The National tribune., 1897-12-02

and longer service, and that he had
nominated him as Lieutenant General
by reason of his special fitness to COM
mand the Military Division of the Mis-
souri,, embracing all the wild Indians,
at that very moment in a state Of hos
tility.
| gave Gen. Thomas the choice of
every other command in the Army, and
of his own choice he went to San Fran
cisco, Cal, where he died March %, 1870.
The truth is, Congress should have pro-
vided by law for three Lieutenant-Ge
erals for these three pre-eminent soldiers,
and should have dated their commissions
with Gettysburg" Winchester" )" and
Nashville" 1t would have been a
graceful act, and might have pro-
longed the lives Of two most popular
officers, who died soon after, feeling that
they had experienced ingratitude and
neglect
Soon after Gen. Grants Inauguration
as President, and, as | supposed, in full
filment of bis plan divulged in Chicago
the previous December, were made the
following:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
WASHINGTON, March s 1869. !
General Orders No. II:
The following orders of the President of
the United States are published for the in
formation and government of all concerned:
WAR DEPARTMENT, !
WASHINGTON CITY. March , 1869. !
BY direction of the President. Gen William
I. Sherman viii assume command Of the Army
of the United States
The Chiefs of Staff Corps. Departments
and Bureaus will report to and act under the
immediate orders Of the General commanding
the Army.
Any official business which by law or regu-
lation requires the action Of the President or
Secretary Of War Will be submitted by the
General OF the Army to the Secretary of War,
and III general all orders from the President
or Secretary Of War to any portion Of the
Army, line or staff, will lie transmitted
through The General Of the Army.
J. M. SCHoFIELD, Secretary of War.
BY command OF the General Of the Army.
L. D. TOWNSEND,
Assistant Adjutant- General
On the same day | issued my General
Orders No. II, assuming command and
naming all the heads of staff depart
ments and bureaus as members Of my
staff, adding to my then three Aids,
Coils. Mccoy, Dayton and Audenrled,
the names Of Coils. Comstock, Horace
Porter and Dent, agreeing with Presi-
dent Grant that the two latter could re-
main with him till | should need their
personal services or ask their resigna-
tons
[ was soon made aware that the heads
Of several of the staff corps were restive
under this new order of things, for by
long usage they had grown to believe
themselves not officers of the Army in a
technical sense, but a part Of the War
Department, the civil branch of the
Government which connects the Army
with the President and Congress.
In short time Gen. John A. Rawlins,
Gen. Grants former Chief of staff, was
nominated and confirmed as Secretary
of War; and soon appeared this order:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE
WASHINGTON, March q, 1869. J
General Orders No. %:
The following orders received for the War
Department are published for the govern
ment of all concerned:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON CITY, March 26 1859 I
BY direction of the President, the order Of
the Secretary of War, dated War Depart
ment, March >, 1863, and published in Gen
eral Orders No. II, Headquarters of the Army.