the Republic and to the widows, orphans, and
dependent mothers of those who have fallen in battle or died of disease
contracted or of wounds received in the service of their country have been
diligently administered. There have been added to the pension rolls during
the year ending the 30th day of June last the names of 16,770 invalid
soldiers and of 271 disabled seamen, making the present number of army
invalid pensioners 22,767 and of navy invalid pensioners 712.

Of widows, orphans, and mothers 22,198 have been placed on the army
pension rolls and 248 on the navy rolls. The present number of army
pensioners of this class is 25,433 and of navy pensioners 793. At the
beginning of the year the number of Revolutionary pensioners was 1430.
Only twelve of them were soldiers, of whom seven have since died.
The remainder are those who under the law receive pensions because
of relationship to Revolutionary soldiers. During the year ending the
thirtieth of June, 1864, $4,504,616.92 have been paid to pensioners of all
classes.

I cheerfully commend to your continued patronage the benevolent
institutions of the District of Columbia which have hitherto been
established or fostered by Congress, and respectfully refer for
information concerning them and in relation to the Washington Aqueduct,
the Capitol, and other matters of local interest to the report of the
Secretary.

The Agricultural Department, under the supervision of its present
energetic and faithful head, is rapidly commending itself to the great and
vital interest it was created to advance. It is peculiarly the people's
department, in which they feel more directly concerned than in any other.
I commend it to the continued attention and fostering care of Congress.

The war continues. Since the last annual message all the important lines
and positions then occupied by our forces have been maintained and our
arms have steadily advanced, thus liberating the regions left in rear, so
that Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and parts of other States have again
produced reasonably fair crops.

The most remarkable feature in the military operations of the year is
General Sherman's attempted march of three hundred miles directly through
the insurgent region. It tends to show a great increase of our relative
strength that our General-in-Chief should feel able to confront and
hold in check every active force of the enemy, and yet to detach a
well-appointed large army to move on s