The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-07-01
Special from a Staff Correspondent.

Special from Staff Correspondent.
Camp Alger. Va, June 30.-While
discussing the movements of troops to-
day with General Goblin. I asked him
If there was any immediate prospect
of the Third brigade getting ,out of
here. The general hesitated for time
and then said, eyeing the poet-like locks
of his interrogator: IF you stay with
your Thirteenth regiment you will get
your next haircut in Porto Rico bar
ber shop"
Word was sent out today from corps
headquarters for all brigade quarter
masters to report at once to Dunn Lor-
ing for whatever equipments and ord
nance their regiments have ordered,
everything in that line having been
received and prepared for distribution.
Colonel Coursen was accorded an
other signal honor today, being made
president OF the first general court
martial assembled in the First dvis-
ion. Major Stillwell and Lieutenant
Roberts are also members of it, 1t is
specially convened to try Private St.
James, Of the Sixty-fifth New York,
who is charged with savagely assault
ing his lieutenant, capital offense in
war times.
HAS CAUSED TALK.
No end of discussion has been engen-
dered by General Gobins action in
substituting Colonel Hoffman, of the
Eighth-the generals old regiment
for Colonel Coursen, of the Thirteenth
rs ranking regmental commander.
There is a nice question envolved and
while General Goblin is generally con-
ceded to be right in his ruling, there
are many who do not agree with him.
General Goblin takes the ground that
the colonel who was first sworn in
as a United States volunteer is the
senior colonel. Colonel Hoffman took
the oath on the evening of May 12.
made United States officers the follow
ing morning. There would be no ques-
tion of Colonel Hoffman's seniority if
it were not that there was an under
standing between Governor Hastings
and the war department and among
the officers themselves that all COM
missions should be dated alike, May
5, and that the seniority which OBJ
tained in the national guard should
govern their rank in the volunteer SER
vice.
Under this agreement Colonel Cor
yell would be the senior regimental
commander of this brigade with Colo
mel Coursen next in rank and Colonel
Hoffman, who became a colonel the
day before he was sworn in, the jun
ior. When the three regiments were
formed into a brigade soon after ar
rival here. it was expected that Colo
mel Coryell would be placed in COM
mand. General Graham, however, de-
clined to consider National Guard SER
vice in designating the senior colonel
and called upon the three colonels to
send in their military records. When
ne saw that each was commissioned on
the same day, May 5, he proceeded to
fix the seniority by previous service
in the United States army, as the war
department instructions, according to
Interpretation. directed him to do. This
made Colonel Coursen the ranking
commander, he having served as a
captain in the civil war, while Colonel
Norman was only private and Colo
mel Coryell not in the war at all, Colo
mel Coursen did not expect the dis
tinction and did not want to accent
but Colonel Coryell very graciously
insisted that he should take il and
after some hesitation he did.
HE MADE NO CLAIM.
Colonel Hoffman made no claim or
pretensions to the office until General
Goblin arrived. No sooner had his old
colonel taken command of the brigade
than the question of seniority was re-
vived. General Goblin, through his ad-
jutant, Lieutenant A. Wilson Norris,
who was, until General Gobin's com
ing, adjutant of Colonel Hoffmans
regiment, asked for the military rec
ords of the colonies of his brigade.
When they were compared it was found
that in the one particular referred to-,
Yesterday when the brigade drill was
conducted Colonel Coursen found him
self relegated to second place by Gem
eral Gobin's decision that the date of
taking the oath and not the date of
the commission was the criterion by
which seniority in the present service
should be judged. Like the true soldier
and gentleman that he is, Colonel
Coursen silenced the murmur or dis
approval that came from his officers
and gracefully took his place to the
left of Colonel Hoffman. He was sur
prised and no doubt not a little
chagrined to find himself outranked by
an officer who became his peer only a
few hours before being sworn in as a
volunteer, and II is nkely he will ac-
cede to the demands of his stan TO
ask General Goblin TO reconsider the
matter. Under the present decision it
would fall upon Colonel Hoffman to
command the brigade should General
Goblin be incapacitated.
Some OF the regiments that were
wont to class the Pennsylvania troops