The San Francisco call., 1897-03-27
GENERAL RUGsR'S RETIREMENT
1T WH Cause Promotion All Along the
Lne-8ngadiers Who Are Mentioned
for EieVaffon.

WASHINGTON, D. C., March 26-The
retirement of Major-General Thomas H..
Ruger, which will occur April 2, will be
the most important change of the year in
military circles. Promotion all along the
line will be the result. The retirement
will mean the removal of Major General
Wesley Merritt from Chicago TO New
York. The War Department precedent
has it that the second officer of the army
shall be in command of the Department OF
the East. Who will succeed General Mer-
ritt as commander of the Department OF
the Missouri is an open question. The
appointment will be made by President
Mckinley. From the six bria adier-gen-
erals now in command OF the other depart
ments the President will make his selec-
tion. These are: John r. Brooke, sta
toned at ST. Paul; Frank Wheaton,
stationed ut Denver; Edweli S. Otis, sta
toned at Vancouver; James w. Forsyth,
with headquarters at San Francisco;
Zenas r. Bliss, stationed at San Antonio,
and John J. Coppinger, stationed at
Omaha.
While precedent favors promotion of
the senior brigadier. who is General
Brooke, it by no means follows as certain
that he will be appointed. There is bare
possibility that President Mckinley may
not promote General Brooke at once. 1t
has been suggested that as General Whea-
ION is to be retired on May s the President
may appoint him to the vacancy, in order
that he may draw a larger salary when
retired. The pay of a maior-general on
the active list is $500 and brigadier
$500. When retired the ma jor-general
gets $5625 and the brigadier $4125. When
the promotion is mSde OF one of the briga-
diers to be major-general it means iur.
ther promotion all along the line. One
of the colonies will become brigadier-gen-
eral. OF these there are seventy-one. The
ranking colonel is William r. Shafter,
who commands the First Infantry.
1t is not unlikely that the man chosen
will be Colonel James E. Wade OF the
Fifth Cavalry, who is the ranking cavalry
officer. Colonel Wade is an Ohioan, son
OF the famous Senator Ben Wade. Re-
tirements such as General Ruger's are not
sought by officers. They are compulsory,
aud come rather hard on men IN active
life and good health who are perfectly
willing to remain In harness for several
years to come.
General Ruger was born April 2, 1888, at
Lima, n. Y, and graduated in 1854 at
West Point. For SIX years he was law
yer at GAINESVILLE, Wis. He went TO the
war in 1861 as lieutenant-colonel OF the
Third Wisconsin Infantry. His war rec
ord is good. He saw service in the Shen-
andoah Valley and in the Northern Vir-
ginia and Maryland campaigns.
For bravery at Gettysburg he was made
brevet brigadier-generai. He did duty
during the draft riots in New York, and
later was with Sherman at Atlanta. At
Franklin he defeated General Hood and
took part in the surrender of General ].
E. Johnston, in April, 1865 He was Pro-
visional Governor of Georgia from Janu-
ary II to July 7, 1868, and commanded
the district of Alabama and the Depart
ment of the South till 1871, when he be-
came superintendent OF the West Point
Academy. After five years he returned to
The army. He has commanded IN the
South, Montana, Missouri, Dakota and
the Pacific Slope. When General Miles
went to New York General Ruger was
made major-general.