the statistics and interesting facts it contains. Brief as it is, it has value in an historical point of view, and bears marks of the eye and hand of an educated and experienced soldier; one who although his arduous duties have been well done, we have sometimes regretted not to see in a high command in the field.

His preliminary statement shows that during the year accounts to the amount of $284,809,697 72 passed the official examination required by law, prior to transmission to the Treasury for final examination and settlement. They number 7,913; 7,828 accounts remain on hand to be examined, relating to disbursements, amounting to $221,339,550 48.

During the year preceding the last annual report from this office the accounts examined and transmitted to the Treasury covered disbursements to the amount of $118,463,312 03.

He gives a clear and graphic account of the duties of the Department during the famous Chattanooga campaign, and lays stress upon the valuable services of General Allen, Colonels Easton, Condit, Smith, and Donaldson; and with reference to the later campaign, quotes General Sherman's testimony to the fact that his vast army, operating at a distance of three hundred miles from Nashville, was supplied in a manner to receive his most thorough satisfaction and approval.

With reference to the use of military railroads in the Department of the Cumberland, he says:

"On the 1st of November, 1863, there were in use in the Department of the Cumberland one hundred and twenty-three (123) miles of military railroads; with thirty (30) locomotives; three hundred and fifty (350) cars; one hundred and eighty-seven (187) persons employed in the transportation dépôt, and four thou sand (4,000) in the railroad service; average dispatched per day, 40 cars. On the 14th of September, 1864, the number of miles of railroad in use was nine hundred and fifty-six (956); the number of locomotives, one hundred and sixty-five (165); of cars, fifteen hundred (1,500); of persons employed in transportation department, one hundred and fifty (150); in railroad service, ten thousand eight hundred and five (10,805); dispatched per day, 150 cars.

"There had been transported by railroad in the above period 298,528 tons of freight and supplies, and over one hundred and forty thousand troops.

"This is a statement of the dispatch south.

The road being for a considerable part of the time fully occupied in sending forward supplies, the great movement of troops was made by marching from Nashville south.

"The return business from the front included vast numbers of disabled and broken-down animals returned to the dépôt for sale, or for recuperation at the base of supplies; about ten thousand rebel prisoners; forty thousand sick and wounded soldiers; fifty thousand returning veteran volunteers, and fifty thousand tons of returned freight.

"The expenditures at Nashville by the Quartermaster's Department, exclusive of the military railroad service, amounted to nearly fourteen millions of dollars ($14,000,000)."

This statement of only a partial service will give to our readers some idea of the influence of railroads upon modern war; and what follows will show the part that the electric telegraph has played :

"The requisitions for construction, maintenance, and operation of the military telegraph during the fiscal year amounted to six hundred and six thousand dollars. Of this sum there was applied to purchase of material two hundred and six thou sand dollars; the balance being absorbed by wages of operators and incidental expenses.

"There were in operation during the year six thousand five hundred miles of military telegraph, of which seventy-six miles are submarine.

"One-half of the above, or three thousand miles, of which thirty-eight were submarine, was constructed during the war.

"About one thousand persons have been constantly employed in this service. "One million eight hundred thousand telegraphic messages were transmitted during the war.

"The average cost of these messages, therefore, charging the whole yearly expense of construction, maintenance, and operation to them, would be only thirty (30) cents."

Passing over, for want of space, the topics of "Clothing, Camp and Garrison Equipage," "Forage," and "Trains," we pause for a moment upon that of horses and mules, to state that "the reports received from armies numbering 426,000 enlisted men, show that there were present with the armies 221,059 animals; among which there are 113,684 serviceable horses, and 87,791 serviceable mules." The remainder were oxen and unserviceable horses and mules.

With the armies there were present 17,478 army wagons of the transport train, exclusive of ambulances and of the artillery-carriages, caissons, limbers, &c.

It appears, therefore, in practice, that the Quartermaster's train of an army requires, on the average, one army wagon to every twenty-four or twenty-five men, and that the animals of the cavalry and artillery, and of the trains, will average one to every two men in the field.

With regard to ocean transportation, the report gives us the following:

LIST OF VESSELS CHARTERED AND OWNED IN THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES, OCTOBER 15, 1864.

* Exclusive of coal, which is furnished by the Government.

