Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-06-15
New Army Appointments.

OF the new officers, particularly those of the high.
er grades, the President would eagerly avail him.
sell OF the opportunity TO promote the gallant
men, for whose late brilliant exploits he processes
TO be so very grateful, and some of whom have
grown grey i'll the service of their country Ii
Is 10 be regretted, indeed. that the law authori
zing the increase of the regular force. did not
imPeratively impose this duty upon that function
airy; but by the casting ro,e Of Vice President
Dallas, doubtless with full knowledge of Mr.
Folks wishes, the Senate struck from the bill
provision TO this effect, which, with just appre.
citation Of the claims of the old officers, that DO.
dy had originally adopted. The consequence has
been, that, superciously passing by the intrepid
defenders of Fort Brown. and the conquerors of
the MeXcans on tho bloody and glorious fields of
Pao Alto and Resaca de la Palma, the President
has Differed the new regiment with individuals,
who, with three or four exceptions, have never
''feshed their maiden swords" even in holyday
parade-mere carpet knights" who ought at
least to have won their spurs before they put them
on.
We certainly mean to cast no imputation upon
the gentlemen selected by the President. They
may, for aught we know, be already well versed
in the military art, and we do not doubt that they
will acquit themselves vaantly in fight. Ne
vertheless cannot believe that their selection
either Just to the old officers of the army or
credtable to the appointing power-and We are
confident that it will be condemned by public OPT.
Mon. 1t cannot be right that soldiers who have
been in the army ever since lSl2-who distin-.
gIished themselves in the last war with Great
Britain, and who bear in their persons the eviden
ces of their yalor----sodiers who have suffered
the perils and hardships Of the Black Hawk and
Seminole campaigns, and who have won new
and imperishable honors on the banks of the Rio
Grande.--it is not right, say, that these brave
and grey-haired veterans should receive only
thanks" and eulogies, while the substantial re.
wards of tho service are bestowed upon men who
have yet to prove that they are worthy of the
preference. Such was not the policy of Napo-
leon..-nOr will any Army ever long prove eff
Gent in which system insulting and unjust
prevails----in which the road to preierment is
found not in gallant deeds and heroic sacrifices
but in sycophancy to political coteries, and in the
influence Of political partzans. Look at the
list OF Nlarshas 10y whom the armies Of France
were led so often to victory Were they men
who learned the art of war IN the saloons of in.
trgung politicians, who obtained their epaiI-
lGttes by political intrigue and favoritism! Not
one OF them. Ney, Suchet, Soult, Lannes, Bes
seres, Junot, were all taken from The ranks
men of humble birth and humble occupations. but
beneath whose coarse garbs the penetrating eye
OF Napoleon saw genius, talent and courage. In
this "DemOcrdiic' country, how few rise from the
ranks MAJOR Brown, the heroic defender of the
Fort which bears his name, is the only officer at
tached to our Army, of whose promotion from
the station Of a private, we are aware. He en-
listed during the war of 1912, and obtained COM
mission as reward of his gallantry and he has
since been promoted as the casualties Of the ser
vice removed his seniors in rank. Yet, If he had
survived the conflict in which he so goriousy
fell, he would have found himself out-ranked by
the new appointees, Col. Smith aud Lieut.. Col
Fremont, the former Of whom has never been in
the regular service at all, and the latter was but
yesterday second Lieutenant Col. Smith
achieved some distinction, we are aware, in the
Floridl war; and Lieut. Col Fremont has attain.
ed deseryedly high reputation for his daring ex.
PloratiOn of the wilderness stretching from Mis-.
sour To the Pacific but we nevertheless submit
that Of the dozen veteran Majors in the army.
two of them at least might have been selected
who, on the score both Of services aud qualilica
tons, ought 10 have been preferred both to the
civilian and to the subaltern. So, too, of the
Captains appointed Where are tho surviving
Lieu,cnants who fought so gloriousy a few days
ago, that they should be forgotten when the high.
or grades TO which the soldier looks as his only re.
ward, were to be conferred Why were they
neglected and those rewards conferred upon
men engaged in the ordinary ayocations Of life
And why were not the subalterns selected from
the ranks, instead Of searching for them among
gentlemen who were out Of harms way, while they
were barring their breasts to the foel The inlus.
tice Of the course pursued, in making these ap.
pointmonts IL rendered more fragrant, by tho fact
that several Of the now officers were formerly pu.
pills at West Point, but did not graduate, (ethor
from incaPacy or something worse y and yet
they now rank higher than their classmates, who,
after graduating, joined the army, and have ever
since been performing their duty as soldiers, in
the garrison or in the field. We again ask, is this
right Is il not an insult to tender 10 those gal.
liant men the "thanks" Of Congress and the coun.
try, when so favorable an opportunity Of bestow.
ing on them more substantial rewards was deli.
bcrately aud apparently dcsgnedIy neglected.
How can they fail to feel keenly the indigolyl
And that they would resent II, by throwing up
their commissions in disgust, # tboy were not in
front Of an enemy, no one can question, without
suPposng them to be destitute Of tina, pride, with.
out which they would be unworthy Of their sta.
tons. They will now, however, submit to it, be.
cause Il they we're to resign, their motives might
be misconstrIed and msrepresented. But, at a
proper time, they will, we take it for granted,
show that they are not unmindful Of the indgni
ty and injustice to which they have been subject.
ed, and Of the duty which it imposes upon them.
" The U. States Gazette thinks that in view Of Mr.