The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-04
RISING FROM THE RANKS.
PrIvatcs in the United states Army Who Win
Their Commission.


Several times in the course of a year-perhaps
half a dozen is n liberal estimate-the newspa-
pcrs record the fact that an enlisted man in the
army has passed the required examinations and
received n commission as Second Lieutenant.
People whose idea of the character Of the men
in the ranks have been formed from reading
"Ouida," or descriptions of the life o. n private
in foreign armies, arc amazed at such promotion
and are apt TO hazard the prediction that the
young Lieutenant will be made very I'M
comfortable by his brother officers, who
are all proud of being West Point men.
The Sun told last week the story OF the
last enlisted man who has won his commits
sion. Before he had qualified for his cxamina
tons he had won the respect and admiration of
the men in his own company. There are some
very excellent officers in the army to-day who
won their commissions while in the ranks, and
they are accepted on their merits by the officers
who enjoyed the training Of West Point before
they were made Second Iicutcnants.
If a man who has risen from the ranks is
naturally a loor." said an old army officer, "hc
will he received with no more consideration
than others Of his class by his fellow officers. II
he is n gentleman. as most of them are, the fact
that he Is not n West Point man will not stand
in his way. It's a mighty hard struggle for an
enlisted man to pass the examinations for n
49, -. ''e S"Nh ~ ~ &c wv
deserve lots of credit"
1t is the opinion of men who have had an Oh.
portuni;yt To study them that the enlisted men
IN the United states army are much. better as a
elias; Than !hsE are Tcncrnlly suppossed TO be.
them pretty, nearly every type in the socinl
scale. Within the past seven or eight years our
ENan'iminS, d h1nT [dI Inss 1m an G nI Tea nan Mhrr W nc,
found that he had won the prize. undoubtedly on
his own merits, he disclosed The fact that the
His own name was one that was nearly MS well
known to army men in, Europe ms it was here.
This young mans brother was an officer in the
regular army. who was better known than any
other man Of his rank. His Investigations and cX-
pcrimcnts had won fnmc for him. For some rca.
son the younger brother couldn't get an appoint
mcrt 10 West Point. He wanted TO he an officer,
and when he found that he couldn't get, u com
mission by mn academic course he enlisted hoping
to work his way up. He enlisted under n false
name because he wanted 10 stand on his merits
corporal md then n sergeant. lie worked hard
and passed his examinations with flying colorS:
character 10 win COMMISSIONS aro exceptional
among the enlisted men. Many of the non-c0m-
mi,siGnGd officers. however, are men Of consider,
Why did enlist :, said m Intelligent Ger
] was u hard luck, %Ilieforc l c%amc to his %ogn:;
tune, and came to America 10 make my for
tune anew. didn't make it,. Finally, in order
Ing, from carly in The ,mornlms until lGto at
night. That sort OF life didn't offer much
inluccIncnt to live. | remembered my
military training Mt home and II wasn't
dislUsteful to me. Ono day went down
the Nowcry, and, happening to SEQ II station tor
c~nli,tiug. | went in On the impulse of the mo-
men. and enlisted. That was -four years ago.
| Next year ! nm going to rccnltst. This Is better
than being u day ~laborcr, and ! guess i suits me
about Ms well ~ anything | could get"
The men who enlist in the hope OF ultimately
getting n commission rs Second Lieutenant arc
50 few that they cannot. he accepted as indicat'
ing the general typo of the private. But there is
aside from his routine military duties. ii he so
chooses. There are schools for his instruction Mt
the varioV, posts. II he happens to be in TIA"
artillery he win tind that the subject Of guns is
II broad one. and il offers an interesting field for
rrsctrrh. lie may learn tclcgrnphy or he may
! amply himself To mathematics. The gentleman
rankcrs' among the enlisted men who have
been forced into he army as n last resort are, as
u class, undesirable.
- remember one such young fellow" said II
company officer. who Joined my company iOur
wears ago. | knew the minute ! SAW him that
hr was different from the other men. lie looked
di.sipaici and he talked slangily. He was II
graduate of Princeton, and he had done about
! the half dozen years lticr he left college. Finally
| he got irtop scrupc hat made IL necessary for him
TO drop ont of sight and so he enlisted under m
assumed name. didn't learn these details un-
Ill h" had been In my company for twO years
and ] was very tired Of him. He spent a good
share of his time In the guard house, As soon
Ms | learned his history ! sent word 10 his fam
lily ana tlry arranged FOR his discharge. | have
hoard since that his army life reformed him.