Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28
Gossip About the Highest Place in
the Regular Army.
UNCERTAIN STANDING In LAW
Men Who Have Been at the Head
Of the Army.
AMEs OF DISTINCTION


tenant General Schoteld, has drawn special
attention to that exalted military office.
Its status and functions have been the
cause of almost continuous controversy
among military authorities, and are still
imperfectly understood by persons outside
of the service. The public has become so
accustomed to hearing of the general
commanding the army" that 1t will hear
with surprise and doubt the statement that
there Is no such Office in the usual accepta-
ton of the term. Yet such is the fact.
There is no constitutional provision for
general commanding nor Is there any
law on the statute books creating such an
Gtfce. 1t is true, however, that Congress
has recently recognized the existence of
such an officer by legislation providing that
it's incumbent shall be ex-ofiicio president Of
the board of Notifications and ordnance.
body constituted to devise means for the
national defense, and that he shall also be
president OF the board of commissioners of
the Soldiers Home in the District of Column
bia.
According to the Constitution and the law.
the President of the United States is ex-ofti-
clio commander-in-chief of the army and
navy, and according to repeated decisions
OF the Supreme Court his powers of COM
mand over the two services are legally ex-
ercised through the Secretaries of War and
handing the army" has no Independent
authority whatever over that branch of the
service, and the same is true of the navy.
All orders issued by them are subject to the
approval of the civilian head of the de-
partment as the personal representative of
the President
A Subordinate Place.
For instance, Gen. Schofield cannot change
the station or duty Of a subordinate officer.
or even grant him leave of absence. without
the sanction of the Secretary of War. Gen.
Schofield has always recognized his sub
ordinate capacity in this respect and has
acted accordingly. Some of his predeces-
sors in command Of the army, notably Gen.
Scott and Gen. Sherman, had more exalted
ideas of their official powers and functions
and consequently were in constant friction
with the President and the Secretary of
War. The army officers, however, were
worsted in both instances. Gen. Sherman
became so vexed over the failure of his con-
tention that he secured legislative authority
to transfer his headquarters from Washing
ton to st. Louis.
A carefully prepared review of the his
tory of the army from its earliest organiza-
ton shows that the actual command Of the
army with the exception of brief period,
has always been as it is today, in the hands
of Congress, acting through the President
and the executive departments. During the
pressure of war Congress has for brief
periods parted with this control, but on one
memorable occasion during the presidential
term of Andrew Johnson 1t exercised its
control to the extent of depriving the Pres
ident Of his constitutional functions as COM
mander-in- chief. During the war of the re-
bellion the administration of the army was
in the hands of congressional board of
control.
In June, 1775, George Washington was
appointed general and commander-in-chief,
and during the six months beginning De-
cember -, 1776 he was granted dictatorial
powers With this exception Congress eN-
ercised command over the army, part of the
time directly and during the remaining
period of the revolution through the board
of war and the Secretary of War.
Senior Officer In Command.
On the resignation Of Gen. Washington in
December, 1888, Maj. Gen. King became
the senior officer of the army, but he was
not placed in command. Subsequently, in
June, 1854, when Congress mustered out all
the troops excepting eighty privates and
a few company officers, Capt. John Dough-
ty, commanding a small artillery force at
West Point. was the senior officer of the
army. In 1854 the army was increased to
700 men and Lieut.. Col. Josiah Harmer
was the senior officer. The Secretary of
War, however, exercised command of the
army.
Under the Constitution adopted in 1883
the President of the United States became
commarder-in-chief of the army, navy and
militia, and to him was delegated all the
authority previously exercised by Congress
in that connection. Maj. Gen. ST. Clair was
the senior officer from March, 1901, to
March. 1872, when he resigned, and Gen.
Anthony Wayne was appointed major gen.
eral and made general-in-chief over the
army on the frontier. On his death, in
December, 1896. Gen. Wilkinson was placed
in command. In July, 1898, in view of the
threatened war with France, Washington
was appointed lieutenant general and COM
mander-in-chief of all the armies raised or
TO no rnic cod in, I, mil a1
By act of March g. 1899, the office of
lieutenant general was abolished, and that
of commander of the army of the United
States, with the title of general of the
army was created. 1t was intended that
Washington should receive this Office but
President Adams contended that this
trenched upon his constitutional preroga-
tive. Therefore. no appointment was made
and Washington died while holding the
office of lieutenant general. This made
Alexander Hamilton. inspector general, the
senior officer of the army. He did not exer-
else command, however, that duty being
performed by the Secretary of War. The
retirement of Hamilton, with the disband-
ing of the provisional army in 1900, again
made Gen. Wilkinson the senior officer of
the army.
General Scott In Command.
In January, 1912, when the country was
at war with England, Henry Dearborn was
appointed major general and ranked Will
Of War; took the field by direction of the
President and conducted the operations of
the army on the northern frontier. Maj
Gen. Jacob Brown succeeded Dearborn as
senior officer. He was assigned to the d.
vision of the south, and the President
through the Secretary of War, exercised di-
rect comma nd of the army. In May, 1S2S
Maj. Gen. Macomb, the only officer of that
rank, was directed by the President to as
sumo command of the army. He was Sue
ceeded IN his DEATH in June 1871, by Gen.
Winfield Scott, then holding the rank of
major general. Scott was made brevet lieu
tenant general under the act of February,
1865, and continued in command until May
1861, when he was succeeded by Maj. Gen.
G. B. Mcclellan. In June, 1862, Maj. Gen.
Halleck was assigned to the command Of
the army, over the heads of Gems McClel-
Ian, Fremont, Banks and Butler. all Of
whom were his seniors.
In February, 1864, Gen. U. S. Grant was
commissioned lieutenant general, but Hal
leck was not relieved from command until
the following March, when be was assigned
to duty as chief of staff Of the army, and
up to the close of the war he continued to
exercise the same duties as when general
chief.
In July, 1866. the rank CT general was re-