The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-05
THE RETIRED oFFroERs OF III ARM.
Their Exceptional Case-A Pathetic Plea to
he Allowedto Do Something.

he Allowedto DO Something.
To THE EDITOR OF The SuN-Sir: There are
about three hundred officers on the " retired
list " OF the army who are under "a years OF
age. These men were retired from active
service for one or another OF three reasons:
First, wounds received In engagements; second
~. disability incurred in tho line OF duty; and.
thirdly. at their own request" having served
thirty years continuously. The retired officers
OF the third class are few. being men who.
while not eligible to retirement from age or
disability. have grown old without having, as n
rule. reached q rank higher than that OF cap
tain, and have preferred to retire to private life:
the idea OF the law being thus to help promo
ton q little.
Except In the third case, all these men were
examined by boards appointed from time to
time for the purpose. boards made up not only
OF medical officers. but also OF line or stan OIL
GERS. They examine each case carefully, going
Into the officers military record and the history
OF his disability or wound, and the reviewing
authority usually acts In accordance with their
recommendations. II the officers disability be
thought durable, the board recommends that he
receive sick leave of sufficient length to try
the effect OF special treatment or change OF
scene. But. with rare exceptions. an officer is
not ordered before O retiring board till his case
Is believed one OF permanent disability. and
hence the unfortunate is usually condemned"
that Is. recommended to be retired. This word
condemned Is jokingly used in allusion to the
custom Of branding unserviceable horses and
mules with the letters II. C."-nspected and
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES selling them at auction.
II the officer bo condemned" and the Secre-
tary Of War approve the findings OF the board.
the officer is transferred to the retired list and
q vacancy results in his regiment. or. II he be
an officer Of the general staff, q vacancy In his
| pOrDa His Dlona 10 0lla6 In duo fimn md hence
he cannot be restored to the active list in time Of
Udr. as Is generally believed by the public.
This most benefcent law has a dual object,
first, the good Of the service. and, secondly, the
good Of the individual. The service Is bene-
6ted by filling the places of those not capable
of active service In the field with others who
are while the men who devote their lives to
the military service Of their country. a service
often dangerous and in unhealthy regions, at
comparatively small salaries and with little
prospect in time Of peace Of attaining the dis
~tinction that their abilities would bring in civil
pursuits. are relieved from the fear Of coming
to want when old age or Ill health incapacitates
them from earning a living. The law has the
extent. and 1t has been literally construed by
the War Department with that in view.
Il Is a notable 5 IaaGt that many officers; retired
health after retirement and; In some cases. en-
tirely recover from their disability, One rca-
son of this is, OF course. that they place them
selves in the most favorable circumstances for
recovery. and make it a business to get well. il
not so apparent. It might be called the
mind cure. In these days nervous disorders
In themselves necessarily fatal or even perma-
nHent. Discomfort or chatting under the en-
IN all branches of the service, The officers
Of, the army are men Of the same sort Us those
at tremendous strides, they inherit the same
unrest and desire to be doing something that
ff 1n TSaiT rt rhs Hn,de fSrnisna Am fax w,S evil III
been compelled to pass their lives attending to
the routine duties OF one, two, or three COM
pany posts: for the smallness, of our army aud
tho wide extent Of country 1t has been necessa-
from being large enough 70 do more than care
for Ms SO q 6nsti FaFGfPGIr r SgG snS "kssP }5 t9S b6 Az I free
&c. have been such, skeletons that. no more
than squads could be turned out for drills,
bodies with which more than one officer would
While the equipment of the several arms has
coast batteries Of artillery have, right up to the
outbreak Of this war, been drilling with and GO
ing through the motions of using the old and
fifty batteries Of artillery hays been loading,
over Knock firing smooth bore, muzzle- loading
guns and mortars when the value Of the excr-
ture of the old ammunition to actually lrethem.
a work about as inspiring as the, repeated NOV
rather than be idlo. At the Artillery school, the
Eost-gradnate school for officers Of artillery at
ceums." the theoretical instruction and reading
of the officers have been kept up. but it has been
wi hS'iRSiGsiRi -s siT ~ e RSagstti,; men l. the iie' dSsir reT TO
do something practical should have become a
a afrecfed the erSS enItfh ofd the IN of iSIae oS So m 1S.SSIfi oy
the artillery. which fortunately sees better days
before it in the equipment Of our forts with
AS to officers Of infantry and cavalry, their
mmonotonous lives In small g%4rrisons u the far
with tho safety valve which energetic officers
against 1hS me Ros it2ilFmff ndia lNgnq 1h ID fhG m GnmPbS ef Tes
membered that we need only another great war
Of TALENT as when It Taroduced Grant ESIheSrrmnHaiH9
and Sheridan on the, side OF the F%cderals, and
Lee. jackson and johnson on the side of the
Confederatcs. al. men Of the most active tenn
peraments. to whom nothing is so irksomc rs
source Of diseontent has arisen from lack OF
promotion, Men have found themselves in the
i Sfy%r rs GrsSGs St yaoI nie tbat N s,y 9nd H., eaP %0hpf
have enabled them. with the same ability and
t devotion to their work. to have become prom
With no prospect OF advancement. doomed to
; q life of ~inaction and ultimate, retirement with
Gently on. is it any wonder that some became
/; discouraged and an easy prey to disorders thnt
+ ing from actual disease these things were. in
fore. good policy to retire these officers. and in
1890 the law was amended SO that all those
condemned" were taken from the active list.
The service was benefited and the individual
gained an opportunity TO change his environ;
congenial; and tho result has uniformly
been that these men have improved and, as
stated, entirely recovered In some cases. They
have even, thought it commendable II not pa
triotic that they step out of ranks. and il posi-
bic get into condition TO again serve the coun-
A try In the hour OF trial.
= 50 1t happens that a largo percentage OF the
u retired officers have offered their services to
o the War Department, asking TO be assigned to
Q duty suitable to their condition. The theory
has always obtained that retired officers would
. the field necessarily. but for recruiting service
. on boards and courts. and in department OF.
fees. All Of this kind Of work takes able- bodice
men away from their commands; and not only
: that, but 1t prevents the detail of regular Of
ficers with regiments OF volunteers and as staff
a olllGers to newly anpointcd Generals. Mhere