The times., 1899-08-31
SIX GENERALS TO name
High Positions Open in the New
Volunteer Army.
The Presidents Authority Under the
REORGANIZATION Act Enables Him
to Appoint Five BriEadiers and
One Major GeneraI-Preference TO
Those With Distinguished Records

One additional major general and prob
ably five additional brigadier generals will
be appointed by the President for the new
volunteer army, which is being organized.
Two of the major generals of volunteers,
Shafter and Otis, are brigadier generals in
the regular service, and IT has not been de-
cided whether the vacancies caused by their
promotion shall be fled There are at pres
ent three major generals of the regular
service. Miles, Merritt, and Brooke, and
four major generals of the volunteer service,
Shafter, Otis, Lawton, and Macarthur.
Under the Army reorganization law the
President is authorized to appoint one ma
jor general for every 1900 men enlisted.
When all the volunteer regiments now be-
ing recruited have been organized the Uni
ted States Army. regular and volunteer. will
consist OF about $4,000 men. AS there are
now seven major generals, corresponding to
$4,000 enlisted men, the President viii be
enabled to appoint one more major general.
1t is not likely that the question of a Sc
lection of this officer and of the new brig
adler generals will be taken up until after
President McKinley's return to Washing
ton. The President has established the rule
that applicants for appointment as general
officers must win their promotion, and 1t
is therefore practically certain that the ofh-
GERS who will be selected by the President
must have distinguished themselves in the
Spanish war or in the Philippine insured
ton. The senior brigadier general OF the
regular service, excepting Otis and Shafter,
on account of their higher volunteer rank,
is James F. Wade. The senior brigadier
general of volunteer is James h.
Wilson. 1t cannot be said, however. that
the President will follow the seniority rule
in making promotions, even where senior
officers have had distinguished war service
The Army Reorganization law provided
that, including the brigadier generals OF
the Regular Army, the President might
appoint one brigadier general for every
1900 enlisted men. The enlisted -1orcs
of &C. coo corresponds to twenty -four brig
adler generals and as there are now SIX
officers in the regular service OF that rank
and eighteen in the volunteer service, H
would appear that there will be no new
brigadier generals. But two OF the briga-
diers-Smith and Funston-wiH return
home shortly from the Philippines TO be
mustered out, and Hale has already re-
turned for that purpose. and it is likely
that Otis and Shafter will be considered
as holding rank OF major generals OF vol
unteers, and not as brigadier generals or
the regular service. This viii give the
President the right to appoint five new
brigadiers. The officers of that grade now
in the service are James F. Wade. Henry
c. Merriam, Guy V. Henry. and Thomas
M. Anderson regulars and James H. VIII
son, Fitzhugh Lee, Joseph Wheeler, John
c. Bates, Samuel B. M. Young. Adna r.
Chaffee William Ludlow, Leonard Wood,
George W. Davis, Theodore Schwan, Rob-
ert H. Hail. Lloyd Wheaton, Frederick
D. Grant Robert P. Hughes Samuel Oven
shine Irving Hale, James f. Smith. and
Frederick Funston Eleven of these briga-
diers-Grant Hughes, Schwan, Hall, Funs-
| ton. Oyenshine, Wheaton. Bates, Wheeler,
Young. and Smith-are now in the Philip
pines. and, although il has been generally
believed that Ger. James II. Wilson will
get the next promotion, il is not unlikely
that the selection of the new major general
will be made from the list of eleven officers
given, because the army Of $4,000 in the
Philippines will be entitled to two addi-
tinnal major generals. General Shafter
viii be rIaced on the retired list in October
next, ana this -rsII create two vacancies
one major general of yuf.nteers and one
brigadier general of the regular se.~ice
| When the army in the Philippines has
| been increased to its full strength of about
| 81, 900 men, Ii will probably be organized
| in accordance with the terms of the Army
| Reorganization law. That law provides
| that an Army corps shall consist of three
| divisions of about II, 900 men each, or
36. 600 men in all This will enable General
| Otis to organize two corps, which will be
| formed into an army, designated, in all
probability as the Army of the Phippines.
! To fully carry out the provisions Of the
Reorganization act, this army should have
one supreme commander, major general.
! two corps commanders, both major gen.
erals, and at least five major generals as
commanders of divisions. The law, how
ever, failed to authorize the President to
appoint a sufficient number of major gen.
erals for this purpose. Only eight were
| authorized, including the three OF the
Regular service, and it will require that
number to properly officer the Philippines
army.
The War Department announced yester-
day that the aggregate of enlistments for
| the ten additional regiments is 1885. OF
| this number 221 men were recruited Tues
day showing gain of nearly hundred
| over the recruiting Of Monday.