The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-03-21
"promotions for NeTit.'

4" tas A6ttt'a ~ t"f ffsfHf"
! In youf paper Of tnr 18th inst ycu have
| an article headed 'rrcmotiors for Merit
| upon which l would Ike to make. some re.
marks:
Yonr remark in that article. that military
schools do not make great Generals, rs liter
ally ,rua For ~ aan To be u great General,
two conditions are frqu 5 tie FHs;, that h
should be man Of aren't natnral ability F..
and, s"Contiy, that he she nd Orsr7S tf@
kno wicdga of military matters which qQiil
render his abilities avatiaht 3 to the army
Now, though west Point cauuot give ni.n
the natural ability, It can furnish him with
tEe requisite knowledge. 1t ais1 gives him
some habits which! IRE of use 10 him IL COM
mandtng au army. Now, though the mill
tary knoWiedge is necessary, there are two
cases liz which man who has not been to
| military sch ools may make great General.
tiTst, he may have teen i'll the army from
early youth, and by that means, and perhaps
Dy such stndy as he could gave, may have
'picBed up the knoWledga which i3 neCessa-
r. secondly, he msy ho man of such
traDscendant talents ihat he shall possess
most OF the learning hy intuition, and shah
acquire the rest while aclivsIy eIDpIoyei.--
The latter case it may safely he sssttcd il ex-
ceedinsly rare. L 10 not believe myself that
il eVot occurs.
There arc some cases which appear a. first
sigGt 10 be the last Cisa named, huj W ich in
reality are not 50. / viii, :rF and explain
this miataks. The reHson that iaaTripg is re-
ccss&Ty fer Z Geaeral in tk's nge :, thnt !,
Wa rfare exist, and, rs shey arc 81 aGvap t1ge
where they Gre employ ed NJ Cre ssde, th:y
must he employed ny ;he other. Batlt lhe
forces on each side consist ti nnt a few IIeE.
aud those simply armed, IL reqHtges iiLsia be-
yond natural astuteness TO couim@nd them -
On his account, some nl,sI upr0irfc ted diractiy
from civil life to command ARMIES have dis
inguished themselves because iheir du les
were Elm ple, and they re- not called upon
to employ any science III their warfare.
Bat, suppose tho commander having ia
chfrE. the force alluded to above, and who
is an inexperienced person, to he suddenly
called upon with his in t&E try To hold i fcrti-
fontion mountiUR heavy orduapcc. WaHt /,
he to Coi If he should even br able 10 find
ont for himself how TO work his gurs. how
long would 1t he b-fOEe he reached auttlCjcnt
perfection TO be able 10 teach bts msnt a
casa or fhiS very kind occurred Il: Port Royal.
There were several officers there iu u0mmand
who b ad not been nj the military schools Oi
" ich some perso.s have sura n horror --
Not knowing how TO work thes',eAvy guns -,
the forts, of course they did not dfiii them
men OF II, though they were there for tou-
sldera bic time before tue enemy Csne. W hen
he did coma, they We've uusAiitini that 81
the first fire they ;nade, their largest gao teo
TWO others wee GI>nUHateo Dy ttnUsg Ives.
! believe that they disabled SONS . ;crs sDun
afterwa rds, and The thots from those lh;t
they did Contip ne to FIRE passed in most cast
over The vessels OF the enemy. If they had
becn commanded Dy officers frCm the much
abused military Ct The naval school, they
would probably have suuk the s,lsmy's YES
seis Tor his ire was not so very destructive.
A naval ttcer was sent down u instruct
them, hut he was removed SO EoUn stjcr being
SEN there that he cot III aaCtI incIh but llttle
1t is cft6n asked, in this connection, "DId
Casa or Hannibal ever attnl u military
sehooi2 No; but ia those times tho means O1
warfare we're vary simple. ~ Ar vysE vA8T
moi a science. The saipe appears more .ie3.r
ly in the CASE OF naval ~aIiaIe. The 81 lance,
or rather art, taS IL thsn Wsis J wa SO
single that men who had, .eIh2:s, pever
n a tool -4ug1s "a u
frus ht them ss!uiiy. suCh MAS the case
in Lnropt up ID & boul the sixteenth centuts;
bat about that time the ert of payiE zion be-
gan to mrrove. and hIsc tha III cans OF Of
fence I"sSsssed by vessels, 9nd Cotset ueutIy
the art oG n&Va! "ag fare btratue more pgH. pii-
Gated, apd +=e fad about that tiiae ia II naval
commanders that were especially sach began
~ be employed. Ana no ~ r ii J WO~ ne 70
the fleet vessel which shou sb gaEa tue
enemy oi start OK & cruise with q Iandsnan
IN command.
AS che last of French tieuetais wal, H Won
THollshed tho other day, It must ne ram, IN.
bored that they were no. dc, sJ:s, law
yerS, ard poiItic,ant, appointed suddenly IL Il
mii.tGr ! command; bu { msu " no had, Il; ;Usl II
them, been IL the army from their youth and
in considerable mum ter Of ,1 4 =. j1y-
Ell an opportunity of G"qr,.t p. - .S! -rterce
most OF that knowledge wbfch = military
CnooI would have given them lnUic readily
It Ilay oe mentioned, that the ahls~t ui .i;n.G
all, Hapoteou does not appear 10 iitv" bat bis
military ability much injured ny the military
school In which ce Was educated. u ma :
also be remarked in reference TO these Gene
rails, that many OF them were remarkable uo'
for tbSir ability il conducting Il CPu IA sn
Themselves, but st excellent men to carry ut
the ordErs of their chief. s 10 tn. itGt tnr l
these men came from The ranks Of the army
Ii may be remarked that great many Of
them were chosen by the seuins OF Napoleon
who had "A great talent tor piCkjng Out me II
who ooBid serNa his purposes. / fear that
like success might not attend similar tn Jxt
by Secretary EenIam:h. In conclusion, IT the
scnooi of West Point Cfn produce G0 gret;
Generals, how many can he g hoo! of poll tics
pr0duce-the only school which, # West
Point is IL elected, is likely 70 FINNISH them
InNSnn