The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-11-13
Rlrbmun1 ulspatrt.
WEDNESDAY, MORNING. NOV ls rss.

W WEDNESOAf MORNING..NOVs IL Ieoa /
Of as sundry information" can you give us
some particulars as to the principles by which
our President is governed in his appointments
Of Generals ;and also of the difference between
what ia called full General and Major.
General of the Provisional Army 7''
We might plead in reply. that we have never
graduated at West Point, nor rubbed up against
the walls of the institution; and therefore are
TO be presumed entirely ignorant Of all mill
.ary matters: or else, if ever SO well informed
through some miraculous agency unknown to
West Point, are not authorized to speak,
having no diploma from that crack institution
Of the North. As editors, however, are no
rresumptuous set Of people, claiming
to hold
"a charter illimi. able as tie winea
To blow en- whom they plea E,
we shall make bold to vindicate this reputa
tion, by responding to the interrogatoriea of
our. correspondent; promising, however, that
as military learning is not a speciality withth
profession, our response ON the subject must
not be accepted as infallible.
In fully appointed armies, we suppose that
the order of rank, BEGINNING at the highest
grades, is as follows: General, Lieutenant
General, Major General, Brigadier- General,
Colonel, Lieutenant, Colonel, Major, Captain,
&c. We believe i'll the army of the Confede
raey there is 10 such rank as Lieutenant Gen
ofal and that next after full General comes
Major General. Whether the rank Of Lieu
tenant-General is unknown 10 our law or not,
it is certain that no officer in the Confederate
army holds that commission. All the rest OF
the grades we have enumerated, however, are
represented in the Confederate army. We
suppose the full General in the Confederate
service corresponds with the Field Marshal of
France, the Lieutenant General in the Fede-
raj service, and the rank usually held by COM
manders of divisions operating independently
in the field in all the European services.
There are five full Generals in the Confede-
rate army, whose relative rank, as among
themselves, is as follows: |. 8. Cooper; 2 A.
Sydney Johnston; 3. Robert E. Lee; 4. Jo-
seph T.. Johnston; S. G. Il. Beauregard.-
What principles governed the President in
thus arranging the relative rank of these Off
GERS, we cannot undertake to explain. We
believe that the Confederate Congress sane
toned the schedule, and what the President
by and with the advice and consent Of the
Congress, has done, let no man question. We
will only say, that if are had had the arrange
ment of relative rank among these Generals,
the gradation would have been very different
We believe all the full Generals are gradu-
ates of West Point.
Within the last month or t wo quite num-
Der Of commissions have been issued for Ma
or-Generals They have been announced
from time to time by the press, as they Were
| Issued, and we need not enumerate the recp-
| tents of them. Severalof them have been con-
ferred in promotion from Brigadier- General
| ships; others have been conferred, originally
| upon persons holding no previous commits
sion. We believe the oldest commission of
Major General in the Provisional Army Of the
| Confederate States is that of General Polk,
| We think we are not mistaken in saying that
| these commissions have, i'll every case, 80 far,
| been conferred on graduates of West Point.
Whether it be the intention of the President
| to confne himself in the conferring OF them
| to that class of persons, we cannot undertake
to say; though we trust not; for West Point,
however admirable an institution it may be for
| the formation of drill officers and engineers,
and however valuable as school for tacti-
clans and disciplinarians, is certainly incapable
| of conferring that genius which is born with
| and W hich makes the General
In regard to the principles which govern
| the President in eonferring rank and making
promotions, we of course can say bat little
| 1t must be remembered that after passing the
grade of Colonel, promotion does not 20 by
seniority. Upon the President is conferred
all absolute discretion in respect to the com.
missioning of general officers; subject only to
the ratification of Congress. This feature ii
| not peculiar to the Confederate service, bu,
belongs to that of the Federal army, and Of
course obtains throughout the military estab
iishments of Europe. 1t is a feature that can
not be changed, and is absolutely necessary te
the harmony and efficiency Of the service ant
| to the ends of subordination and discipline. L
Congress were entrusted with this power, the
baneful influence of politics would take pos
session of the army and utterly demoralize the
service.
The whole subject of promotion is, there
FORE wisely left at the discretion Of the Presi
dent and we feel bound to say that, SO far a
we can perceive, the discretion has not beel
abused There may be room, here and there
for criticism, and probably mistakes, which
are unavoidable by all men, may have beel
committed; but we see nothing TO impeach
sound, just and patriotic intention on the par
of the Executive
When mention is made of commissions il
the Provisional Army of the Confederate
States, the meaning is that the commission
are not permanent as if in the regular mill
tary service of the Confederaey, but are t.
cease at the termination of the war Th
Provisional Army is raised to meet th
exigency of the war, and is not permanen
establishment of the Government. Commis
sons in the Provisional Army Of Confederate
States are to be- considered in contradistinc
ton to commissions emanating from the State
individually. For instance, we believe Gene
raj Pillow holds commission as Major-Gene
raj from the State of Tennessee, while Gene
raj Polk holds one of the same tenor from tn,
Confederate States We believe we hav.
practically responded to the einterrogatory ofou
correspondent.
1 ~