The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-15
Tho Command Of the Army.

Tho Command Of the Army.
Two bills for reviving the grade OF Lieu
tenant-General are pending in Congress.
The Senate bill provides that the senior
Major-General. while commanding the
army. shall have the rank. pay. emolu-
ments. and personal staff OF a Lieutenant
General, and on retirement shall have the
retired pay Of that grade. The House bill
simply reGstablishes the Office OF Lieuten-
ant General and authorizes the President to
make an appointment to it.
What the need is OF such legislation at the
present time no one can say. 1t cannot. OF
course, at this late day, be based on SER
vices in the civil war. Congress having COM
pleted its system OF rewards for such SER
vices nearly quarter OF century ago.
In 1870. tho year after SHERMAN was made
General OF the Army and SHERIDAN Lieu
tenant-General. Congress provided that no
future appointments should ever be made
to either Of those grades. 1t may now be
matter OF regret that GEORGE Fl. THOMAS.
that model American soldier. had not also
been made Lieutenant-General. and the
rank might well have been conferred on
MEADE. But since Congress decided twen-
ty-three years ago that this grade should
lapse, there Is no more reason for reviving
1t now for honorary purposes than for be-
ginning another series OF brevets like those
which followed the civil war. The strict
ness with which Congress adhered to Its
decision Is further shown by the fact that
when SHERMAN was retired it refused for
years to raise SHERIDAN to the grade OF
General, only giving it to him as he lay on
his deathbed.
II we turn further back for precedents.
we find that the office Of Lieutenant-Gen-
eral has always been alled under excep-
tional circumstances. whereas the ordinary
rule is that the officer commanding tho
army shall be a Maior-General. When the
Government was established, in 1850. tho
army, which then included only regiment
of infantry and battalion OF artillery. was
commanded. as senior officer. by Lieut.
COL JOSIAH HARMAR, who was Brigadicr-
General by brevet. WAYNE. who was made
General-in Chief in 1893. was Major-Gen-
eral. WILKINSON was first Brigadier and
then a Major-Gencral. In 179S. when q
war with France was In prospect. WASH
INGToN was called to the command OF the
army. 1t is often said. and perhaps gener-
ally supposed. that he was raised to the
rank of General at that time. This. how
ever, is q mistake. as will be seen from the
following message. which was the one upon
which he was nominated. and. with the
consent OF the Senate. appointed and COM
missioned:
"GxNriExES SENATE: nominate GEORGE WASH.
mGroN OF Mount Vernon to be LieutenantGeneral and
uaa M
raised. in tho United States. JOIN ADAMS"
"CSirEp STATES. July 2. 1893.
Apart from the services and fame OF the
great First President which called for that
high grade. his appointment was distinctly
q war measure. due to the fact that. as
WASHINGTON expressed it, the Directory Of
France had already made war upon
our defenceless commerce and demands
amounting to tribute" Perhaps should
we ever have war at hand with great
European power. tho commander of the
army might be made a Lieutenant-General.
But throughout the war OF 1912 and the
Mexican war the commanding officers OF
the army were invariably Major-Generals.
DEARBORN, BROWN. MACoMB. and SCOTT all
held that grade. although SCOTT in virtue OF
his great conquest Of Mexico received tho
brevet rank Of Lieutenant-Gcneral. And
vet even the unwilingness of Congress to
give the full grade to soldier so illus
trious Is itself suggestive. In the civil war
the grade Of Major-Gencral was found suf-
ficent for the commanding officer OF the
army. when there were million men in tho
field. In fact it was not until 1864. when
the war had lasted nearly three years. and
when both tho eminent services Of GRANT
and the peculiar needs OF the military
operations required it. that he was made
Lieutenant General. At that timo he was
not the ranking Mnjor-Gcneral. and could
only obtain the needed superiority OF rank
by having a higher grade created for him.
It has sometimes been urged as ground
for tho proposed Legislation that the COM
mander OF the army should be distinguished
in some marked way from the other two
Major-Generals. Thus in the Fifty-flrst
Congress tho House Committee argued that
"the United States is divided into three
military divisions, each of which should bo
commanded by n Major-General." and that
the most systematic arrangement would BIO
to create u Lieutennnt-General. with
Mai General for each division. Whatever
the force in this argument. it was soon de-
stroyed by abolishing tho divisions and
reducing tho two junior Major-Generals.
Gen. HOWARD and Gen. MILES. to depart
ment commanders.
II. as has been suggested, there arc
greater expenses connected with the COM
mand OF the army than ordinarily fall upon
a simple department command. Congress
should make a liberal extra allowance for
them. But neither the army nor the coun-
try needs Lieutenant-General.
The Eagle and the Owl.