The ration of provision to consist of 1 pound of bread or flour, or Rice, 3/4 of a pound of salt or 1 lb of fresh beef pork or fish, one gill of vinegar, and half a gill of salt; each part of the ration to be estimated as follows and when not furnished to the troops in service to be paid for at the rates annexed to each.

Officers if they prefer it to be at liberty to receive the value of the ration in money.

All the troops to be obliged to receive fish, two days in the week. No Regiment to be allowed to draw rations for more than four women to serve as nurses in the Regimental hospitals and to receive four dollars per month in addition to a ration per day. A weekly allowance of soap to be made at the rate of for each commissioned officer and for each non commissioned officer

or private, all persons entitled to provisions to be entitled to soap at the same rate.

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The ration of forage to consist of the following articles to be estimated at the rates annexed to each.

12 lb hay -

8 quarts of oats or other grain equivalent.

7/90

5/90

12/90

When officers entitled to forage are absent from their corps on duty and cannot draw it they shall be paid for it at the rates abovementioned, which shall also be done as to any articles not furnished when with their corps.

F. The articles of cloathing, already enumerated to be furnished to the non commissioned officers, soldiers and others, to be estimated at the following rates: and when not furnished to be paid for accordingly; also when more than the stipulated allowance shall be furnished, there shall be a deduction from the pay at the same rates, viz.

The idea of the Confederation being adhered to, the number of troops to be raised must be distributed to the several states according to the proportion of their respective populations; and each must appoint Regimental officers in proportion to the number of men it furnishes but as no State will have to furnish a complete Regiment this apportionment of the officers will become extremely difficult, if not impracticable, on any satisfactory footing, and the filling up vacancies as they arise will create endless perplexity. It would be much to be preferred that the states could be induced to transfer this right to Congress and indeed without it there can never be

regularity in the Military system. It would also be much the best that the men should be enlisted under Continental direction, which will be a more certain and more frugal mode; for if it is to be done by the particular states they will raise the price of the men by competition, and the United States will be obliged to pay for any mismanagement or extravagance which may happen, though without their participation or control.

The officers however to command the different corps in the first instance may with propriety be appointed reserved out of those now in service who are willing to continue in the military line; provided that such as are retained shall not be entitled to the half pay for their services during the war.

All promotions to be made Regimentally to the rank of Major inclusively, according to seniority; and from that rank upwards, in the line of the army, according to the same rule; the officers of Dragoons and Infantry rolling together without distinction of corps.

The promotion in the Engineers to be distinct and according to seniority in that corps.

Provided, that no officer whatsoever shall consider it as a violation of his rights if another receives an extra promotion in the corps on account of brilliant services or peculiar talents.

And in order that such extra promotion may not depend on misrepresentation, it shall not be made but on the recommendation of the Commander of the Army, accompanied by the facts and reasons upon which it is founded, and with the opinion of the officer commanding the corps in which the promotion is to be made, all which shall be reported to Congress, by the Secretary at War, with his opinion concerning the same.

All non commissioned officers and privates to be engaged for six years; and each Regiment to be allowed rations for a certain number of women, at the rate of women to every men. with this condition, that if a war should break out during the time, they shall be obliged to serve to the end of it.

FORTIFICATIONS.

The fortifications necessary to be kept up are of two kinds, land and naval; the first for internal security, the last for the protection of the fleets of the United States. As to the first kind, there are many important posts already existing, several of which it will be essential

to occupy and guard till more permanent provision can be made on a general plan. For this Congress have already made temporary provision by their resolution of the If the time therein limited should be likely to expire before a general system can be adopted, it can be prolonged.

The Committee are of opinion that the principles laid down by Major General Du Portail, Chief Engineer, in the Memorial annexed to this report, so far as they respect merely the article of fortifications are in general sound and just; and that it will be expedient for Congress, so soon as they have determined on the establishment of the Corps of Engineers to instruct the head of that Corps to make a survey of the points proper to be fortified and to digest a general plan, proportioned to the Military establishment of the United States, to be laid before Congress for their consideration.

ARSENALS AND MAGAZINES.

The Committee are of opinion that it will be proper for Congress to keep constantly on foot Arsenals and Magazines of such articles as are not of a perishable nature, in different parts of the United States, equal to the complete equipment of twenty thirty thousand men, for the field or for a siege calculated on a three years' supply; and that in this view it will be proper to select the following places of deposit: Springfield, in the State of Massachusetts; West Point and its dependencies, State of New York; Carlisle, State of Pennsylvania; some convenient position on James River, to be reconnoitred for that purpose; Camden, State of South Carolina.

All the Artillery and Military stores in the possession of the United State to be distributed to these deposits in equal proportions, and as soon as may be, deficiencies in the proposed quantity to be made up, so that each deposit may suffice for six thousand men.

MILITARY ACADEMIES.

The Committee are of opinion that the benefit of such institutions rarely compensates for the expence; that Military knowledge is best acquired in service; that with respect to those branches of service which are of a more scientific nature, the professors proposed to be attached to the Corps of Engineers, will produce substantially all the utility to be expected from academies; that at all events institutions of this kind can only be an object of future consideration.

FOUNDERIES AND MANUFACTORIES.

The Committee are of opinion that as soon as the situation of public affairs will permit, it ought to be a serious object of our policy to be able to supply ourselves with all articles of first necessity in war, and in this view to establish founderies of cannon, manufactories of arms, powder &c.

There are two reasons which appear to them conclusive for this: the first that every country ought to endeavour to have within itself all the means essential to its own preservation, as to depend on the casualties of foreign supplies is to render its own security precarious; the second, that as it will be indispensable to keep up a Corps of Artillery and some other troops, the labour of a part of these, bestowed upon the manufactories will enable the public to supply itself on better and cheaper terms than by importation. The Committee propose that the Secretary at War be directed to lay before Congress a plan in detail for this purpose, designating the places where those founderies and manufactories can be erected with advantage, the means to be employed and the expence to be incurred in the execution.

GENERAL STAFF.

The Committee are of opinion that as soon as the situation of publie affairs will permit a general staff in time of peace (except a general officer to command the troops, another to command the Corps of Engineers and Artillery and an Inspector General) ought to be dispensed with, as all the purposes may be answered by the war department, by contracts, and by the Regimental Staff.

The pay of the officers here mentioned and other emoluments to be as follows:

In time of war, two Regiments to compose a Brigade, and a Brigadier General to be appointed to each Brigade with 200 dollars pay per month and 5 rations of Forage per day.