by the fact that the men raised in that district were mostly transported and subsisted by the quartermaster's and commissary departments, so that those items of expense do not appear in the records of the provost-marshal of that district. The cost per man in the different districts varies very widely, varying from $8,97 in the Fourth District to $34,58 in the Thirteenth; or, leaving out the Fourth District for reasons above given, from $11,20 per man in the First District to $34,58 in the Thirteenth District, as aforesaid. Many causes have contributed to these great variations of comparative cost, among which should be mentioned the different degrees of business ability and tact characterizing the respective provost-marshals, but the principal cause is to be found in the widely different circumstances and facilities for the transaction of business in the different portions of the State where the district headquarters are located.

It will be seen from Schedule No. 21 that 52,221 men, including deserters and drafted men, have been raised and put into the military service of the United States from Illinois since the organization of this office [April 27, 1863], at an aggregate cost to the Government of $702,891,37, being an average cost per man for the whole State of $13,46. This estimate, as before remarked, is exclusive of the cost of transportation, &c., including only those items of expenditure connected with the provost-marshals" offices, and appearing upon their records. When all other expenses are taken into the account, including premiums paid for procuring recruits, &c., the average cost per man for the whole State will, of course, be greatly enhanced; but it is hoped that the exhibit, taken upon the basis assumed in the schedule, will not be considered discreditable to the practical economy manifested by the officers of your Bureau in this State.

I have thus briefly traced the organization, progress, and results of the work intrusted to me as acting assistant provost- marshal-general for Illinois. It remains, in compliance with the invitation of your letter of April 27, 1865, to which this report is responsive, to add some general observations suggested by my experience in this field for the past two years, in the hope that they may prove of some value should it, unfortunately, be necessary to resume operations.

GENERAL REMARKS.

1. Centralization.-No fact has been more clearly demonstrated by my experience in this work during the past two years than that the interests of the service require a greater concentration of all the more material and responsible elements of the business at the office of the acting assistant provost-marshal-general. All data essential to the correct computation of quotas, credits, &c., should be sent to the central office. Duplicate copies of the original enrollment lists should also be forwarded to this office. In like manner, during the progress of a draft, the names of persons drafted each day, and all other important data, should be transmitted to the central office, instead of only numerical statistics, as heretofore, which afford no means of verification in respect to individuals should misunderstandings arise.

Many cases have occurred in relation to the enrollment and draft which could have been satisfactorily adjusted with far less labor and time had such facilities of verification been at hand; while for lack of them many other questions of much importance to sub- districts and individuals could not be placed in a satisfactory light to the parties interested. As you have already been apprised, I did not at the