, 1862-09-27
Give us officers from the Ranks.


We are true republicans, and believe
that merit should have the places of res
possibility and honor. Therefore, we
would speak word for the advancement
of privates from the ranks, who have had
their qualities tested on the field of battle.
1t is no boys play to be soldier; it needs
metal, courage, manliness, and all these
are nothing without experience. 1t is the
most universally applied of all principles,
that a man must have his trade before he
can use it; but in our army, improvised
for the occasion from the masses of peace
full citizens, we have gone too much upon
the principle of influence, and not sufi-
GENTLY upon that of merit. The error has
tumbled disaster upon disaster upon our
heads We must awake and correct it.
We all know that the Emperors of Rus
sia commence their career as warriors by
handling the musket in the ranks, and ev
cry commissioned officer receives his pro-
motion only after service in the ranks. He
must lay the foundation of his military ed
ucation as a soldier; this makes the Colos-
sus of the north the Colossus that she is.
In modern history, no other power has
shown the military genius of France; and
she has no more brilliant period in military
history than under the great Emperor. Ma
poleon would not have been a Napoleon
without his Marshals; and his Marshals
were not the pampered sons of wealth (;
they did not step from the parlor, nor from
the Senate Chamber, nor from civil offices
into commissions in the army. They came
from the ranks of the army, young men
whom that keen observer of human nature
had penetrated to the centers and sources
of their individual power, and of whose
character and abilities he approved. When
he had found warrior, genius for war,
one who had the spur of military ambi-
ton to give him speed, he lifted him grad
ually to become a Marshal of the Empire.
Such metal made his legions an avalanche
of power, to be put back only by COM
bination of the world against it. England
suffered incomprehensible disasters and an
guish in the Crimea, because the younger
sons of the nobility, and of the opulent
merchant princes, insisted on possessing
the commissions, and obtained them by
family influence, and not because of merit.
She suffered in India from the purchase
system, system as rotten as any Of officer
ing an army can be. With money, the
younger and imbecile sons of the nobility
bought their commissions for all ranks,
and took command of veterans in the field,
who had no hope only to serve in the ranks
without promotion until age and death left
them to fill unhonored graves. 1t made
discussion in Parliament; it awakened
England to the great element of her weak
ness in the army, and reform is urged with
force of argument that the people can
well understand.
We have had eighteen months of war;
our common soldiers have seen service in
the field; they have many more hard bat
ties to fight; they have had their abilities
tested, and they should be encouraged by
promotion, and the hope of promotion.
Family influence and political influence
should not be permitted to give commands
to civilians who know nothing cf the sci
ence of war by study or by experience.
We have had blunders enough; we have
had blunders everywhere. On Saturday
morning we were told by an intelligent
Captain of one of our transports that the
carelessnes and inactivity of some of our
officers were painful. Those men receive
their pay, have an easy time, and forget
the responsibilities upon them. We can
only correct this by recognizing merit, by
advancing soldiers from the ranks, by max
ing the officers of the army, and giving
the star of decoration to those who have
proved themselves worthy of wearing its
ste1.-BoSt0n Post