Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-08
MILITARY MATTERS.
information With Respect TO the
Army.
The RANK OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL.
Very Few Of Upper Officers Among
Regulars West Pointers.
GENERAL LEE IN WASHINGTON
A Belief That He VIII BE Sent ms
Military Governor to the Philip
pines-Anniversary of Washing
toms Denth-PersOnaI Notes.

w o.-iDprSAdls|
time of war the general public is naturally
much interested in army matters, and
that being so. / will begin my dispatch
to-day by recording War Department in
formation that is not known as a rule
to people outside Of military circles. The
highest permanent grade in the United
States army is major-general That Is
General Miles's rank. and although Miles
is ambitious not to say clamorous, for
a lieutenant-generalcy his ambition will
never be gratified. General Schofield is
leutenant-general, but he is on the re-
tired list. His pay as retired lieuten-
ant-general is $3.50 per annum. In the
regular army there are three major-gen-
erals and six brgadier-generals of the
line. In addition TO these. there are ten
brigadier-g of staff.
1t is a remarkable fact that, Of the
general officers of the line-that is to say,
the three heterogeneous and six briga-
der generals, only one of them is West
Pointer Major-General Merritt Is a
graduate of the military academy at
West Point, but none Of the others were
ever registered at that institution. OF
the staff brigadier-generals. only three
or four are West Pointers The adJutant-
general, for instance, Is not West
Pointer, and only two officers in his de
partment above the rank Of major have
had military education, except in practi-
cal service. General Corbin, by the way,
is not success as an acknowledgement.
He had quite reputation before he got
to the top Of his ladder, a few weeks
ago. and was much I'm evidence on grand
parade occasions; but now. as adJutant-
general, in organizing large army, he
is regarded by many military men as
decidedly inefficient. He seems to be
ratified and he is the last man in the
service who ought to be ratified just now.
THE NEW MAJOR-GENERALS.
There are at this time on the active list
regular and Vounteer-fourteen major
generals There is no difference I'm rank
or pay between an officer of the United
States volunteer army and the United
States army known as the regular army,
or regular establishment OF the eleven
major-generals Of volunteers appointed
on the 4th instant, Wilson, of Delaware;
Lee, Of Virginia and Wheeler, Of Ala
bama, are the only West Pointers. A
large majority OF the lieutenants, cap
tains. and majors in the United States
army are graduated from West Point,
but above the grade of major the West
Pointers are few and far between.
Referring TO the grade OF lieutenant
general, Washington held that rank, but
not until after ne had retired from the
presidency. During the Revolution he
was general and commander-in-chief OF
the armies and navy" but it was not
until he became President that what is
L-ppxtsra a : the raDrIiqr fnllX og-
tablished In the spring Of l7I9 Congress
created the rank of general for
the purpose Of bestowing this honor upon
Washington, but from some cause or
other he declined TO accept a commission
higher than that which he then held
Northumberland. General Scott, after
the Mexican war, was made breyet-lieu-
tenant-general. But after Washington
no one was made a full acknowledgement
until February 20 lS54 when I. >. Grant
was so honored.
The next to be commissioned lieutenant
general was Sherman, I'm 1866. and then
came Sheridan; and Schoneld, few
months before he retired from the COM
mand OF the army, was honored with the
-generalcy.
The first person TO receive the high
rank OF full general was Grant. 1t was
at the reorganization of the regular estab-
lishment in 1866. When Grant became
president, acknowledgement Sherman
succeeded to the rank Of general, and a
few months before Sheridan died Congress
revived the grade of general, and he was
appointed thereto but being in a dying
condition, he never was i'm the office to
be saluted with his higher rank.
Some day Congress may deem it proper
10 make the grade or ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
permanent, so that the commanding OIL
Ger may nold a rank higher than any
officer under him. But no such action
VIII be taken, 1t IS believed so long as
Miles is on the active list. In the armies
Of the great European Powers there are
several full generals and large number
Of Acknowledgements. 1t was so in the
Confederate States. But the United
States Congress has always been chary
of bestowing military rank above the
grade of major-general.
REMOVAL OF LEES DISABILITIES.
In June, 1874 Congress passed bill,
introduced by Judge j. b. Sener. who then
represented the Fredericksburg district,
removing the political disabilities OF Fitz-
hugh Lee. There was quite a debate on
the bill, Mr.. Maynard, of Tennessee, OPP
posing it, on the ground that a general
measure had passed the House which
would accomplish the same purpose that
WAS DlONlutG LOT III Otiiti > blil ANO Oht
had anything against Lee, but Maynard
contended that this special bill was I'M
necessary, and should not be considered.
Judge Sener replied by calling attention
TO the fact that the general bill referred
10 was still in the Senate and might not
get through that branch. and it did not.
No one less energetic than Sener could
have gotten the Lee bill enacted, for there
were eight special bills similar TO this
one, and none OF them got through.
Just about the time that President
Grant signed his approval OF the bill re-
moving the political disabilities OF FitZ-
hugh Lee, Nellie Grant was married TO
Mr.. Sartoris. II would be quite an in
teresting coincidence If now. after
twenty-four years, Mrs. Sartoris's son.
Grants grandson, should be on General
Lee stan. as has been frequently sug-
gested ir the newspapers.
But for the bill which Senator David
b. Hill introduced in the last Congress,
and pushed through at the cost OF con-
siderable effort, repeating the law which
prohibited ex-Confederates who had been
cadets at West Point or Annapolis. or
who had been In the regular army or
navy previous TO the civil war. from
holding commissions in the army or navy
OF the United States. neither Lee nor
Wheeler could to-day be holding their
commissions.
LEES BUSY DAY.
This was General Lees busy day. The
General spent some time at the State
Department, winding up his consular af-
fairs. He was at the War Department
for several hours. and afterward visited
the White House, where he spent some
twenty minutes with the President. Sec
retaries Long, Alger. and Bliss, and seve-
raj senator's were present, al OF whom
congratulated General Lee. They were
receiving the Dewey cable dispatches az
- 49, md all of the marty were In