The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-08-19
CHANGES SINCE JANUARY.
Officers Employed on Special
Service.
What Our 1929 Active Officers
Are Doing.
Admirals, Commodores and Captains
and Marines.
WASHINGTON, August 10, 1879,


Register Of the United States to July I, 1879"
which have corrected to August ], and from
which extract the following items OF special in
terest to your naval readers-many OF whom do not
see q Register until 1t is nearly as stale as last
years. direct0ry-and OF general interest to your
readers at large, very few OF whom ever see Navy
Register, stale or otherwise.
The number OF officers on the books Of the De-
partment s 1929, being an increase OF three
since January l. There are IA admirals, rs CON-
modOres, SO captains. 90 commanders. al lieu
tenant commanders, 225 lieutenants, 90 masters,
n ensigns, l29 midshipmen, $50 medical officers,
134 officers Of the pay department, 224 engineers,
IS chaplains professors, &C., "a naval constructors
and civil engineers, 1877 warrant officers, and "a
mates. These comprise the regular active list. In
addition there are 10 volunteer officers, who are
now classed as "Onicers on temporary SERVICE"
VIZ, acting MASTER acting ensign, 2 acting
passed assistant surgeons, and Is acting assistant
surgeons, making the toral number of officers
available for duty in time Of peace 1,e43. The fol-
lowing
NOTEWORTHY CHANGES
have occurred since the publication OF the January
register Captain William ~ LETTERS has succeeded
Rear Admiral A. L. Case as chief OF the Bureau of
Ordinance Surgeon General James G. Palmer has
been retired from active service, and Medical
head Of the Bureau Of Provisions and Clothing has
also been changed, Paymaster General Edward
T. Dunn having been placed on the retlred list, and
Pay Director John o. Bradford appointed pay.
master general. The Bureau Of Steam Engineer
ing Is now presided over by Chief. Engineer Will
liam w. W. Wood, vice Chief Engineer J. W. King,
relieved after four years. tour OF duty In the Navy
Department. He has now gone on a foreign tour.
Among the admirals the changes are:- Rear Ad-
miral Samuel p. Lee retired; Rear Admiral Charles
II. Davis, relieved from the command Of the Nor
folk Navy Yard, and detailed member Of the Light
House Board Rear Admiral John Rodgers from
President Of the Board Of Examiners at Washing
ton to the command Of the Mare Island Yard, and
Rear Admiral Augustus L. Case. detailed to the
command Of the European station
- THE LIST or CoMMoD0REs
has been changed by the promotion of Gustavus II.
Scott to the rank Of rear admiral, and OF Captains
John M. b. Clitz and Andrew Bryson to that OF
commodore, the latter subject to examination.
These Old "sea dogs" the commodores, do not get
many opportunities Of sporting their broad PEN
nants. as, with the exception OF James II. Strong,
who Is under orders to command the South
Atlantic station, and Z. G. Parrott ]. r. NJ. Null
iany, r. Worden NJ. b. Woolsey, ]. G. Howell and
Thomas II. Stevens who are in command at navy
yards, their duties are such as TO give them no
chance to hoist nag. The senior Captain, d. Men
Fairfax, having some time ago declined to appear
before the Examining Board, is ineligible for pro-
motion, which leaves Captain James H. SPOTS for
the next vacant commodOreship. 1t is presumed
CAPTAIN Fairfax will continue to be borne ON the
register as senior captain until by reason OF age
or length of service he can be retired. A case
similar In its results occurred in the army in lS47.
The Senior Paymaster, Thomas J. Leslie, declined
promotion to the deputy paymaster generalship,
and remained stationary on the list Of
paymasters until retired In 1859. Commanders
Stephen B. Luce and John Lee Davis have been
advanced to captains, leaving Alexander A. Semmis
the senior commander. William T. Truxton and
Jonathan Young, the next on the list, have both
been recommended for promotion by the Examin-
ing Board Lieutenant Commanders Theodore F.
Kane and Q. NJ. SchOonmaKer have been promoted
commanders, the former 'jumping' Alfred bop
kins, furoughed since January 10, 1872, and Henry
B. Seeley, under suspension since May, 1874, and
the latter dumping" b. P. Smith, on sick leave
since December, 1872, as wei as Hopkins and Seey.
George A. Stevens, who was at the foot OF the list
ofleutenant commanders, has been restored to his
proper place, which carries him to the list Of COM
manders, filing the vacancy caused by the death Of
James w. Shrk. The suspension of Lieutenant
Commander Seely has been removed and he is now
che first OF his grade for promotion. There are at
present 14 officers OF this rank against las on
january. The loss OF five is accounted for by the
shrec promotions mentioned above, the death OF
W. Abbott and the resignation Of william W. Hen.
Erickson.
THE NUMBER OF LIEUTENANTS
has been increased from 21s to 225. Ten masters
have been advanced one step; and one Benjamin
6. Richards has been restored by act OF Congress
to his original position, which makes him number
$50 on the list of lieutenants. Four heutenants
have lett the service viz:-Henry c. Wisner, NJ. B.
Feld henry Whean and Lewis D. Webster
THE NUMBER OF MASTERS
remains the same-1oo. Eleven have been pro-
NOTED and four gone out, and their places have
been filed by twelve ensigns and one midshipman
promoted, and one officer frederick Il. Upton)
who resigned in 1870, restored by special act OF
Congress with the grade in his rank that he held
when he left the service.
TnE ENsIGNs
number twenty-seven-a loss OF eight in Six months.
Twelve were promoted as above and one left the
service, while only five midsaipmen were advanced
TO the grade OF ensign. Clayton ;. hickman, VINO
was midshipman No. In the January register, Is
now ensign No. 1.
have increased from 1l3 to l29, having gained
% from the Naval Academy and lost by promotion
and by resignation, &c. In the stan corps the
Medical Coyps,-surgeon General Palmer and
Medical Director Nlnian Pinkney, retired; surgeon
James McMasters, Passed Assistant surgeons VII
liam s. Fort and Howard Rundett dead.
ResfgndtiOnS.-Five.
P'onaotions.--Philip Lansdale, P. J. Horwitz, r.
O. Dean, Philip $. Wales, John Il. Ackey, j. kuus
Tryon, J. Albert Hawke, Henry Stewart Abel +.
Price and William A. Corwin, each one grade.
Appointments Edward Il. W. Corson, Ezra y.
Derr, Franklin B. Stephenson, William F. WAUGH,
John G. Boyd and Daniel N Bertolette, to be assist
ant surgeons, with relative rank OF ensign
THE PAY DEPARTMENT..
The only changes in the pay corps were the re-
trement OF Edward S. Dunn and the consequent
appointment of John q. Bradford to be peymaster
genera, and the promotion Of Robert II.
Clark Edward Foster and Francis #. Gil
lett each one grade. The death of Pay
master J. II. Buckley did not create any
vacancy. but only reduced the number OF pay
ton OF George Plunxett, who resigned in 1868, and
was appointed paymaster last year under special
act OF Congress, having increased II to 81.