The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-30
THE BEST SCHOLARS NOT THE BEST
SOLDIERS.

the graduates of the United States Mill
tary academy reveals some facts of inter-
est to the general public. The most
brilliant soldier of the class of 1926, Gen.
eral Charles f. Smith, who led the sue
cessful charge at Fort Donelson, ranked
only nineteen in class of thirty-seven.
Bishop Polk, very mediocre soldier,
ranked eighth in the class of 1927. jeff
Davis ranked but twenty-three in the
class of 1928. Robert E. Lee was second in
the class of 1929, while Joe Johnston
ranked thirteen. Generals Humphreys
and Emory, the brilliant men of the class
of 1881, ranked thirteen and fourteen out
of class of thirty-three. General Morell,
mediocre Union soldier, led the class of
1885, in which Montgomery Blair ranked
eighteen and General Meade nineteen.
General Bragg, very unlucky and I'M
fortunate Confederate soldier, ranked five
in the class of 1887, which included Gen.
eral Early, number IS; General Sedgwick,
number "a; General Pemberton, number
81 and General Hooker, number %.
The best soldiers in the class of 1888,
after Beauregard who ranked second, were
Generals Hardee and A. ]. Smith, who
ranked % and So respectively. The class
of 1899 was led by Isaac 1. Stevens, killed
at Chantilly; General Halleck ranked
third. This class included Generals Rick
etts, Ord and Henry ]. Hunt. Sherman
ranked sixth in the class of 1910, while
Hebert, who led the class, never rose
higher than a Confederate brigadier.
General Thomas ranked IL in this class,
General Ewell 10, General Getty Is. The
class of 1S41 was led by General Tower;
General II. G. Wright was second !;
General Whipple third; General Howe
eighth. This class also included General
Lyon, number IL; John F. Reynolds,
number &c; General Sully, number 81;
General Buell., number 30: General Rich
ardson, number IS, and General w. T. H.
Brooks, number 46; notable class. The
class OF 1912 was led by General Eustis,
who never rose above brigade; General
Newton was second, and General Rose
Grams fifth. General Gustavus w. Smith
and Mansfield Lowell, two Confederate
incompetents, ranked eighth and ninth.
The ablest soldier in the class-Longstreet
ranked "a in a class of Sc; McLaws, an
other able Confederate, ranked As, and
ID. II. Hill, an excellent soldier, but 2S.
Van Dorm, another brilliant Confederate,
ranked 50 in this class.
General Franklin, a very unfortunate
soldier, led the class of 1913, in which
Grant ranked q in a class of 80. The best
soldier in the class, next to Grant, General
Steele, ranked 50. while obscure General
finest soldier in the class of 1874, ranked IS
in a class of %. The finest soldier in the
class of 1915, General David A. Russell,
ranked IS in class of IL, while the bril-
liant Confederate, General Bee, ranked but
SO. The best scholars of the class were
Wood, Charles p. Stone and Fitz John
Porter. General Mcclellan was second in
the class of 1916, but the best soldiers
of the class were "Stonewall" Jack
son, number Il; Cadmus C. Wilcox,
No. ST. and George f. Pickett, So The
General Hill, No. Is; General John Glib
hons No 20; General Ayres. No. %; Gen.
eral Griffin. No. %, with the brilliant Con-
federate Heth at the foot of the class.
The finest soldier of the class of 1913.
General John Buford, ranked 16 in class
of S. General Gilmore led the class OF
1919, but the finest soldier of the class, the
Confederate general Charles W. Field
ranked but q in a class of 43. Cen
ersl G.. X. Warren was second in the class
of 1850, which included Generals Eugene
A. Carr. William P. Carlin and
James II. Wilson. The finest soldier
in the class of 1851, the
Confederate general Junius Daniel, ranked
SO in a class of ~. The class of 1852 in
cluded Generals Slocum, Stanley, Hart
suf. Charles R. Woods, McCook, Kautz,
and Crook. Two of the best of them,
Kautz and Crook, ranked but IS and 80,
respectively, in class of a. General
Mcpherson led the class of 1858, in which
General Schofield ranked seventh, while
Phil Sheridan ranked but "a and Confed-
crate General Hood but IL IN class of 50.
Confederate General G. W. Gusts Lee led
the class Of 1854, and General Ringer was
third with General Howard fourth; "Jeb''
Stuart ranked Is; General Fender 10 in a
class CT As. Generals Hazen, Webb and
Neitzel were the notable men of the class