Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-01-27

ment, except as members OF military courts,
can perceive no objection TO the measure anu
most earnestly solicit that the SUBJECT DC suo-
mitted to Congress. :,
The previous question would seem properly
to be, whether or not the department neeaea
Improvement: and taking the Paymaster Ie-
neral's own words for it, it "apPears that eve
nv cen, advanced within the time embraced III
this renort has been accounted for, that coula
&c required or expected; aud have every rea-
son 10 believe the remainder will be IN due time'
and with equal fidelity" further nc az
counts show the troops generally 10 oe Pa'o W
the frs, Of September; they are Prooan'!' ~
this time, all paid to that period, ana man!
two months later" AS this is the desisn-'he
only design contemplated ina Pay department.
i, mus, be acknowledged somewhat difcun 10
;map;ne j, what an improvement could consist.
Leaving the details ofthe Paymaster General
arguments here for the present, we will briefly
consider the nature Of rank and command IN
the army. in order to place the principle OF his
suggestion in its true light.
Tho military grades Of rank, from MAJOR
General down to corporal inclusive, (see Sect
|. Art. 2. par. a, army regulanons,) are uesis-
native of corresponding degrees OF military
command BY military command, is not 20 DC
understood merely hneal command, IN contra
distinction to that Of the staff, as the phrase Is
sometimes misinterprcted, but as being liiciu'
sive Of both.
The staff grades Of rank consist OF as many
series as there are staff departments, ana they
include all grades in each department, from
their chiefs 10 their lowest grades respectively
For example take the Adjutant's department
There is first the .4djutam General, next AsS'S-
tart Adjutanl General, next Brigade MAJOR, then
Adiutant, then Sergeant Major, and lastl! Order-
| IN Sergeant AS in this, so IN each department.
the staff command attached 10 each OF the xmas
and degrees Of staff rank, (tor all rank impiies
command0 is respectively over the inferior de-
grees of each department.
These two classes Of rank are related to each
other thus: The military being charged with
The primary service Of The army, that OF tight
| ing the public enemy, controls, as necessary
means TO that end, the Shcers and duties OF the
staff The first is primary rank, the other Sc
condary
The principle Of military rank, in the alb
s,ract, is 10 command through the whole SER
vice. The possessors Of i, are, however, by the
grade or degree assigned them, respectively IL
mied to their several proportions OF command,
a regiment, a battalion, company, &c. hey
are still further restricted for the most part, by
the addendum Of their arm Of service TO their
military title, which confines them in the exer-
c.se of military rank TO their proper proportion
in ,ha, designated arm In each Of the grades
of military rank, however restricted, and how
ever inferior il may be, there is implied cor
responding right TO command over the statt in
all its departments. By mistake in the ma
ture Of the subject committed by the legisa-
ture, the degrees and arms are nominally Fred
TO the commissions Of the several officers, but
they are not so fixed in practice. Accordingly,
CANAAN, for instance, of any arm, may and
does on the occurrence of vacancies IN all the
grades above him in any separate detachment.
however large, "a division for example,) ascend
to the command Of the whole, though IL should
have forty times his habitual command, and on
the other hand, should the casualties Of service
reduce such division TO company's force, the
general officer at its head would descend 10
captains command.
The principle Of staff rank is to command in
10 instance more extensively :han the de-
partment 10 which the possesscr belongs
lie cannot in virtue Of his staff rank, however
high the grade, command an dfcer OF any 9th
er department or branch OF service, however
low; no, not even private IN the ranks. In his
department his command expands or contracts
on the same principles as the military Com
mand in the Amy at large.
Thus far we have spoken oil officers with
military rank Alone and shown that it implies
command in both line and staff; and Of officers
with staff ank aione whose commands are con-
fined to their respective departments of the
staff. But while this is the true theory on the
subject, tie important fact must not be over
looked, that the latter have IL many instances
military command by brevet bestowed OH them
in addition 10 their staff rank, and consequently
" lille the latter alone is habltually operative,
the former may become SO, on the occurrence
Of the brevet contingency. To illustrate: The
Adjutant General, as such, is limited in the ex-
ercsr Of command to his own department, over
the several grades already enumerated; but as
Colonel by brevet, he may assume the military
command Of detach ment or an army, includ-
inc not merely branch of his own staff depart
ment, but of all others also, in addition to that
of the troops, whenever his Colonelcy becomes,
by the absence Of superiors, the highest com
mission present. In all other cases he is SIM
ply Adju,ant General, no. Colonel, nor has he
as such, the military command over corporal.
Now this military brevet rank is conferred
ror sboulI ,e\ an Sucb staff officers ONLY whose