The following statistics are given of the military organization among the employés of the Quartermaster's Department, and speak well for the character of the men employed :

--

"The force organized from the Quartermaster's Department in Washington and its dependencies numbers about five thousand men; that at Nashville numbers nearly seven thousand.

"Twice have the Quartermaster's forces in Washington been called out to perform guard duty; once they have taken their place in the trenches, and assisted to repel an attack upon the capital. A large detachment of them, about fourteen hundred strong, has lately been detailed to proceed to the front and remove the timber which sheltered guerrillas attacking one of our importont railroad lines of supply.

"Those at Nashville have twice been placed under arms when that city has been threatened by the rebel cavalry, and lately a detachment of them pursued and recovered from the rebels a captured drove of cattle belonging to the Subsistence Department."

Of negro labor General Meigs says:-

"Much distress, doubtless, attends the sudden change of condition of these people from slavery, in which their wants were provided for by their masters, to freedom, in which they must abandon their former homes and support and provide for themselves. But the fact that employment is ready for them all shows that this distress should not be of long continuance, and that this great social revolu tion is being accomplished with much less suffering to the oppressed and liberated race than was to be feared."

The official force of the department is thus stated :

The appropriations for the service of the Quartermaster's Department since the outbreak of the rebellion have amounted, as shown by the table transmitted with the report, to the sum of nine hundred and thirty-eight million, nineteen thousand four hundred and seventy-one dollars and ninety-five cents ($938,019,471 95.)

Detailed reports from his subordinates and copious tables complete the pamphlet, which should be put on file by every historical student, as one of the mémoires pour servir. We may expect, in a final report, a great addition of interesting facts to illustrate the economics of the closing campaign.

GREAT BATTLES IN HISTORY.

No. V.

BURGSTALL-LÜTZEN-FEHRBELLIN-NARVA.

BATTLE OF BURGSTALL, in the vicinity of Nuremberg, between the Imperialists and Bavarians, under the command of Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland, on the one side, and the Swedes, under Gustavus Adolphus, on the other. Fought on the 24th of August, 1632.

Nearly a year had elapsed since the victory of Breitenfeld had established the renown of Gustavus, and given confidence to the Protestants of Germany in their ability to maintain, with his aid, their religious liberties against the pretensions and encroachments of the Imperial government.

Two courses were opened to him: either to march with his victorious army through the territories of the House of Austria to the River Danube and upon Vienna; or, turning to the right, in the direction of the Rhine, to endeavor to break up the league which had been formed by the princes of the empire in support of the Emperor's claims. Gustavus chose the latter, as likely to attain the objects he had in view in the speediest manner, and with the least risk of encountering a reverse to his

arms.

Several of the minor German princes now seemed disposed to change sides in the pending contest; and even the Elector of Bavaria was for a time inclined, through the mediation of France, to declare in favor of a neutrality between the contending parties. The preparations of the Emperor, however, soon encouraged the Elector to a renewal of the contest with Gustavus.

In several minor conflicts between the Swedes and Bavarians the advantages were nearly balanced, when the death of Tilly opened the way to the renewed appointment of the celebrated Wallenstein to the chief command of the Imperial armies. The King of Sweden was then induced to retreat with a portion of his army towards Nuremberg, and at the same time to draw back his remaining troops, to be enabled to communicate readily with them, when he might desire to do so.

In the month of June, 1632, Gustavus was actively engaged in fortifying his camp before Nuremberg, and in placing that city itself in a state of defence against any attempt likely to be made upon it by the enemy. This had been so effectually performed, with the aid of the enthusiastic inhabitants of the city, that, when Wallenstein appeared before him, on the last day of June, with an army thrice as numerous as his own, it was judged inexpedient to make an assault upon his position. The

Imperial general trusted to dislodge him from it by cutting off his supplies. Gustavus, on the other hand, although much straitened by the want of provisions, persisted in remaining where he was until he should be joined by the troops which he had detached in different directions. When, at length, this junction had been effected, he found himself at the head of a larger force than that under the orders of his adversary, and he resolved to assume the offensive.

The numerical force of the two armies at this time may be stated at seventy thousand Swedes and their allies, sixteen thousand of whom were cavalry, and sixty thousand Imperialists and Bavarians, thirteen thousand being cavalry.

For the position of the armies, see the annexed plan:

The Imperialists and Bavarians occupied the intrenched camp bbb, as follows:

1. The Bavarians, under the immediate command of the