The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-11-27
A Gross INJUsTICE.
Why ere Officers not Allowed the Rank They Earned
AZ the FrOntf

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: By what au-
thOrity was tho denial Of muster made 10 Ofi-
GERS whose commands fell below the minimum
Was 10 by act Of Congress or an order Of the
War Department? Companies with less than
So men could not have a Second Lieuten-
ant, nor regiments Of less than $50 have
Colonel, should vacancies occur in these grades.
The result was that those regiments known as
being continually kept at the 'front.' and whose
losses were therefore heavy, were under taboo,
and one high incentive TO exertiOn lthe hope
of promOtiOn) taken away from them.
The Proyost-Guards and rear holding COM
mand5 had no trouble in recruiting and thus
had full line Of officers and men. while those
Mt the front were practically told that if their
losses were too heavy. if they tried too hard TO
do their duty as soldiers they should be pun
ished by deprivation Of promotion TO certain
offices aud rank.
The injustice Of this would seem TO be ap-
parent, but Congress has refused to right the
wrong. though there are very many officers yet
/ living who served aud had commissions from
| the Governors Of their States, but who could
not be mustered, for no other reason than that
/ their commands had suffered greatly in the
/ field.
| The injustice seems the greater, for the writer
! knows that the order or law, whichever il was,
while rigidly enforced in the Army Of the
I Cumberland, was not so enforced in the Army
Of the Potomac. He has certain knowledge Of
at least two cases in that army where Lieuten-
ant Colonies were mustered as full Co!onels
! where their regiments were far below the mini
| mum in number. Neither was it enforced in
the Regular Army and yet il was plain law
\ that Regulars and Volunteers were 20 be put on
the same footing so far rank and pay were
concerted. Perhaps / may make my meaning
| palmer by stating my own experience, which
/ - that Of many. Was enlisted Is private, Oct.
/ Il, 1861 mustered az First Lieutenant. Nov.
/ u; as Captain, Dec ~ 1861; as Major June,
| 1862; Lieutenant Colonel, May, 1864; mustered
out Dec "a, 1865. having commission and
\ commanding the regiment as full Colonel for q
\ year or more but could not be mustered on
this commission. The regiment to which was
attached from the day 10 started 70 the front
/ until it was mustered out. had over I 500 men
in it, aud yet as it was always ut the front,
never was able to maintain the minimum num-
\ Der on its rolls
OF course the reason or excuse is given that
\ 1t was sought TO compel the Governors Of States
TO ill up the old regiments instead Of forming
new ones, but it did not have that effect and
simply, as l have said, resulted in furnishing
\ officers at the front who were wrOng-headed
enough to have their men killed in battle and
having no control over the action Of their State
/ Governors, were also punished for the view
they took Of what was best in their manage
ment Of affairs.
| The writer only asks that the commission
/ which be holds, and which he thinks he fairly
/ won, may appear on the muster-rolls Of the
/ volunteer army Of the United States, "a that
OF any other rank he may have held, and so far
/ as he is concerned, and so far as he has heard
from many Of his comrades who have in like
manner been defrauded, the Government may
I keep the little difference in pay it involves if
/ it is in distress for money to pay its debts.
\ The writer is tired Of explaining how 10 is that
/ though be has a commission as full Colonel and
! served as such for much more than year. the
I Colonclcy remaining vacant hc only ranks as
/ Lieutenant Colonel on the United States mus
/ ter-rols, and that he hadn't committed a crime
which prevented his muster-H. LEANING,
I Colonel Cor Lieutenant Colonel 10th Ind, La
I fayette Ind