The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-08
NEW GENERALS NAMED.
short Sketches of the Men Promoted
for the War.


here at headquarters when the names of
the new generals were announced. Many
were graufed and of course. a few dis
appointed. But all cannot be generals,
and some are born to good luck, which
enables them to outstrlp their comrades
in the race for military honors
To me it looks like a sort of blanket at
fair stretched so as to cover as near as
possible, little or much every department
of the army as wen as the outside claim
ants. Maj. Gen. Coppinger gives the for
eign born element from civil life a rep
resentative, while Brig. Gen. Schwan rep
resents the foreign born private soldier
in the regular army who comes up from
the ranks. There are several
Americans also from the ranks,
while the West Pointers are
outnumbered by civilians. Altogether, the
list presents the names of officers who
have won their spurs" by years of faiih>
full and fearless service. Even the new
appointments direct from civil life are,
with one exception (Gen. SewelD, expert
enced soldiers and graduates of West
Point.
In last Tuesdays Morning News I gave
brief sketches of Shafter. Wade. Graham,
Otis, Coppineer and Merriam, who have
been promoted to be major generals. so !
need only refer to the other appointments
Mai Gen. Joseph c. Breckenridge is
native of Maryland but went into SER
vice from Kentucky as a first lieutenant
of volunteers, on staff duty, but was
transferred to the Second United States
| Artillery in April, 1862, as second lieuten-
ant, and became a captain in 1874. He
| entered the inspector generals department
as a major in 1881 and was al its head
with rank of brigadier general, when so
| deservedly promoted.
Senator William j. Sewell of New Jer-
sey was distinguished union officer in
| the late war, being a brigader general
! and brevet major general of volunteers in
March, 1865. His statement that he will
get leave Of absence from the Sem
ate to serve in the field is rather question
| able, unless recent special legislation
makes such thing possible. He must
chose between the two honors, for he can
not hold them both at once.
Maj. Gen. James II, Wilson, who Is APP
pointed from Delaware, is a native Of
| Illinois, from which state he entered West
| Point and graduated so near the head of
| his class in 1850 TO be assigned TO the
| Typographical engineers He is well known
in Savannah as chief typographical engi-
neer OF the Port Royal expedition and In
| the siege and bombardment of Fort Pu-
| lask, for which he was made a brevet
major From that time till the close or
the war his brevets were steady and ris-
| ing, and he wound up his volunteer ca
| reer as major general OF volunteers by
| reading the famous cavalry raid through
| Alabama and Georgia. He remained in
| the regular army as lieutenant colonel I'M
| til 1870. when he resigned. He has had
| a semi-military career
Congressman Joseph Wheeler was born
in Augusta, Ga, but entered West Point
from New York, graduating in 1859; was
| made brevet second lieutenant of First
Dragons, but transferred to the Mounted
Rifles a year later, and made a second
| lieutenant soon after. But he resigned In
April. 1861, to enter the Confederate SER
vice at Pensacola as first lieutenant from
| which he rose to the command of an Ala
bama regiment. From that time on ms
career was onward and upward with bril-
liant steps, and when the war closed he
was young lieutenant general. with the
reputation we'll won of being a cavalry
commander without a rival. Gep. Wheel
ers appointment was universally desired,
as was Gen. Lees.
| Everybody knows that "Our" Fitzhueh
Lee is Virginian of Vlrginians and a
| dashing West Point cavalry commander.
| He graduated ahead of Gen. Wheeler some
three years, 1856, and was made brevet
| second lieutenant of the Second Cavalry
He became second lieutenant in 1858. and
first lieutenant in March, 1861, but resign
ed the May following to enter the Confed-
| crate service. His fame as a gallant cav
| airy leader is worldwide, and with his
career as Consul General to Cuba. mas
made him the lion of the day." Having
been governor of his own state, his mill
tary experience is well supplemented by
| civil service.
OF the new brigadier generals, three were
| privates originally in the regular army
seven were from West Point and thirteen
| from the volunteer service in the civil
| war. These, with the two major generals
from civil life and three from West Point
give the army and West Point fourteen
and civilians fifteen of the latest appoint.
ments, not included in my Tuesdays arti.
cle
Col Thomas M Anderson was private
in the Sixth Ohio Infantry in 1851, but was
| made second lieutenant of Fifth Cavalry
u S. A., in May following, transferring
| to the Twelfth Infantry,a week later III
| became a colonel of infantry in 1885, hav.
ing passed all grades.
Col Abraham X. Arnold is a Pennsyl.
Vanian, graduating at West Point in July
1854 into the Second Cavalry. Passed al
grades and won his spurs as fine cav
airy commander.
Col. Andrew 5. Burt was sergeant In
Sixth Ohio Infantry in 1861, but becam,
first lieutenant in Eighteenth UnlteC
States Infantry a month later, passing al
grades to be colonel of the Twenty-dftl
Infantry.
Col. John c.. Bates, Of Missouri, wa,
made first lieutenant of the Eleventh In
| fantry in 1861, and became colonel of tn,
Second Infantry after passing all grades
This regiment sent out Maj. Gen. Franz
Wheaton (retired), and Maj. Gen. Hewe,
C, Merriam, just promoted, making thre,
generals.
Col. John NJ, Bacon is Kentuckian, anC
was second lieutenant Of Eleventh Ken
lucky Cavalry, in 1862, becoming captain
Of Ninth United States Cavalry IN 1866, anc
brevet major in 1867. Passing the severa
grades he became commander of tn,
Eighth United States Cavalry.
Lieut.. Col Alfred IL. Bates, of the par
department. is from Michigan. and grad
uate of West Point, In 1865, into the Sec
ond United States Cavalry. Made a fin,
record as cavalry officer on the frontier
but resigned captaincy to become pay
master, with rank Of major
Col. Lewis II. Carpenter, of Fifth Caval
ry, is from New Jersey, via the regular