Surgeon-General, adding a limited inspecting corps, and increasing the number of surgeons, assistant surgeons, medical cadets, and hospital stewards. The department was also placed on a more independent footing, and its whole status elevated. But there are still other measures which if adopted cannot fail to add to the efficiency of the of Congress. First among these is the establishment of a permanent hospital and ambulance corps, composed of men especially enlisted for duty in the Medical Department, and properly officered, who shall be required to perform the duties of nurses in the hospitals, and to attend to the service of the ambulances in the field. By the establishment of this corps several thousand soldiers, now detached as nurses, cooks, &c., would be returned to duty with their regiments, and the expense now incurred by the necessary employment of contract nurses be obviated.

A corps formed upon the basis of two men to each company in service, organized into companies of 100 privates, with 1 captain, 2 lieutenants, 4 sergeants, and 8 corporals to each company, would relieve the enable the department to render far more efficient service to the sick and wounded than it is capable of affording under the present system.

The necessity of such a corps has been recognized by all European armies, and I am able to speak from personal observation of the great advantages to be derived from it.

I regard an increase of the medical corps, both of the regular and volunteer forces, as absolutely necessary. The law of Congress, approved July 2, 1862, provides sufficiently, except for cavalry and artillery regiments, for the wants of troops in the field, but the service in hospitals has to be filled, to a great extent, by the employment of contract physicians. I therefore respectfully recommend that the medical corps of the Regular Army be increased by 20 surgeons and 40 assistant surgeons, and the staff corps of volunteer medical officers by 50 surgeons and 250 assistant surgeonof 200 surgeons and 120 assistant surgeons.

The cavalry and artillery organization requires medical officers as much as infantry. The omission on the part of Congress should be supplied; a surgeon and two assistant surgeons should be authorized for each regiment of cavalry and each regiment of heavy artillery, and an assistant surgeon to each light battery.

Under the first section of the act of June 30, 1834, assistant surgeons of the Regular Army must have served five years before being eligible to promotion as surgeon. On the 1st of November, there were but six assistant surgeons in the Army who had served five years. The effect of this law will be to prevent the filling of vacancies which may occur in the grade of surgeon, and I therefore recommend that so much of said section as requires assistant surgeons to serve five years as such before being eligible to sergeancies by repealed.

The number of medical cadets is altogether too small for the necessities of the service. I therefore recommend that authority be given to appoint as many as may be required in accordance with the existing law on the subject.

The institution of a medical inspecting corps has been productive of excellent results. The number of inspectors authorized is, however, too limited to enable the service to be as efficiently performed