The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
THE NEW ARMY REGISTER.


Changes Since Last Year-Omccrs of Our
War Army-Casualties of 1893.
The new Army Register is about the same
10 Appearances the registers which have gone
before. 1t has not the title on the back that
last years had. but It's general look is about
the same. Inside. however. there are changes
everywhere.
To begin with. though there have been no
changes in the Major-Generals. OF the six
BriGadiers OF the 1898 register two have gone
on the retired list. Gems. Coppinger and Gra-
nam. Besides the disappearance Of former
Generals. the retired list. made up in Deem
Der. 1893. shows that Gen. Hamilton and Gen.
Kent have both been on the list Of Brigadiers.
and have retired as such. Then we find
changes in the Acknowledgements Depart
ment. in the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES De-
partment and In the Subsistence Department;
the other departments. when the register was
closed. had undergone no change in their
heads. The Signal Corps. no viewer. shows a
growth; last year It had a General. u Lieuten-
ant-Colonel and a Major and Captains. This
year it has a Colonel also.
All the line regiments show changes. not only
those which occur In peace. but many sudden
changes. such as have not happe ned before in
our army since 1876. when the battle OF the
Little Big Horn altered the makeup, of the
Seysnth Cavalry, IN that wear Mal9r EIwell i
three Captains. seven First Lieutenants and
nine Second Lieutenants got their advance
ments because OF Sitting Bun and the Custer
fight. No regiment shows such changes in
this new register. FOR suah a cause. but foLr-
teen Of the iorty-two regiments have new
For the first time since 1861 the artillery
arm shows an Increase. Two new regiments
and. OF course. almost all their Officers were
promoted, TO the new places. Since that in
crease. also. two moro batteries have been
added to each regiment. but these do not ap-
pear on the register for this year.
The tables OF the organization Of the army
ar" Interesting this, year. showing the army on
the war strength. Last year the tables shpw.r!
the cavalry to have 'ril men to a regiment: the
artillery $40. and the infantry 5GO. This year
each OF the ten cavalry regiments shows a
strength Of l.2GO men each artillery reg ment
12S I'4iS r nyh 1t 81 + I rTnnr !ii tharo regiment
Most Of the designations which are noted in
the 1898 register are ~ line commissions. that
STAFF commissions might be accepted. only
one officer was dropped. and be deserted be-
fore the war began, 50 that after that started
shows two subdivisions in its casualty list that
have not nppeared for years. perhaps never
before; q li7t Of those %kilI:i in ]aGtt2n" and
in action Col. Wikor Of the Twenty-second
heads the HIT; another Colonel Of the Twer-
seldom in these DAYS that one regiment loses
two commanding Officers in action-not junior
officers. but two Colonels. Lieut.,CoI. Ham
MAJOR forse. and. after him.. five Captains and
seven First and five Second lieutenants. Two
' "a II L llHN anu WV ~ 'll'l isl'Ntltl-
ants make 10 theNist II these who died OF
wounds. S"Ecnty-fve officers die OF lI-.aSc;
among them "a the name ii Cast. Allyn Cap
~ron,.whose son, shame. rccede-.his Ivy "A page.
In looking through the book il is strange
aud interesting to see the records of the vol
unteer service OF the various officers. The
Chaulains are the only officers who have not
taken other commissions outside Of their reg
ular !"partmcuts. Most of the stan otlicrrs
who could get away took line commissions in
pther deIartm"nts. nr. Wood is now Il MaJor-
General Of the line. acting as Governor Of san
tiHSO; sOme engineer officers have gone into
the volunteer service as INSPECTORS or as sig
nal officers. and lots Of CuiuuelS and l~ieutcn-
Cart. Wood is the officer of lpSc-t rank to
hold u commission as General The oldest
case is that of Cant. Charles King. the we'll
kuOWn writer, who was retired nearly TWEEN
" years ago for disability in line Of duty
he is now 4 Brigldier-'ienerll. doing good
work at Manila. The possibilities OF this case
upen Il larE" uumh-r of questions: What Will
lc his status when lie comes haCE2 VIII lie
he on the retired list. or on the active list! He
j. the only retired officer in active service.
An nUicuilS gives the changes between Jan.
! and March !. 1888. and II second one gives
the names of the general officers OF volunteers
and the general stan officers appuiuiet.
-Alth0ugh the boob is very late in coming out,
it has ben prepared u Il hurry, and has many
more mistakes than the register usually has.
Tho names OF five officers hay" been omitted,
and a table OF cgratn' has been provided for
them. But dates have been omitted in some
cases aud ia Others given wrongly; so the rec
ord value of the register Is not all that II ought
H. be. Still. Il Is Interesting because IL is SO
different from any We have had for years.