Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1864-01-08
The Army Grades,

Before the outbreak of the present war,
while our skeleton navy and shadowy
army were our boast and the old worlds
Jest, there was an extremely democratic
prejudice against the multiplication of
high-sounding titles i'll either branch OF
the national service. We had inherited
an admiration for republican simplicity.
We could not permit the servants of the
dear people to put on too many airs with
theft epaulettes. We had no naval officer
to whom we would accord any higher re-
cognition of rank than the honorary prefix
of Commodore. 1t was thought grave
innovation when Winfield Scott the vete-
ran Of several wars, was honored with
the title of Lieutehaht:G General, and Con-
gress was careful to provide that the rank
should not be preserved after the old SOL
dier had retired from the field of duty.
Yet with all our professcd affection for
republican simplicity, we were marvellous
" inconsistent. Foreigners floted and
ridiculed prevalent weak11ess for calling
every third man iii the country Colonel,
Major, Captain, Judge, etc. Small poll
ticians, who would hasten to write the
word "honorable" before their names as
soon as they were elected to the Legisla-
ture, were found to be most earnest in
deprecating any departure from the usa-
ges of the early days in comforting titles.
The war in which we are eagag d, has
taught us, among other valable lessons,
that titles may have their uses. The pre-
judice we SO carefully cherished has
been found to be manifestly unreasonable
and inconvenient. AS soon as we got q
real fleet we needed an Admiral to COM
mand it, and having the office, we could
see no reason why the appropriate rank
should be denied. We have now Admi-
rails, Commodores and Captains, with
commands corresponding with their
grades, and, strange to say, we expert
cnce no violent shock in speaking Of Ad-
miral Farragut or Admiral Dupont. On
the contrary, we see now the absurdity OF
giving precisely the same rank to the COM
mander of feet and the commander OF
single vessel. But why has there not
been corresponding increase in the
grades of the army: We preserve fol
our army of half-million men the same
system that was adopted in the infancy oi
the service. The Gencral-in- Chief is q
Major General. The commander Of our
largest army is also Major General, and
the corps and division commanders have
the same prefix. There is bill before
Congress providing for the revival of the
rank of Lieutenant General, but that
measure has special object and does not
touch the system. If military title has
any use, it is that of defining the rank and
indicating the extent of the command.
Our prefix of Major General does not
answer this purpose, because it is applied
to all officers above the commander of a
brigade. The rebels have improved the
old system. Their Commander-in- Chief
is General. They have Lieutenant
Generals commanding corps or depart
ments. The rank Of Major General is
given exclusively to division commanders.
This is better system than our own, be-
cause it indicates more precisely the ex-
tent of an officers command and his ac-
tual position in the service. Either the
additional grades of General and Lieuten-
ant General should be created, or the
French system, which is the one best
adapted for the needs of a vast military
service, should be adopted. The change
suggested is not for the purpose of con-
ferring additional consequence upon army
officers, but for correctly defining the ex-
tent of their commands; not for the glo-
rification of "fuss and feathers" but for
giving military titles plain significance,
which some of those now employed do not
posScss.-Sac. Union. .r- .tr.-s