Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-04-13
Gem. sherman on the New ARMY Rnl.

Hon. Henry Wilson, Chairman Military
Committee, United States Senate, a highly
interesting letter upon the new army bill
passed in the House of Representatives,
appropriately styled "Logan's Bill" After
referring to some omissions in the bill now
before the Senate, provided for in the law
of 1866, General Sherman says
1.-THE assertion made by General Logan
that the number of staff officers in our
small army exceeded those of France and
Russia, is so wide of the truth that ii does
not admit of an argument. Our army of
forty regiments would make two corps
Clurn1ee, or six full divisions or twelve
brigades, requiring for actual service gen.
eral, 2 Lieutenant Generals, Major Cen
erals and II Brigadiers whereas, we have
| General, ] Lieutenant General Major
Generals and Brigadiers If you will
send to the Congress library for Harris
Army List for 1863, you will find in the
English army, estimated at 10000 men,
the names of Field Marshals, so Generals,
149 Lieutenant Generals 416 Major Cen
erals and 701 Colonies. The French army
contained, lat latest dates, 459 Marshals and
Generals, Gil Adjutant and Inspector Cen
erals, 534 Engineers, 3l5 in the Ordnance
corps, and other officers performing duties
which correspond with those of our staff,
amounting with the above in the aggregate
TO 1857 officers, exclusive of their Surgeons
and Assistant Surgeons. Thus the French
army has more Generals alone than we
have of Generals and staff together, and
more Engineer officers than we have in all
our staff corps put together. In like man.
ner, the North German (Prussian) army
has 40 Generals, 81 Lieutenant Generals
and 80 Major Generals, 1l5 staff proper, so
Adjutants, 332 Engineer officers, 1,198 Sur
geons, 507 Paymasters, and other officers
above, amounting in the aggregate to B, ISL.
/ cannot imagine where General Logan got
his figures, but having himself alluded to
foreign armies, it Is right that this correc-
ton should be made right here This bill
provides for the absolute discharge of two
Major Generals and two Brigadier Gene
rails, leaving in the army three of the. for
mer and six of the latter. To compel the
President thus to discharge four of his old
Generals who have served under him, and
who have fairly earned their commissions,
will be the most ungracious task that was
ever imposed upon the Executive; more
especially when he has just expressed the
opinion that their services are needed, and.
are not in excess of the army organiza-
tion.n
In answer to that provision of the bill
providing that the present heads of Bureaus
in the War Department having the rank of
Brigadier General shall be mustered out or
dropped back to their grade, the General
says:
None but soldier can realize the cruel
ty of this measure, and to characterize such
men as General Meigs and General Eaton
as inspectors of shoes and bean soup, on the
floor of Congress, is a taunt unworthy the
place, for Congress itself has imposed on
these very officers, by name, administra-
tive and judicial functions that have here
tofore been the province of learned Judges.
Claims involving hundred millions of dol
lars, and the most complicated principles
of law, have been adjusted by them, saving
millions of dollars to the National Treasu-
ry, and eliciting the hearty approval of the
members of Congress who have witnessed
their labor and fidelity"
A law already exists forbidding the Pre-
sident putting retired officer on military
duty of any kind The hardship of this
law consists in it's preventing aged or dis
abled officers from drawing full pay by dis
charging certain kinds of duty for which
they are physically competent. Logan's
\ bill, now before the Senate, goes further,
Iand provides that they shall not even be
Eligible to civil office, if any such should
ke rendered tt,crn.
6niein commenting upon this unjust pro-
kndon, General Sherman says
a England, and in other lands which
u 'despotic,' the veteran officers and
/3lM are eligible even to Parliament, as
ITO hos to all other civil offices, and are
a -, .ersally appointed to the civil list, with
out limit or prohibition, and without losing
their half pay. What reason is there that
a retired officer, whom the President cam
not appoint to military duties ,gmay not be
a Postmaster of his village, Marshal OF
Sheriff of his county, Judge or Magis-
trate or hold some of the hundred thousand
civil offices that necessarily exist under our
general, State, county and municipal gov
ernments. When / recall that in 1865 on,
National Government was paying $500
bounty for soldiers, and some Of our States
counties and towns swelled il to 81 600, and
when our countrymen were shouting aloud
the praise of our officers and men, little
dreamed that TO such as had the misfortune
to be manned and crippled would be denied
the simple privilege of enjoying the sala
4 ries of civil offices in addition to such linn
tied pensions as the Government could af
~ Then, nothing was too good for ths
officer and soldier; now, how
y N shown by actual figures tina
cIll not save dollar to the Gov
y nment. So far as providing reduction
Of the number of officers is concerned, Gen
sherman says this will not be necessary