The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-03-12
MARMY POLITICS.
Great Activity In Military Circles
over Promotions.

klbdl hNIlNlIV III nLob may w
"army politicP," and Washington, OF
course, is the center OF the disturb
ance. Never before in time OF peace
has a President nj the United States
had 30 many military prizes to bestow
at one time. Within q week Major
General Pope will be retired, and
then it wi become the duty OF Mr..
Cleveland TO appoint new ms jor-gen-
eral, two brigadier.generals. two lieu
tenant-colonels and two msjors, and 30
on down to the grade of first-lieuten-
ants, to say nothing OF teveral other
officers below the rank Of lieu
tenant-colonel, to fill existing vacant
cies. The army contains large num-
Der of field officers and some line Off
GERS who held much higher Iauk dur
ing the war than they now do, alter
twenty years additional service. 1t
also contains many captains aud first
lieuter ants who have been capta'ns
and lieutenants ever since the war
closed, whose hair has whitened in
the service, and some of whom will
soon reach the age of retirement. Ex-
cept by operation OF the laws govern.
ing retirements, the year y number OF
casualties is small. Nobody, except
| the friends Of Col. D. Sturgis CT the
seyanth Cavalry, and they are numer-
ous seems 10 expect that the President
will 20 below the iist Of brigadiers 10
! And A successor for Pope, hns nearly
everybody believes that bIis.Aa"...li ~.
Howard will be chosen
1t Is we'll enough to known that
earnest efforts are making to have him
passed by again, this time in favor Of
Miles or Crook. The junior officer is
named because no is not less aspiring
than his competitor and Lis friends
seem to be far more active and agrees
sive. Probably Gen. Crooks chance
would be better were it not fer his
'failure" in Arizona. Gen. Howard
has remained quietly at the
headquarters of the department.
attending to his duties, and there is nc
visible evidence that he has sought tC
interest any outside influence in his
behalf. In the field during the wal
Gen. Howard was distinguished for hi
soldierly qualities of subordinstloI
aud he feels, doubtless, that he can al
ford to let his cause rest upon the rec
, ord of his military services alone. Hi
friends are confident he will receive
the promotion he go justly deserves.
There are forty colonies on the activt
list, and each one Of them is candi
date for one OF the vacancies in thu
| rank cf brigadier-general. Amonj
5 them are three men who held thu
| rank of major. general during the war
} and seventeen who held the rank o
S brieadier-geDeral. The list include
4 the names Of such officers as Grover
y John P. Hatch, Merritt, Carr, Sturgi
a and Grierson of the cavalry; Aver
S and Getty of the artillery, and Carlin
a McCook, Kaniz, o. B. Wilcox, Brooke
a Ruger, Morrow and Potter of the in
e fantry. 1t is reported that the Pres
| dent severalE days ago sent over to tn
: War Department for the service re-
: ords OF seven colonies OF infantry a
r follows: Wilcox, Ruger, CarliD, MOI
e row, Potter, Brooke and Ksn'z. Z
d course it was surmised that this wa
o done with view to comparing ther
,, for the purpose Of making seleCtio
}. for at least one oil the vacant brigadiei
Il generalships. Each Of these officer
s held the rank OF brigadier-generl
v during the war. The friend
/ of Col. Wilcox are hopeful becaus
n he is the senior colonel in the army
d and his military record is eXcellel
d Moreover, it appears that when Nj
e Cleveland was Governor of New Yor
e he recommended Col. Wilcox for pre-
/ motion to the rank CT brigadier-geT
n eral. The friends of Carlin seem
e base their hopes OF only upon hi
IS distinguished military reGord-h
C commanded division under Georg
e H. Thomas at ChiCkamsuga-bU
d also upon the fact as stated tbs
= in 1861, when he was a capital
e in the Sixth Infantry, he ws
I stationed at Buffalo. Among the serl
l. ices he performed was to instruct NJ
g Cleveland in drill aud tactics. Pc
/ haps at that time the future Presider
u thought of going to the front himsel
e Col. ]. II. Potter's friends hope til
l. fact that he is the only classmate {
+ Gen. Grant at West Point who is no
v on the active list of the army will NJ
u seriously iDjure his chance of promo
y ton.
is The friends of Gen. Kautz remarke
IT that he is the only colonel Of Germa
e birth in the army. He went to til
Mexican war as a private in an Obi
regiment, was discharged after year
service in order that he might entC
the military academy. After his gradI
E' alton he was assigned IS Brevet SCI
Dad Lieutenant to the Fourth IntsI
try, in which regiment at that tim
Grant, @. G. Augur and Ions
Z street we're serving as Captains. tn
Il only colonel of infantry who held tn
- rank of msjor-genersl during the VIC
|, was not included in the reported lis
n He is A. Med. McCook, one of tn
( "fphtipg McCooks." The cavalT
II colonies who held the rank of msjo
), general are Merritt and Grierson, bot
2 Of whom rendered distinguishe
It services during the war. Coils. Aver
" and Getty, of the artillery, both ros
o to the rank Of bTigadieI.ge generals durin
}, the war. The friends Of Ayers ar
}, hopeful that in this distribution {
/ prizes the artillery arm will beremen
g bered and that he will be the fortunat
II man. It is q saying often repeate
o that "there's no politics in the army.
y The saying is not true just now. Be
s sides, the ''army is in politics" Ger
8 Sturgis, it is said, has obtained tn
t names Of nearly 100 Senator
n and Representatives to his ap
t plication for promotion to
/ msior-generalship. Every sppliean
for promotion to the rank Of brigsdiel