, to fill rap the place. of such as may
die, or become unfit foe the service and be dischar
ged, and that provisions be &leo made for filling the
pieces of regimental and company officers who
may die or resign. Dy such provisions, the vol
unteer corps may be constantly be kept full, or
may approximate the maximum number authori
zed and called into service in the first instance.
41 bile it is deemed to be our true policy to
prosecute the war in the manner indicated, and
thus make the enemy feel its pressure and its evils
I shall be at all times ready, with the authority
conferred upon me by the copetitution, and with