The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-06-22
MISCELLANY.
Rank AflOat and Ashore.

of equal grades in other services. Blu
our pay is the end of it. In foreigl
services there are perquisites, thougl
they are not called so, and in the high
er ranks the pay is likely to be highe
than with us.
Btsides in every country but GU
own there are "dt corations" of variuu:
sort. In great Britain naval captain
is knighted lmost as matter of cours,
when he becomes rear admiral, anc
before that time he has received order.
and badges, as a rule, and it is The
same way in the army. In France, the
Legion of Honor goes 10 about every
body of certain rank in the army OF
the navy, and promotion in the service
means promotion in the Legion. So
too, in Germany. But we have moth.
ing OF the sort, as every one knows
Congress has passed vote of thanks
Commodore Dewey, and has authoriz.
ed the president TO appoint a seventh
rear admiral, but Dewey comes home
and on his retirement sinks out OF
sight. If he could be knighttd and 20
for the rest of his life as Sir George
everybody would know him and recall
his exploit.
But even in honoring our distinguish
ed soldiers and sailors we are sing ular-
ly economical. We have heard how
the president has made Captain Samp-
son an acting rear admiral, but few
persons understand that the "honor"
means simply increased expense for
him. AS an admiral, he has a staff
and increased expenses in the way of
entertaining, but our very thrifty gov
eminent does not give him admirals
pay. Dear, mol In the army an Of
ficer assigned to- duty by his brevet
rank gets the pay of that rank, but not
in the navy. That's why the wife of a
recently made commodore, known as
the most popular woman in the navy,
said that she frequently prayed that her
husband would not be sent off as an
acting rear admiral, the expense of an
admiraPs maintenance being 80 much
greater than that of a plain commodore.
Now, in the army we have system
of comforting bevet rank on officers
who have distinguished themselves.
That is, we give them the right to be
called by the title of grade higher
than that which they hold. It's not a
cheap honor in the regular army by
any manner of means, yet sometimes
it is too cheap, for several officers now
in service have declined to receive
brevet rank, because their self-respect
forbade them to do so. In the navy
the only form of brevet rank is that to
which Capt. Sampson has been subject
ed. The chief result of it is that Samp.
son, instead OF flying the senior officer's
pennant, blue swallow-tailed flag,
displays the same as Dewey does, a
square blue flag with two white stars
on it.
We have on the active list of the
army neither general nor lieutenant
general, and on the active list of the
navy neither admiral nor vice admiral. |
Sheriden was the fourth and last gen.
eral, the others were Washington,
Grant and Sherman. David B. Porter
was the second and last of our admirals.
His predecessor had been Farragut,
and old Stephen G. Rowan was the
third and last vice-admiral, preceded in
the rank by Farragut and Porter.
For some reason the pay of army Of
ficers is higher than that of naval Cffl-
GERS, even when the latter are at sea.
Thus general gets $4,000 a year;
an admiral, $13, 1000; lieutenant-gen-
eral, 1000; vice-admiral, $4,000;
a major-general gets $500; rear ad.
miral, $4,000; brigadier-general,
$4,000; commodore, So, 900; colonel
gets $4,000; a captain the same; lieu
gets 81 900; command
err, $500; a major, So, 500; lieuten-
from $4,000 to S., 900.
A captain in the army gets SO 500, a
lieutenant in the navy from So, 400 to
81 600; first lieutenant in the army
gets $4,000, lieutenant, junior grade,
in the navy gets from 81, 300 to 1000;
q second lieutenant gets 81 $40; an en-
sign gets from 81 200 to 81 400. Even
The cadet at West Point gets $54O, as
against $500 for the naval cadet at An
napolis. On shore the navy pay is cut
DOWN by from One-sixteenth 10 one. fifth.
MajOr-general should command di.
vision. With US he has department,
which is really the command of lieu
.enant-general. A brigadier-general
should command a brigade of two regi.
nents, but with us he has depart
nent or a division or anything else.
The colonies command their regiments,
as rule, though some of them have
commands that in other armies would
oe held by generals of higher rank.
colonies command regi.
nents and other senior officers COM
hands, and so all the way down the
inc.
In the navy the ranks are better
differentiated. Flag rank is the rank
IT commodore and all above it. A
commodore commands feet, though
lis rank should give him only squad
on of fleet; he may also command
laval station. A captain commands
hip, and, as in the case of Sampson, a
leet sometimes. A commander never
las less than a ship nowadays, though
Commander Lamberton ia acting lust
It present as chief OF staff to Admiral
Dewey. Still, that is really proper
luty for commander. Commanders
md captains hold command rank.
ieutenant-commander act as execu.
i've officers to captains commanding
hips, and command smaller craft
themselves. Lieutenants act as execu-
ives to lieutenant commanders and
COMMANDERS in command of vessels,
nd 80 on down.