The weekly union record., 1865-03-11
English and American Military Organ
izations Compared.

More than ouce We have been asked whether
the number of General officers in our army is
proportiouably greater or less than that IN the
military forces Of England. We reply that
our trant of General officers is about equivalent
TO the s,spsrabundqnes of them in England,
The statistics of our own force are 10 be found in
the army list. and need not be crowded in here.
The British statistics. on the particular point
in question, NAV be of interest, and we, there
fore, subjoin them.
The entire British army employed at home
and in the Colonies (which now iuclnde the
East Indies), amounts to 220 9le men-artil-
lerv, cavalry and infan,ry-maiutaiue in
.'these piping times OF peace al yearly cost
of S74 100000 OF these, about one-fourih
or from forty three to fifty thousand. are quar-
tered in Great Britain and Ireland. Let Us
see how this force, actually less than Pennsyl-
vania could readily raise on an emergency, is
officered: In October, 1862, the date OF the
latest British Army List in our possession,
there were three Field Marshals, &C tall Gen
erals loo Lieut.. Generals and lI0 Major
Generals; 10 Generals aud 80 Major Generals
on halfpay; 10 Generals aud 1913 Major Gen
erals on unattached pay of twenty-fve shillings
sterling per day; 6 full Generals. 26 Lieut..
Generals, "a Major Generals and l o Brigadier
Generals having locGl, temporary and hcuorary
rank. Making total Of COG Generals in the
British army OF 2209lS of all arms or one
general to every 365 men, officers included.
Contrast this with the positive want Of Gerer-
ais in our army, where, 10 many instances,
ColOnels and Lieut.. Colonels have to command
divisions in the field, and the difference will be
surprising. II it be asked why has England so
many of these officers Of high rank-tbere also
being SOC full Colonels each of whom may
hope 10 become General If be survive long
enough-the ready reply is that the army and
the navy are held there as establishments out
Of which the sons of the aristocracy, the gov.
eruiug class, can be maintained, from the
moment they leave school, out Of money anuu-
ally raised by heavy taxation from the Industrial
classes, who constantly toll. ard are barely able
to keep the wolf from their own door. Any
one can see at glance how different the Brit
ish system is from ours, and we shall not insult
their common sense by suggesting which is
best.-Forney'S PHILADELPHIA H'df Press.
GENERAL THOMAS has written letter to tie
Cincinnati Gazette in regard to The testimonial
which the citizens Of Cincinnati and Louisville
propose TO present to him. He says: whilst
am duly aud profoundly sensible of the high
compliment tuus proposed 10 oe pald ne, l
would greatly prefer, and, if not premature,
request, that any sum which may be raised for
that purpose may be devoted to the founding of
fund for the relief of disabled soldiers, and OF
the INDECENT widows and orphans of officers and
soldiers who have lost their lives during this
war. am amply rewarded when assured that
my humble services have met with the appro-
baton of the Government aud the people"
RETALIATION FOR BARBARIrY-The Coum-
bus (Oho) Journal tells a queer story about a
married couple in that place The husband is
tyrant One evening during recent severe
storm, his wife was visiting neighbor, aud
when she applied for admission on her return,
her husband pretended sot to know her She
threatened to jump into the well if be did not
open the door. Having no idea that she would
do So he obsiinately refused to recognize her
so she took log. plunged it into the WELL and
simultaneously with the splash it made, she
placed herself by the side of the door. As
soon as her husband darted ont in his night
clothes, she darted in, locked the door, and
declared that "she did not know him p She
froze him till he was pen,ent, ard then let
him in