Abstract: of the Report of the Secrets-

Ty of War. . •

•

The Repott.of the Secretary of War com­

mences with' ri statemeutone-the 'numerical

tore° and tonNitiOn of the standing army of

-The canary. L.From this, statement vre•Jearn

that there are nineteen i'regiments which are

divided into.ten of_infanlry, four Of tit tillety.

two 'of dragoons,l•wo rf otivalry;tind one of

mounted riflemen:

• The-whole-strength-of the army; us postitL

consists of about'l7,oB4 teen, end the netwil .

strength, on. the first of July Inst. - Was-15,704.

In addition to the movements which the troops

hove been called 'on to make. this year,

fcircels - enlled - upon to. garrison - 08 forts:of-a

large and permanent character—so far, at

least, as it is possible to supply men for the

purposeanif to occupy 70 posts lees perma­

nently established, where - the presence. of a

force is abeautely yequired, - . The area over

which these forts and poets niellprend em­

binchs a circuit of about 3,000,000

, square.

miles, and requires vi journey of many thou-'

Band miles - to visit the principal ones of-them.

The external hyundary of our country, Bays

the report, requiring throughout _more _or

lees vigilant military supervision, is 11,000

miles in length. But the occupation of this .

long line of frontier is a trifling difficulty in

comparison with that of protecting the double

line. Indian frontier, -extending - from the

Lake of the Woods' to the banks of the Rio

Grande, on the East aide Of the Rocky Moun­

tains, and from beyond the river _ GrogoO on

'the British frontier to . the heal' of the Gulf

of

,Culifornia,,ou - The Western slope of those

mountains.' . Suspended tothese linea r requir,

ing to, be occupied, nre the great lines inter­

communicating between the'valley of the

Mis­

sissippi and , the Picifio Ocean. From .our

Wesfern frontier of settlements to those -of

Northern Oregon • the dienince ,is about 1800

miles, from the same •frontier to the settle­

ments of thilifornia, via Salt_bake, is 1800.

miles;, from-the frontier of •Arkrinsav, nt.Fort

Smith, by Albuquerque or Sante*Fe, to' Fort

Tejon, is about 1700 miles ; and floni San An­

tonio, by El Paso to San Diego, near the bor­

ders of- the white. settlements, is 1900. miles,

constituting, an aggregate line of 6700 miles,

which might to be occupied, and which we

pretend, in some sort, to keepopettnadefend.

To render governmental protection to our

vast frontier 110 .great emigration perfect, a

-very-large-nugunithtution -of the--:artn3C-dhliLl

-Secretary says, would not birequired. Five

additional' regithents, he believes, would an­

swerthe purpose,_if properly poslek