Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-12-08

hrst selection; either the officers selected NAV not
De qualified, or they may become disqualified for
tnem special functions, and yet be az for the acne
raj service. These are evils which the govern
ment should, at all times be allowed The means
OF correcting good staff Is so essential 10
army Operations that il is important TO secure its
constsntehciency. There are, TO my mind, CON
elusive reasons why the staff should not be orga-
nlzed INTO permanent corps and experience in
Inc administration Of the War Department has
furnished many practical proofs of them. If the
auiies oil the stan were performed by officers
hoiding temporary appointments for such service,
all Inc benefits might be secured of large field
OF selection, at all times open, of general expe-
Renee IN the service, and Of special qualifications
for staff duties. The principal officers found par
ticuiariy qualified for their special duties would
naturally be retained. Those who might not be
useful on the staff would be replaced In their re-.
giments. Either class not having been confined
always to staff corps would be qualified for such
military duty or command as the course of SER
wee, according 10 their rank, might devolve
upon them.
L has been stated that our organization is pc.
culiar. brief reference TO some OF the Euro
pean systems may aid in illustrating the views
hereinafter submitted of well organized staff.
The French staff is divided into Two branches
military and civic. The military has charge
OF all that relates 10 orders, movements and mill
tary operations. The civil furnishes all the sup.
plies OF the army. iIl
The officers who furnish the supplies have no
rank. The military staff have rank, and succeed
ordinarily 70 command by virtue Of il. This
military stan is composed of two classes Of OH
cers-ihe highest positions in il are filed by
selection from the general officers OF the army, so
as 70 secure the best capacity and experience in
Inc service. Forthe subordinate and more routine
duties they have special corps. But the func
lions OF this corps are OF much Importance; and
10 supply il with fit officers they have provided q
special military school and complete system Of
instruction In all its duties. AZ
This system is simple, with manv obvious
merits. II brings all the military staff into
one line and under one head II secures the
double benefit Of experience in the general service
and in the special duties the corps But il is q
system only practicable in large army. The
permanent corps must be such as 10 afford 4 sui
ncient field Of promotion. A small establishment,
| does not allow OF both selections and permanent
| appointments. Nor is the separate school and
corps for the staff needed in our army, in which
large proportion Of the officers are prepared fol
such duties by the complete course of studies al
our Military Academy. This is an advantage
| which our service has over those services where
the size of armies does not permit the education
OF officers by government except for those corps
in which il Is indispensable, and has attracted tbs
attention of foreign officers and writers.
4 Instead of one corps 10 which all the militar,
staff business is assigned, the English army ha.
| two principal military staff departments; the AID
Jutant Generals and the Quartermaster Generals
| rhe chief officers of these are generals of The
army, appointed temporarily on the staff; the in
ienor are appointed, in hike manner, from the
| regiments Neither class gain rank by these ap
| pointments. az
The Adjutant Generals is the department o.
military orders and regulations, of the recruiting
| of the army, and of all correspondence connected
| with the discipline and equipment OF the troops
| The duties OF the Quartermaster Generals de
payment relate TO the marching, embarking, trans
portation, billeting, encamping and cantonlng o,
the troops and the distribution of their quarters
II is the Office Of all correspondence relating Il
military science and topography, maps and plans
Besides these military departments of the staff
Is the Ordnance, which, though not strictly staff
department, and having many important functions
not OF the staff yet provides many supplies for the
army and is charged with much of that part of its
staff business.
! Both these systems, II will be observed, avoid
the mischleis indicated as arising from corps or
ganization like ours, limited to permanent Offices
As TO which is best where they differ, the Eng
sh in dividing, the French in uniting, the military
functions Of the staff, there seems not much room
for doubt, If the purely military business of the
stan only We're in question. The advantages
gained by unity OF responsibility and authority in
military operations overbalance those Of special
experience and skill that arise from division Of
labor. But there are a mass Of staff duties no,
purely military, connected with army supplies and
| equipments. All these cannot be accumulated
4 which
provides only single military staff makes neces.
sary the employment Of other agents for supplies
But supplies are essential as the movement OF
troops TO the operations Of an army. To separate
the furnishing Of army supplies from the other sta
duties is at last 70 destroy the unity Of military adj
ministfaton in point where il is always useful
and sometimes necessary 10 preserve IL. And 10
confde the supplies TO civil agents, is to lose the
control where il is so important to retain il which
commandefs exercise over military officers II
was in his first great campaign to the frontiers Of
Russia that the Emperor Napoleon found the
great utility Of giving military organization NOT
only TO his artillery trains, but also 10 the general
equipage and transportation trains Of his armies
| The civil machinery Of the French staff is now
censured by some OF their able military critics as
| too expensive and too much removed from m IN.
! tary control In these respects il is contracted
with the Prussian system, where every branch OF
the army administration is brought under military
supervision and direction TO which Is attributed
that admirable efficiency and economy which ena-
able Prussia 70 MAINTAIN 80 large an army in pro-
portion to her revenue. In lieu of this control
| the French system substitutes as a machinery OF
paper checks, mass Of writings aud an amount
| OF bureau labor, which have been Justly con.
demned as hardly possible in war, and as really
sfording no efficient security for the fidelity and
economy Of the expenditures. In comparison
OF the relative expense Of the two systems. The
French is stated At more than 81 ,020 900 wear in
| salaries, and the Prussian ct $4,000. 1tf
IL is not recommended TO bring our military stat
into one corps, or 10 incur the Increased hazards
and expense Of separate corps for supplies.
On the contrary, il is thought that, without al
tempting so entire a revolution Of the system to
which we have been accustomed, staff oraani-
cation may be devised, which win avoid the evils
Of our present system, and will secure the benefits
Of the French and English systems, with others
which neither OF them affords One principle,
however, should govern in any system that may
be adoptcd-that Of throwing open the appoint
ments on the stsfto selection from The officers OF
the army At large. 100 1Et
now proceed TO state, somewhat more in de-
tail tho organization recommended. Enf ~
GENERAL OFFICERS. y )
We have now one Major General commanding
the army, and FIVE other general officers command
ing as such BY breyet or other commissions, the
1--WE geographical departments, and one Briradier
General at the head Of the Quartermasters De-
partmenf.
Il is proposed thai the Brigadier General. shall
be nine an number. This will give one for each
department., as now one for Quartermaster Gen.
eral, az now; one for Adjuiant General, and two
for the inspectors General, being an addition of
three 10 those who now, by brevet or otherwise
have rank and command as Bngadier General. 8
The duties of the Adjutant General or the army
are those which in other services belong TO The
chief OF the staff. II In ohviou. fh.t ~. .horlI