National Republican., 1882-12-26
THE GENERAL OF THE ARMY.
Sheridan Entitled 30 Succeed Sherman by
Direct Promotion.
CAicaao Timts.


In various discussions relative to the retire
ment of Gen. w. Tecumseh Sherman, of the
United States army, the point has been raised
in certain quarters that Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan
was not entitled to the mantle of his senior
and this point has been based upon the alleged
fact that Gen. Sheridan had been promoted
irregularly over the heads of seniors to his
present position. In following up this line of
argument it has been urged that Major Gen.
Hancock was as fairly entitled to the promo
tion as Lieut.. Gen Sheridan. An investiga-
tien of the war records shows that Gen. Sheri-
dan not only holds his present rank by reason
of direct and natural promotion, but was in
one instance outrankcd or jumped by Gen.
Meade
John c. Fremont, II. w. Halleck, U. S.
Grant, w. II. Sherman, George B. Mcclellan,
and George G. Meade resigned from the army
before the rebellion Meade was the only one
of these who returned to the service prior to
the breaking out of the war. In May and
August, 1861, Mcclellan, Fremont, and Hal
leck, then in civil life, were appointed major
generals in the regular army. Grant was APP
pointed major general in July, 1863. No
changes occurred among the major generals
until Grant was appointed lieutenant general,
March ,, 1864. Fremont resigned June 4,
1864, and Sherman was appointed major gem
eral August H. 1864, vice Fremont resigned.
On November Ia, 1864, the presidentapp appointed
Z. IL. Sheridan major general to rank from
November 8, 1864, the date of McClellan's
resignation. The relative order then was :
Grant, lieutenant general; Halleck, sherman,
Sheridan, major generals, with two vacancies
among the five allowed by law. Meade
was next appointed major general, No.
vember 26, 1864, and the remaining
vacancy was filed by the appointment of
George H. Thomas, December 10, 1854 COM
pleting the list of all appointed major gener-
ais during the war, Hancock, Schofeld, and
Pope having been appointed such since 1865.
In 1866 Grant was appointed general, and
Sherman lieutenant general; on March A.
1869, Sherman became general, vice Grant
elected president, and Sheridan was appointed
lieutenant general, vice Sherman, promoted.
Since the foregoing promotions the state
ments have been repeatedly published that
Sheridan had "overslaughed" or "iumped"
Meade; it has also been stated that he had
been placed above Thomas and Hancock. As
to the last two named it need simply be
answered that Sheridan was their senior.
The exact circumstances under which Meade
eventually took rank as major general di-
rectly above Sheridan, instead of next below
him, were as folows
As shown by the records of the War de-
partment, Meade's actual appointment as ma
ior-general did not occur until twelve days
later than that Of Sheridan, and Gen. Grant
was embarrassed bya request from Meade that
his appointment might be dated from some
important military event. Grant desired him
to name the event. Meade suggested the "oc-
cupation of the Weldon road" Grant recon-
mended Meade's appointment, dated there
from, and the secretary of war, on November
26, 1864, directed the appointment of Gen.
George G. Meade as majOr-general in the
United States army, to be dated from /" the
occupation of the Weldon road" The same
records show that Gen. Grant tclegraphed
from City Point, November 81, 1864: 1.-THE
date of our occupation of the Weldon railway
is August Is, 1864" By this process of ante
dating Meade's appointment, it ranked
that of Sheridan by the interval from
August Is to November 8, 1864. When
congress met in December, 1864, the
promotion of Sheridan was promptly con-
tirmed; not so, however, with that of Meade,
the military committee of the senate delaying
a considerable time in reporting Meade's
name, because this antedating of his appoint
ment placed him above Sheridan. Finally it
was intimated to the senate that Sheridan had
consented to the arrangement at the request
of Gen. Grant, which was a fact, in order to
relieve the latter from the embarrassment
occasioned by Meade's application, before de-
scribed, and Meade was then confirmed. The
letter of Gen. Grant was as follows:
did not consent to Meade's appointment, dating
back of Sheridan's, which had been made for an
important victory, until had communicated with
Gen. Sheridan and obtained his consent to recon.
mend s