The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-07-22
THE COMMANDING RANK.

THE COMMANDING RANK.
Under the president. who is always
the commander-in r-in-chief of the army
and navy. the command of the army OF
the United States is in the senior Major
General who just at this time Is per-
forming the duties Of that rank at the
head of an expedition, just as Shafter,
his junior, has done. While engaged In
such duty. of course, he can exercise
only a nominal control over the entire
force now under arms. Yet his position is
not unlike that OF Grant in "a who. while
commanding all the armies operating
in the grand strategy to crush the con-
federacy, himself led one OF the armies
engaged. Perhaps It is more nearly
like that of Scott. Major General COM
manding the army from 1871 to 1861.
who, leading the forces in the field
during the Mexican war. exercised no
control over any part of the army out
side those forces.
Neither the rank nor the duty of a
commander of our army has ever been
strictly defined. In time of peace a
ranking officer has been made COM
mander of the army. but the rank has
varied. In time of war the commander
has usually had his energy confined TO
a single army active at the front, as
Gen. Miles now has.
The rank of Lieutenant General was
revived by the present Congress with a
service. IL It is so bestowed the for
tunate general will, of course, become
by virtue of the rank the commander
OF the army. But the chances are that
IL Lieutenant General is appointed
the promotion will go to Miles. who is
entitled to it by seniority. and is not
likely to forfeit tho opportunity by any
negligence Of duty at the front. There
is still possible OF revival rank higher
than Lieutenant General-that of Gen.
eral. But there has been neither a
General nor a Lieutenant General since
Sheridan was commander, the rank
passing with his death I'm 1888. Scho-
field, who succeeded him, was, like
Miles, only a Major General. The rank
OF General, indeed. has been regarded
as altogether too big for our limited
military establishment, and has never
been in existence except when there
was actual need of 1t or to confer espe-
made full General when there was
an army of million men in active SER
vice and when there was an evident de-
mand for a General-in- Chief. And, al
though the military establishment was
! greatly reduced. following the Civil War
Sherman and Sheridan succeeded to asfle
title as a tribute to their services to
their country in saving the Union. But
repeated efforts TO revive even the rank
of Lieutenant General in favor of Major
General Schofeld, when he was the
army's commander. failed. and he ex-
ercised his command, as Miles is now
doing, simply by virtue OF being the
senior officer OF his rank
Indeed. up to the time Of Grant, there
had been no General since the Office
was created for George Washington In
1775. And when Washington. after his
terms as President OF the United states
| was made commander of the army ir
| anticipation of war with France, hs
was only given the rank OF Lieutenant
General Meantime the command o.
the army had been with officers rank
ing from Major General down to Cap
tain, but. since 1912 up to the present
with the exception of the Civil Wa
period, the command has been with tn
senior Major General, both Mcclellan
and Halleck. who preceded Grant, beinl
OF that rank.