Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-06-21
FROM IYECIIAIrkE
NATURE AND HISTORY OFTHE GEN
ERAL STAFF CONCLUDED
2,-oP THE PRgHCu ARMY,

The General Staff corps (corps d' etat ma
iory in France. in it's present formation 1861 J,
a creation O: the then Mi1iater OF Wnr, Mar.
shall uanyinn st Cpr, las maintained, with
slight changes lin 1889, the same orgauiz.l-
ton since 1873. 1t is alppiied exclusively
from the Eco1e imperials d. application d.
efat.mdior, in which annually twonty 10 thirty
pnpils tpars'Y by Second Lieutcnan;s from tho
army after ane years eervice, partly scholars
from the school of 81. Cyrand the Ecoie Poly
techai9ne) are trained; and after q two year i
r.urSc ~ Leutanants of the General SAT-
Crrp1 are detailed to serve two years more,
ls'Gys HgimeRt'.ue) alternately with the in-
i.n:ry r;id cavalry. 1hen i2llo~H the praDlu-
ton 10 captain. AS in othor armies, promo-
ton hero takes places partly According tn se-
nior:y, partly according to the pleasure of the
Emperor; but, from Lieutenant Colonel, up
wrrds. Gi promotions are made without any
reference u seniority
Ey imperial decree Of :19.h July, 1860. the
nc: NAL psace-cor.plemant cf the General Staff
is fzod nt:
35 Colonels,
50 Lieusonant Cplonsls,
10 Chefs d cscadron (MajOrs),
800 Captains,
100 Lieutenant7,
$50 OHicers.
Tic calling Of the officers of the General
Staff il to &C. as the organ OF the superior
comlnaudsr for the military and executive
part Of the service, both with tho provisional
commands lin Africa and with ths active
srmes corps and divisions Of trnops.
The imperial Gnard. tho Armaa corps or
III loIn !D.,i- I III, Ger,.t Tui
Tourf. Toulouse, Aleiers), the arn,Ie. Of Paris
aud Lyon. several Divisions in the War De-
parunent, the SecretaryshipJ Of the consulting
.heir uwu Henerai Staff officers, or those ara
conducted by officers of the General Staff
Corps; q special committee of consultation,
com posed Of General Staff officers, is cou-
stantiy in session in the War Department tor
.he elnb ,ra.inn and direction Of internal aud
s:ien.;ko military affairs.
From tut, General Staff corps, the Emperor,
p.iIc - d tho Imperial housa, Marshals ri
France, aud Generals cho1s their Adiutan's:
nna t!.s Minister for Foreign AdarS also sc
leafs iram i; thoaa officers to te detaellel fer
mli:ary Diplomatic missions anil tha l.ega
tons: and, linslly to it's officers are entrusted
the geodescal, historical statistical, aud other
scientific labors, as at present the preparation
of the great Typographical map Of France
c irtc topogr: de Ia France, etc, $4,000, 259
sections. The General Staff, with the COM
mands OF troops have, according to their i'm
p2rtance, extent and tasks, as organs for all
military and operative business, the General
or If Officer for Chief, who has the gsns-
raj title of Chefd etat Major.
With an army in the field, under Mar
abal, the position of Chief is filled by Gen
eral of Division, with the title of Chef de
Z Eiat MAJOR General de /" Armee, Chief Of the
Great General Staff Of the Army) under him
stands o General of Brigade or Colonel as
Sous Gsfd d Etat Major. Under an independ-
ent Division Commander the Chief of the Ge-
neral Staff is General of Brigade. During
the union of several armies under one Conn
mander-in. Chief, the title Of .najor General
is given to the Chief of the General Staff and
that of aide Major General to the next oldest
under him. All military, operative, admins.
trative and technical concerns are centralized
under the Chief of tho General Staff; for him
are reserved the direction and surveillance of
all business transferred to him by the Com
msnding General. He distributes, according
to his own judgment, the purely military aud
operative tasks among the officers of the Gem