Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-14
ARM PROMOTIONS
Effect of the Retirement of General
Shafter Monday.
SIX new BRIGADIERS IN SUCCESSION
Final Choice Thought to Be Law
ton or Macarthur.
SENIOR MAJOR GENERALSHIP

Gen. William R, Shafter, commanding
the Department of California, with head
quarters at San Francisco, will retire from
the regular army Monday with the rank Of
brfgadier general, in consequence of reach
ing the age of sixty-four years. His statu-
tory retirement will not affect his present
status in the volunteer establishment, how
ever, nor cause any change in his present
command AS the case stands, Gen. SHAFT
ter is a brigadier in the regular establish
ment and major general of volunteers.
He retires from the regular army by
operation of law, but the War Department
does not deem it expedient to relieve him
of his command at the Preside and to
place in charge there some other officer,
whose grasp of the many details connected
with the return of the volunteers from the
Philippines and the forwarding Of the new
regiments would be less complete than that
OF Gen. Shafter. Gen. Skaters service at
San Francisco has been peculiarly salts
factory to the department, and will proba-
bly, lead to his advancement to the rank of
major general the retired list, or, as
some of his more optimistic friends have
claimed, to the rank of lieutenant general
on that list in the regular establishment.
The precedent for retaining Gen. Shafter
in his volunteer command was established
In the case of Maj Gen. Graham, at Camp
Meade last year. No specific action by the
department will be necessary to retain him
in his volunteer rank, and his retirement
from the regular establishment will merely
be noted at the time in the regular orders.
Six New Brigadiers.
Advantage will be taken Of the vacancy
caused by the retirement of Gen. Shafter
to promote and retire with the rank of
brigadier general five colonies of the line
who have already had more than thirty
five years of active service and who rem
dered particularly meritorious service since
the outbreak of the Spanish war. These
officers are:
Col. Royal T. Frank, list Artillery; Col.
Samuel Ovenshne, 23d Infantry; Col. A. c.
NJ Pennington, I'd Artillery; Col Louis II.
Carpenter, 9th Cavalry, and Col Daniel w.
Burke, nth Infantry. All the officers named
nave promised to retire Immediately fol-
lowing their promotion to the rank of brig
adler general, and the operation will not re-
qulre more than few weeks time.
When the last one of them has retired,
the vacancy thus created is to be filed by
the appointment of either Maj. Gen. Henry
W. Lawton. L. S V. Colonel In the inspec-
TOR TOR general departmenQ; Maj. Gen. Ar
thur Macarthur, L. S. V. lieutenant col
onel In the adJutant generals Department.,
or Brig. Gen. Leonard Wood, L. 8. V. (cap-
tam In the medical Department.. Gen.
LaWton distinguished himself in the San
uago and Philippine campaigns, Gen. Mac
Arthur in the Philippines and Gen. Wood
at Santiago.
Although one of these three officers will
most probably secure the coveted star it is
not at all impossible that the Presi-
dent may conclude to bestow 1t upon Cen
w heeIer, Gen. Funston or some other vol
unteer officer who has dsting uished him
self or may yet do so in the service of his
country on the field of battle.
In military circles it appears to be ac-
cepted, however that the promotion will
go to either Gen. Lawton or Gen. MacAr-
thur, with the chances said to favor the
selection Of the last named In case that
Gen. Macarthur is chosen 1t is further said
vanced to the grade Of brlgadier general
upon the statutory retirement Of Brig. Gen.
Thomas NJ. Anderson, January 81, 1900.
May Become Senior Major General.
In the event of Gen. MacArthur's promo
ton 1t is possible that he may reach the
rank Of major general commanding the
army in the course Of time and hold 1t for
two years before his retirement, which in
the natural course Of events will not occur
until June. 1909.
This Is possible only in case no one
younger than he Is appointed over his head
during the long interval. All the present
general officers of the army will have re-
tired by April 1907, the date of Brig. Gen.
j. F. Wade's retirement Gen. Wade will
naturally succeed to the command of the
army by the prior retirement of his present
superiors. These are Gen. Merritt, who re-
tires June 10. 1900; Gems. Brooks and OTIS
who retire in 1902, and Gen. Miles, who re-
tires in 1908. Gen. Wade will be In COM
mand of the army for about four years.
UnIoOked-FOr Appointments.
Inasmuch as appointments as general of
ficers are open to civilians and to all off,
GERS of the army, without regard to senior
ity, it is impossible to predict what changes
may be made within the next few years,
either as a result of the present conflict in
the Philippines or otherwise.
Heretofore appointments as general Off
GERS have been confined to subordinate
oficers of the line. and in going to the staff
departments in making such promotions the
President will be infringing upon an un-
written law which has usually been sacred
~ observed in the army. A further COM
plication which is possible in this connec-
ton would be the promotion to the grade
of major general of Adjutant General Cor
bin. A bill to that effect will be intro
duced at the next session of Congress, and
the friends of Gen. Corbin are sanguine of
its success.