Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-02

| I.
A Pointers is 1,23O, hut
'V ] $50 Of these are sub
alterns. In other
| words. although 81 per cent of the officers
on duty are graduates of the Military
Academy. only 10 per cent have been pro-
NOTED more than one step since they
"doffed the gray and donned the blue"
so that, practically the army is now domi-
| mated by officers who do not bear the aris-
| tocratic stamp OF 1.-The Point"
Two of the three major generals, Scho-
field and McCook, are West Pointers. The
other. Nelson A. Miles. originally entered
the military service of the United STATES as
a captain in the twenty-second Massachu-
sets volunteers. When Gen. Scholieid re-
tires next September Gen. Miles will be
the senior major general, and, as such,
will probably succeed to the command of
the army. That, however, does not neces-
sarily follow. although there Is general
but erroneous belief that it does. Under
old regulation. which is still in force,
an officer cannot place himself on duty
by virtue of his commission alone He
must be assigned to duty by competent au-
thority.
Gen. Miles, therefore, cannot succeed
Gen. Schofield as major general command
ing the army unless specially assigned to
that position by orders from the War De-
partment. 1t would be competent for the
President to assign another officer to that
duty. though it is not likely that he will
do so,
The six brigadier generals are equally
divided between graduates and civilians,
Ruger, Merritt and Forsyth being West
Pointers, while Brooke, Wheaton and Otis
do not possess that distinction. Gen.
Wheaton originally entered the army
March 3, 1850 as first lieutenant in the
fourth now firsD cavalry, which was
gained under an act of that date. He has
been continuously in service nearly forty
years. Gems. Brooke and Otis were APP
pointed lieutenant colonies of infantry in
1866, having previously served with dis
tinctiOn as brigadier generals of volunteers.
Of the ten general officers ibrigadiers)
who are heads of staff departments only
four are graduates, namely, the adjutant
general, commissary general, chief of en-
ginee rs and chief of ordnance. The in
spector generals department, the judge adj
vocate generals department formerly call
I'd the bureau of military juStice), the
qusrtermaster's medical and pay depart
ments and the signal corps are presided
over by officers who have not the signih-
cant Nj. a. opposite their names i'll the
Army Register. The chief signal officer be-
gan his military career by carrying a mus
ket as private in the nineteenth MaSSa-
chusetts volunteers. The inspector gen.
eral judge advocate general, QuartermaS-
ter general and surgeon general made their
first military ventures in 1861 as lieuten-
ants. while the paymaster general conf
menced as an additional paymaster with
the rank of major. The other officers of
the staff departments are classed as fol-
lows:
Graduates of West Points colonies, 26
lieutenant colonies. 46 majors, - captains
and g. leutenants.
Appointed from civil life-12 colonies, "a
lieutenant cOlonels 81 majors, SIS captains
and 80 lieutenants.
Promoted from the ranks-1 lieutenant
colonel. majors, one captain and lieu
tenants.
officers, exclusive of heads of bureaus, ~
are graduates, 266 are civilian appointees
and rose from the ranks.
Fighting Parsons.
Although 1t Is matter of record that
graduates of the Military Academy have
become ministers of the gospel QIeonidas
Polk, for example, sometime bishop of
Louisiana and confederate general Rev.
De Shon. Catholic priest, ard DR.. Francis
Vinton, for many years rector of Trinity
Church, New York;, none of the thirty
post chaplains are West Pointers, but two
of them served as infantry officers and
eight were enlisted men of volunteers dur
ing the late war, so that one-third of the
chaplains are fairly entitled to be consid-
cred fighting parscnS.'
In the cavalry arm of the service 3
- L
captains and 220 lieutenants are graduates;
Z colonels lieutenant colonies. 10 majors,
81 captains and "a lieutenants are from
civil life and lieutenant colonies, II
majors, I captain and 10 lieutenants were
promoted from the ranks.
In the artillery arm, which, like the en-
gneer corps and ordnance department. Is
regarded in a sort of scientific light, West
Point Is better represented. Four of the
five regiments are commanded by gradu-
ates. and one by a civilian appointee; all
the lieutenant colonies, ) Of the majors. %
captains and 1S2 lieutenants are West
Pointers; 10 majors, 30 captains and lieu
tenants were appointed from civil life, and
{ captains and 1 lieutenant rose from the
ranks. For some time past vacancies in
the artillery arm have been reserved for
graduates, which explains the circumstance
that. out of 191 lieutenantS all but are
West Pointers 1t is five years since an ell
listed MAI. received a commission in an
artillery regiment, though during that per-
iod many artillerymen have been promoted
from the ranks and assigned to the in
fantry.
Proportion of West Pointers.
In the infantry arm graduates above the
rank of lieutenant are scarce, there being
only colonies, 3 lieutenant colonies, /
major and IS captains, while the number
Of lieutenants is 374. Those appointed from
civil life are 10 colonies, IS lieutenant
colonies, Is majors, $50 captains and Il
The rank and file Of the army
are represented by lieutenant colonies, II
majors, % captains and 81 lieutenants.
The proportion of West Pointers in each
grade above that of first lieutenant in the
ccmbatant branches of the army Is as fol-
lows: Colonies, 81 IL per cent; lieutenant
% per cent; majors, 10 per- cent;
captains, 81 per cent.
At the Military Academy there are seven
permanent professors, six of whom are
The seventh. the chaplain and
professor of ethics, is not a graduate. The
professor of law is detailed from the army,
under a special provision Of law. At pres
emit that office is filled by a lieutenant
colonel of the judge advocate generals
department, who was promoted from the
ranks, having served as private, bands
nan and quartermaster sergeant. If any
cadet some thirty-seven years ago had
predicted that young German then play |
ing in the band of the ninth infantry would |
one day become a lieutenant colonel and |
be assigned to duty as professor of law at |
the high-toned Point he would certainly |
have been haZed.
Veterans of the War.