The New York herald., 1874-12-19
ARMY INTELLIGENCE.

OFFICERS EXAMINED FOR RETIREMENr-pRos-
PEcrrvE PRoMoTroNs-MILrrARY SALARY
GRABBERs-soME FACTS RELATIVE TO DOUBLE
PAYMENTS.
WASHINGTON, Dec 49, 1874.
The retirement from active service OF Colonel
Charles X. Woods, Second infantry, and Major
David b. McKibbin is shortly expected, those ON
GERS having been examined BY the Retiring Board
and ordered to their homes. Colonel WOODS WILL
be remembered as the lieutenant who commanded
the detachment sent from Governors Island In
the Star OF the West TO relieve Fort Sumter.
subsequently, as colonel OF the Seventy-sixtn Ohio
volunteers, from October, 1861. to August, 1858,
and as brigadier general OF volunteers, from
August 1883, to September. 1896, he rendered gal
liant and valuable services, for which he received
i've brevets and the more substantial acknowi-
ecgment OF full lieutenant colonecY in 1866.
Major Mckibbin was also brevetted five times for
his war services. He served in the Ninth, Tenth,
Fourteenth ana Thirty-second regiments OF in
fantry from 1855 to 1869, and was assigned to the
Tenth cavalry In 1871. During the war ne COM
manded two Pennsylvania regiments, the one
Hundred and Flty-elgnth IN 1868 and tne TWO
Hundred and Fourteenth IN 1865.
PROMOTIONS.
The retirement OF these officers win lead to tho
following promotions :-Lieutenant Coonel Frank
Wheaton, Twenty-frst lnantry, will succeed
Colonel Woods in the command OF the second
making the ourth colonel that tnat old regiment
has mad within two years. Major oscar A. MACK,
First infantry, Will be carried up 70 the Twenty
first as lieutenant colonel. and Captain henry n.
LazeIle Eighth iniantry, VIII become major OF the
FIRST. Tnis VIII give the First infantry two neld
oflcers lor duty. Is has had only one. Lieutenant
the fact tnat It's colonel. Thomas g. Pitcher, has
been at West Point and the Soldiers Home since
war Hsr De peparsmsns in connection with NATIONAL
cemetery aifairs Major McKbotn's retiremens
s % csvag ae
ate OF Lne class OF 1851, resigned from the Second
infantry IN 1852 vas app3lnIsd 20 sne ,ss IN
colonel Wheaton has an army record O. nearly
twenty years having been appointed rom % clyii
cavalry, then being organized, March 8, 1855. He
win make the tenth infantry colonel VINO mas nov
yates OF that institution. Major MACK IS Wsss
Pointer OF the class Of 1850, 80 that while ne y
and four years professional PREPARATION he is his
Junior by twenty nve fles in the line OF promotion.
MILITARY SALARY GRABBERS.
The following facts In relation to double pay
ments are OF interest at this time in view o. sec
retary Belknap's recommendation, lndorse1 ~
the President, that authority bo given Dy Con-
gress to drop from the rolls OF the army witnout
trial. any ofncer drawing pay more tnan once iS Ss
army that there is scarcely q possibility OF Q case
Of double payment, or even overpaymen escap-
sent duplicate pay accounts. TWO records OF pay
ments TO Officers are kept entirely lndependens
ONCE the other in the once OF the second Auditor
so that II any irregularlty IN an omcer's pay ac-
It has st TO face the Cnary Odls Of the accounting
of1cer The annual reports OF the Second AUDITOR
show that during the last ten years charges nave
been raised In his office against volunteer ana
regular o11cers on account Of double payments
amounting TO nearly $500 600, OF which only about
$50, 900 has been recovered. II the records OF
double payments were published they would snow
tina. oficers o. every class from the & green secona
cluding skillul surgeons reverend cnaplafnss
clerical adjutant generals and dashlng aldes-de-
camp, were among tue military salary graDuers
In the case OF an of1cer Just returned from
twelve or eighteen months captivity in reDeI
prison q lapse OF memory as 10 the date OF lass
payment might be excused; but what excuse
only put three and even iour times for the same
month, with brief interval between each pay
mentp
In mis- annual report the Secretary Of War says
freuuent and tnat .tne Offenders have been dis
missed from the army by sentence 0f court-mar-
tlaiu The facts are That SINCE le1o, on the reor.
ganZation Oi the army and the muster out OF
surplus ofncers all doubtful characters were sup.
posed to have been wlnn0wed out. The cases o.
nye officers court-nartialed Tor drawing pay TWICE
orders-viz., Two captains and three leutenant5,
OF whom only TWO, retired lieutenant ana cap
tain OF artillery, were dismissed. The other three
dellnquents, although sentenced to be casnlered.
were treated very enlently, one being restored 70
duty without punishment, there being PROOF tnae
he had no fraudulent intention, another havtna
his sentence mtlgateo TO one years suspension
from rank and pay, except $50 per month. on the
ground that the offence partook Of the nature Of
indscret and recklessness rather than OF rauot
that he was the son OF an of1cer VINO bravely iell
IN battle for his country and that ne nad hereto.
fore maintained an unblemished reputation as 9
gentleman. The third got of with SIX months
afterwards reduced to three months) suspension
from rank, command and pay, except 500 per
month, and to confinement TO the limits Of the
reservation where MS company might be serving.