The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-12-09

I
and instructed men TO rate of compensation below that
given in the ordinary occupations of life, must tend
drive nom the military service its active and efficient
officers II AS doubt not there will be many honorable
exceptions TO this general proposition resulting from strong
professional attachment the army they exactly such
exceptions would claim increased consideration from
every one who can estimate the patriotism and elevation
which should characterize the officer whom the honor
and flag of his country intrusted.
In the law Of the last session Of Congress the
pay OF the rank and file of the army the used des
gnae the grades of enlisted construed exclude
those Of the Ordnance Department As this exclusion
supposed to be accidental and unnen ntona il is suggested
that explanatory act should be passed TO extend the
increase of pay to all enlisted men of the army The pay Of
ordnance aborers and mechanics would still be much below
the ordinary wages of such employne
would again call attention the propriety of
additional legislation which shall place the widows and
orphans OF the officers and soldiers of the army
equality with those OF the officers and sailors OF the navy
The nbje has been repeatedly recommended by the Com
nanGfng General of the army and il il again brought
notice in his report this year.
In important particulars military legislation
regard to rank and command well to organization,
needs revision In armies is essential that il should be
known under all possible circumstances who the officer
entitled to command Doubt to the from which
orders to emanae is destructive of discipline and sub
ordinaton aud might many occasions compromise the
safety of the troops On this important point military
law is exceedingly vague and defective Much of the mis-
CHIEF that otherwise would have resulted has been prevent
ed by the of the department in keeping asuder Of
icers whose claims would come in conflict, and by tbs
patriotic sedenal of the officers themselves wbo in many
instances, have waived claims to command which they be-
eved be well-founded and served under those whom
they considered their juniors Nevertheless
seemy controversies have arisen, engenderng jealousy
raneor and insubordnaton and the decisions in such
so far from putting at rest the questions involved
present mass OF conflicting arguments from which
general principle be educed and which only
to furnish to every dsputant the of maintaining his
cause SO numerous and contradictory have been
the decisions of the highest authority questions Of rank
that executive regulation Judgment of courtmar-
al could establish any certain rule fix the inter-
probation of the law for either Of these would be met by
auth
ably be in turn overruled Congress only apply the
remedy and whatever rule they may, in their wisdom,
adopt should be simple in its terms and universal in its
application. N
One fruitful of difficulty arises from double rank
In service in the English officer may have
grade by brevet in the army Or at large and another in
particular regiment corps The law has attempted to
define the in which the other of these COM
missions shall take effect and tits to the defective and in
sufficient in which this is done that much of the
confusion above alluded to is due The statutory provision
the subject is copied from the English Even in their
service it has proved of much trouble and in
ours there is class of commissions not known to theirs
commissions in the army at large, not by brevet The
Interpretation Of the law is further embarrassed by the
necessity of applying to class of for which it was
not intended.
To this of difficulty, have proposed to
abolish beve rank altogether but there many stronger
against this Brevet rank affords an hon
orabe incentive and reward to distinguished conduct and
enables the government avail itself of the services and
abilities of meritorious officers In higher commands than
they wod be entitled to exercise by their ordinary rank
force and application the system of brevet promotion
dsereey and justly administered and that the system
itself produces shifting of rank dangerous to discipline
and military authority. The main benefit Of the system
is aordng selections for command bat the present law
gives breyet rank effect in all detachments composed of
different corps and selection is much restrained by this
rule in favor of breve rank by The rule in favor OF ordi
nary commissions. To avoid the evils without foreitng
the benefits of the system it is proposed to give effect to
brevet rank only when the President fit to author
ze it. As these commissions designed only to take
occasional effect there to be propriey in requiring
his sanction either direct delegated constitutional
commander-n-chief or the army to give them effect.
further limitation however, should be put on them. As
they intended and ought to be allowed to ad
officer iu his corps his proper seniors,
the exercise of them ought to be forbidden s in
the regiment troop company where the officer belongs
and is mustered.
difficulty of still greater magnitude is found in the
acments intended to regulate rank and command when
different regiments and corps do duty together The gem
era provision is that the command shall dcvovc upon the
officer highest in rank sin the line OF the army but these
words in that connexion, and of underlined sig
nifcaton and it cannot be determined whether they
intended include officers holding commissions by breve
n the staff in certain special corps The Interpretation
that h0prevaed in service is that they do not
brace any officers of the general staff except the maorgen
era and the two brgader-generas but this is not ac-
queseed in by many and the question is still productive Of
frequent controversy attended with all the evils which
have been above enumerated.
find much difficulty in proposing any general rule TO
govern in this particular such military organization as
1t is clearly improper to exclude from command, ac
cordng to their rank, the officers of the military staff
whose TO the any other
class of military duties below the chief command, and re-
quire equal general capacity professional skill and expert
This would, in ELECT convert the military staf so
essential army into quasi civil corps On the other
hand, officers whose duties, being confined to special
corps them from the ordinary service OF troops
ought not to take by seniority the military command for
which their special service has not qualified them.
This remark does not indeed, apply to all officers
of the staff corps in the higher grades Of which are found
many officers who having long served with troops, and
distinction in battle transferred to the places
they hold. But the principle of promotion has since
been applied these corps and under its operation their
places must ultimately be filled by officers early separated
from the general service and thenccorth confined to
round Of special duties These difficulties be obvated
only by change the organization of the general stan
ITSELF and propose with less reluctance share The
conviction entertained by officers OF experience that the
ganzson is we'll calculated for the duties Of the staff
itself And think that only the efficiency OF the s'a
but the general good of the whole military service would
be promoted by essential changes which shall pro-
ceed to submit to your consideration.
Our military general staff besides the major general and
the two brgadier generals who habitualy in com
mand Of troops is composed of Adutnt Generals De
partment Inspector Generals Quarermester General
Department and Commissarat of Subsistence The OH
of these departments all of whom have military rank
form many corps distinct from the rest OF the army with
promotion confined their corps. The embarrass-
ments in regard rank and command, resulting from
this arrangement have been stated. But evils
result from it in the ordinary staff service In the
first place, most of these staff duties require militia
ry knowledge only be derived from general service and
experience In the second place from various causes and
the officers selected may be qualified they may be-
disqualified for their special functions and yet be ht
for the general service These evils which the govern
should, at all times be allowed the means OF cor
rccting. good staff Is essential to army operations
it is important its constant efficiency There
10 oTuy min nd stvc should