The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-06-10
why West Point Men are food
Generals.
From the Journal of Commerce.

From the Journal Of Commerce
1t is subject of frequent remark that rho
only good Generals we have had since the ,Var
Droke out are West Point graduates. The
west foint Generals have won all the substan.
tlal victories that have been achieved. Tt is not
easy to call to mind single instance in which
General, fresh from the ranks of civil life
has done anything with his troops but send
them into deadly ambuscade or careIesaly soc
rlfce them in impracticablc assaults against
1ortlhcatl0ns or vastly superior forces of the
enemy so we'll is the superiority of the West
lolnt men now understood and appreciated by
the government that none but that class are in
trusted with important commands. All the
Generals from civil life, with but one or two
exceptions, are OIL duty: and the eycentions
are but n0minally the military commanders of
the districts over which they rule. all the stra-
tegy and the fighting being dona by West
Point men. Why is this: Why is it that a
new Years scholarship in military science at
West Point lays the foundation OF that s,,ccess'
fill genera!ship which great natural ahi,;ties
cannot attain without itp
We think that this question is easily an
sWered. There are first principles in the sci-
ence of war as in every other science These
are the crystallzed results OF the martial expe-
rience OF mankind. In nine cases ont of ton Il
is safe to follow them in war; and in the tenth
case nothing but great genius or good fortune
Will justify departure from them. These
maxims are taught to the young students at
west Point. and remembered by them when
afterwards they are engaged in actual service
now IL VIII De found on examining every in
stance OF pad management and defeat in which
general from civil life has figured. that he
has violated some simple first principle of mil.
ltary science. Perhaps he has known nothing
ABOUT 1t. More likely he has known it and
despised it, as has been the fashion till recently
win the radical members of Congress and rad
ical newspapers. Elated with small success
where inc ODDS were all in his "a
vor, ne has probably come to inap-
Inc himself a great general, an original geni11s
ike Napoleon, and therefore Competent to
dispense with all those rules with which the
common mind fortifies itself. But the first
principles which the civil generals set aside
are those which Napoleon, or any other of the
WORLDS great captains, would have mos siren
uously insisted upon. Indeed. no othsr oen.
eral that ever lived has Contributed 81 ,nsnv
truths to military science as Napoleon. They.
and others like them, constitute wbot ;s enoc,.
lngly called routine" It is the yery aInhabet
OF West Point teaching. No West Point GRAD
uate would ever think of doubling them more
tnan an astronomer would think of doubling
me- neP is LAWS. lie does not always win bat.
Ties Dy conforming to the rules: but the prot,-
abilities are strong that ne would lose ali his
oaI.les II ne did not conform to them.
put mere Is another reason why the West
IoinI men make the best officers. Because
tney nave that peculiar intellectual organiza-
tlon called the military mind" There are
some boys who have strange fondness for
military matters in their earliest childhood. 1t
Is natural gift, like poetry, painting nusic.
1nelr tastes lead them to seek u military edu-
catlon Ii they have influence they get it at
west Point. If not they may be able to graf
ny their longings at some private academy like
that at Norwich, VT, which has turned ont q
number of fine generals for this war 1t may
safely be asserted that no one seeks a schoL
arship at West Point unless he has an Unborn
aptitude for military learning. The course
Of instruction there is severe, and would he
intolerably tedious to one who had no ipstnc-
tive relish for it. Of course these students
with their natural tastes and their education
for war, must make better Generals than civil
ians who are appointed to command merely to
satisfy political claims, or to exc out a Scarcity
of more competent men. The former are sn-
periOr Just as man who has natural taste for
painting and has studied under the best mas
tiers, Is superior to one who has no talent What
ever TOR painting, and has had no master either
MS only sources for Improvement hein~ a
little observation and experience. Both ohser'
sation and experience are useful in their Wv
put they will not supply the place of sneciai
talent and training in military or in anv otbcr
science. III any o'nc'