Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-12-30
The Personnel Of the Army.

The Personnel Of the Army.
GEN. sHERMAN's OPINION OF ARMY OFFICERS.
4 communication having appeared in the
Army and Navy Journal concerning the al
legged intellectual inactivity of the officers of
the army, Gen. Sherman writes letter to that
journal in refutation of the writer statement
The General says:
To question the honor, integrity and iutelli-
geDce OF our higher officers, is to cast stain
upon our national history, which they have
had full share in making and writing. 1t is
OF the junior officers that | wish to treat, De-
cause they are scattered to the four Winds in
llttle detachmcuts far away from civilization,
and cannot appeal to the bar of public opinion,
save by their official conduct aud through their
friends. Of these | am the chief; and from
daily, weekly and monthly reports irom them
selves and from their lawful superiors, | have
mass of testimony far better than your cor
respondent can possibly have. am perfectly
satisfied with them, and hereby encourage
them n the faithful discharge of the duties to
which they are appointed, with the full belief
that they possess as many advantages tor men
tai and physical education as had Meade and
Thomas, Mcpherson and Mower, Grant and
Sheridau in their day Of probation, and that
with patience aud tme they may attain the
same reward and lame. AT all OF our military
posts the officers and men have schools and
libraries. as good as their limited pay and
means afford and though the necessities of our
country demand that the great bulk of our ar
my shall be kept in the wild and uninhabted
parts OF our vast country, as 1t were out
lying pickets 10 the progress Of settlement,
still to each officer in turn will be afforded u
chance to see occasionally his oWn home aud
classes. OF course there are those who are ex.
ceptions to the general rule as to character, but
courts martial and the stern rules of war will
surely eHmiuate-them, as II has III the past, tor
more than sixty young officers. have been
dimissed, whose war record was as good as that
of the sixty PruSsans referred to by your cor
respondent AID for like causes.
The army is not responsible for the new ap-
pointees, whether from West Point or from
civil life We take them as they come and
find no fault, but let them fall quickly into the
ranks and work out their own destiny. West
Point is as independent Of the army as I ale or
Princeton. Each Congressman appoints his
cadet for reasons best known to himself. For
the four or five years he is at the Academy he
is under Congressional government and lnspec
ton. The Secretary of War has Immediate
control, under the laws of Congress, so that the
army is 20 more responsible tor the kind and
quality Of education impaired than 1t West
Point was college of surgeons. 10 be sure,
the officers and professors at West Point are
military men, though some of them have never
served directly with soldiers or taken part III
battle. Still they are military men, and
impart the knowledge presumed by past
experience to make good soldiers, and 1t may
dices of CASTE" But that the army takes aud
receives graduate of West Point as finished
soldier is a mistake at which every veteran
smiles The vanity of youth is not limited to
that SPOT bat is found everywhere-at Heldel-
berg, at Saint Cyr and Sandhurst, and at Yale
and Princeton No sooner has the graduate
reached his company than he finds he has
some things to unlearn and thousands of things
to learn; and that many have learned them,
and learned them we'll, Is familiar to the read
ers of American history. The criticism made
BY the last Board Of Visitors is severe, and 1t
NAV be lust, but it is criticism on themselves,
not on the army. Congress makes all laws for
the military academy; its members appoint the
cadets by name from their own constituents,
SUPERVISE their education by annual visits and
reports, and if they send into the army officers
improperly educated, it is their business, not
ours. Some of the graduates may make mis-
takes in grammar, and even be little back
ward in the classes, but on the whole they are
fine set of manly fellows, and the only fault
find is that there are too few OF them Tor the
usual vacancies. Ii a little vain OF their newly
fledged office and their Own superior knoWI-
edge, it soon vanishes, aud usually they settle
down to their work like we'll trained racers. 1t
is an awful mistake if they think their educa-
tion is completed when they are commissioned.
Every minute and hour of the day. they are
told quite the contrary, and all the schooling IN
the world would not be more eficaclous than
what their own eyes and ears teach them on
first reaching their post OF duty.
WHAT THE WIND SAYs,-"Do you know
what the December wind says, grandpa ask
ed a little child at an old merchant 'kuee.
mo, puss, what does It say! ne ans"ei0u'
stroking her fair hair. M,
Remember the poor!' grandpa. When 1t
comes down the chimney, it roars, Rememoer
the moor When it puts its great mouth 70
the keyhole, it whistles. Remember, the poor:
When il strides through crack IN the door, II
whisners it; and grandpa, when 1t blows your
beautiful silver hair about 10 the street.. ana
vou shiyer and button up your coat, does IL not y
get at your ear and say SO too' In stu smai
wv WV what does child mean p cried grand
na. who, am afraid, had been used to smut
his heart against such words. ou "ah1
to To-. get them out Of your old grandpa !! >,
No, grandpa" said the child, earoessly'
shaking her head; ''no, it's the no mum apo- ana.
tippet children I'm thinking OF, my "otne, =
always remembers them, and SO 40 t[y .co.
After the next storm, the ola mercnao' :! seat
fftv dollars to the treasurer OF relief socie'y,
and said Call for more when you want IT,
ROMANTIC MARRIAGES. Norfolk VIZ
p;nian saws 1.-The Allan line OF steamers ap-
near % to be famous for bringing about romantic
marriages psa u es We have on several occasions no no.
ticed the happy union Of lovers who y have ar,
rived on the steamers of this line es.eruas
the betrothed Of one of the lady passengers s.hs
was at the wharf awaiting the arrival OF aene ene
steamer. and as soon as the vessei came aivns