Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-12
SHORN OF A MARSHAL.
No Longer in the French Army Does
That Once Powerful Officer
Hold Despotic Sway.
Advanced by Degree to the Summit of
Authority His Military Will
None Dared to Dispute.

AAAS IAAhh"is w III
None Dared to Dispute.
Those who henceforth aspire to the
marshal baton must seek it on the other
side of the Rhine. exclaimed Gen Chanzy
when he heard that the military commits
sion Of 1873 had decided that there should
no longer be any officer named for promo
ton to a marshalate in the French army
At the present moment, says a Paris let
ter TO the San Francisco Chronicle. there
Is no higher rank than that of general of
division. all decisions and corps being
commanded by officers of that grade.
Naturally, there is constant clashing, for,
Notwithstanding all the lovely phrases
about moral ascendency and that sort of
thing, authority of superior rank is in
dlspensible to supreme command. A grade
higher than that of general division exists
In all other countries of Europe. In Ger
many there are ight officers, in Austria
there are thirty-two and in Russia over
ninety who have higher rank than general
of division, and as there is not one in this
country the re-establishment of the grade
of marshal, which is now being consider
ed, will be a good thing for the service.
In the beginning marshalS of France
sprang from simple officers who had
| charge of the kings stables, though later
on those who had this rank were advanced
to the summit of the military hierarchy
and shared with constables the command
of the sovereign's soldiers. They became
the equal of the greatest personages In the
kingdom and were always surrounded
with extraordinary pomp and circum-
stances. Their insignia, a sign of su-
preme military command, played great
roll In former days, although it was not
always a baton that they carried When
Louis XIII. entered Hesdin through a
breach in the walls he stopped, handed
his cane to Gen De la Meilleraye and
said:
Il make you marshal of France, and
here is your baton"
Louis XIV. created so many mar
shals that it would have cost him a num-
Der Of canes if he had given one to each, so
he contented himself with putting his
own walking-stick into the hands of the
newly promoted officer, and then he took it
back again. Marshals of the old regime
seldom omitted to hold the legendary
baton, embossed with heurs-de-lis on blue
velvet, in their hands when commanding
in the battlefield. Nowadays, however,
and for long time past, the insignia is
hardly more than myth, so far as COM
mand IS concerned marshals leave it at
home when they go to war, and it no longer
figures except on the panels of their car
riage doors or in the portraits of the Yer
sallles museum.
The number of marshals has varied at
different epochs i'll French history At
first there was only one, but during the
reign of Saint Louis two were appointed,
and they combined with their military
functions the management of the royal
stables. Francis |. added third mar
shall to this list and Henry II. created a
fourth one After that the number still
further increased, but the states of Blois
required that there should thereafter be no
more than four of them. Henry " took
no notice of this decision and rewarded
his faithful followers by naming seven
marshals. Louis XIV. ran the number up
to eighteen, but up to the end of the reign
of Louis XVI. the number varied from
fifteen to sixteen. In 1871, a decree was
issued reducing them to six. but the two
marshels last nominated by Louis Seize
were not included among these six titular-
les. These were the baron de Luckner
and count de Rochambeau Abolished by
the first republic. they were again estab-
Eshed by a senatus- consultum of the
Twenty-second Floreal, and then they
took the title of marshals of the empire.
1t was necessary, however. to conquer
this supreme rank to have won pitched
battle or to have taken too fortified places.
During his reign Napoleon |. created
twenty-five marshals Their patronymi-
cal names may have been modest, even
plebelian, but the title of nobility that ac-
companied their baton recalled great vic
tory. The restoration preserved the rank
and gave those who held it the name of
marshals of France. One of them, NJ.
Money, duke of Coneglsano, had the rank
taken away from him because he refused
/, to preside over the council of war that
tried Marshal Ney one of his old COM
rades. AS for the latter, he only had his
grade taken away, but he was struck off
the list of the living.
From 1923 to 1889 there was never more
than twelve marshal. A law of 1889 fixed
their number at six in piece and twelve in
time of war The republic of 1848 did not
abolish the dignity, and finally, under the
second empire, nineteen marshals were
created. can quite understand why the
French republic should thus far have re-
fused to create marshrls, for the marechalat
is a rank that hitherto could only exist
under monarchy. Indeed marshals of
France have always been known as the
sovereigns cousins The baton itself in
dicates this, for on one side is written:
''On such date the emperor, or king,
gave to bis cousin, Gen. X, this baton of
marshal" Apropose of these batons-
old saying is that one may, perhaps, be
carried in his knapsack by any soldier
1t was during the reign of Francois l.
when they became the essential insignia
of the marechalat. A baton measures
twenty inches long, is covered with royal
blue velvet, and is sprinkled with golden
stars, these having replaced the bees of
the empire, which in is turn had crowded
off the fleur-de-lis of the monarchy.
AN OASIS IN THE SAHARA.