The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-29
THE AGE OF MILITARY COMMAND.
some of the Hardest Fighters Have
Been Away BEYOND Their Teens.

Been Away BEYOND Their Teens.
From the New York Journal of COM
merce.
This is an old mans war. so far as the
army is concerned. When the civil war
broke out Lee. the two Johnstons, Cooper,
and perhaps one or two other men of
years and rank. Joined the Confederacy,
Tor most of these officers were from
southern states. A few elderly officers
went into service in the national armies,
and the civilians who We're appointed 10
military commands were usually young
men, Most of the general and field
officers Of what is known as "Ihe Old
army We're deemed physically unavail-
aple, md their names are not known to
geaeradon that remembers wen the
names of scores of military commanders
who. in 1861, were company officers, or If
in civil life al the time were just be-
ginning their business or professional ca
reers.
In 1851 the patriarchs of the United
States army were Sumner, aged Ga, and
Mansfield, aged IS. The latter was killed
az Antietam; the former soon after Fred
erlcksburg, was relieved from service in
the field al his own request Ormsby Nc
Knight Mitchell was % when the war be
gan; Hooker, Il; Meade, IS; Thomas, 20;
Mcdowell Ord and Buell. 80; sherman, Al;
and Burnside, 81; Logan and McCleunan,
IS; Mcpherson, So; Howard, 81; Sheridan,
81, and Merritt, %.
Most of the general officers of the pres
ent army were che generals and colonies
OF the regular army; few of these are
under 60 years of age The four original
major generals of volunteers appointed
from civil life achieved high rank in the
civil war. A man who was only q when
the war closed would now be 90, so that
these commanders are over thar age, for
the youngest of them, Gen. Wheeler was
Is at the end of the war Gen. SeWall de-
, cllned his appointment, preferring to re-
main in the Senate, and the President add
ed to this list Butler of South Carolina,
and Keller of Ohio, both g. These men
were not 30 years Old when the civil war
closed, ana both of them had distinguish
ed themselves in that struggle.
Dandolo took Constantinople at 50 or
over, Won Moltke was over 10 at the time
OF the FrancO-German war. Several other
German oncers were wen over co. but
these must be regarded as exceptional
cases. Napoleon and Wellington We're
about 40 at Waterloo, and most of Napo-
Icons generals were young men. Our Off
GERS in the revolution We're generally
young, but so were the leaders of civil
life; the active period of life seemed then
to begin and end earlier than now
Scott and Taylor were past middle life in
the war with Mexico. After 45 a man is
liable to develop physical weakness that
interferes with campaigning and a man
OF 80 does not genrally take the chances
that a man of 80 does, and In war many
chances must be taken. If Gen. Shafter is
to be criticised at all, however, it Is for be-
ing too aggressive, and not for being too
cautious. We do not criticise the general
but If we were to crticise it would be for
a fault of youth, and not for a fault of
age. But he is over co. weighs over 800
pounds, and on account of a trouble with
his legs, is unable for days at time 10
stand. He is now trying to direct the
siege of Santiago from his cot three miles
back from the front. Gen. Wheeler is g.
and was carried forward to the fighting
before Santiago on a litter but, against
the protests Of the surgeons, he insisted on
mounting his horse when he reached the
front. Gen. Young, also over 60, has been
invalidated home because he cannot stand
the climate of Cuba. Men between 80 and
40, the age of the most of generals of the
civil war, are at present subalterns. Col
Roosevelt who is one of the boys of this
war, must be 40 or a little over.