New-York tribune., 1900-07-23
PARTIALLY DRY,

Y or seven acres
First Lieutenant A. W. YATES, Adjutant-Generals
First Lieutenant H. d. WISE major. 47th Volunteers.
Manila.
First Lieutenant R NJ HARTsHoRNE on sick leave at
home in New-Jersey
AS Major Lees name on the later lists appears
among the Tien-Tsin wounded. he evidently
asked to be relieved from special duty on Gen
eral Bates's staff when his regiment was ordered
to the front in China, and it is probable that
Captain Dodds did likewise. Therefore, unless
after the Army List for that date made up
other officers detached or received leave
of absence only six officers out of the forty -four
assigned to the 9th were absent when the regi-
ment went into action. Forty-seven Is it's full
complement of officers, but there were three
vacancies in the grade of second lieutenant.
A CURSE TO THE SERVICE.
These facts are given in detail because by
themselves they creditable to the regiment
and its brave commander. who laid down his
life in front of the Chinese town. but also be-
cause by comparison with similar statistics of
other regiments, they constitute proud record
which is worthy of imitation. Unfortunately for
the good name of the service, the record of the
9th Infantry is almost unparalleled Absentee
ism has recently become one Of the greatest
curses of the United States military service. It
is a lamentabe fact that in some of the regi-
ments half the officers are absent on one pre-
tence or another. About a year ago the coun-
try was startled by the information that half
the officers of the Sth Infantry in Cuba were
absent from the regiment. compelling the off,
GERS with the command TO do double duty which
was weighing heavily them in that torrid
climate. These facts were at once made the
basis for claim the part of it's perplexed
friends that there was a shortage of officers in
the Army. But investigation showed that the
absentees were mainly officers detailed to other
and more congenial duties those bringing In
greater emoluments. In fact. the paucity of Off
GERS with the Sth Infantry found to be no
new thing; it proved to be the ordinary state of
affairs almost throughout the Army
A recent publication based on semi-of1ciaI In =
formation shows that in the I'd Cavalry, on duty
in Cuba, out of a total complement of forty-seven
commissioned officers. only twenty-one were
present with the regiment. Twenty-one officers
were on detached service, one was on leave one
was sick, and there were three vacancies among
the second lieutenants. The Army list OF June
~ mainly confirmed these figures. Two OF the
IDS majors and two of it's captains were coIonels
or volunteer regiments in the Philippines and
Two other captains were Observation-Disclosures of
volunteers-creditable and profitable to the or
hcers interested. but very Instantaneous To
the "a cavalry, II one may believe the COM
plants that come UP from Cuba about the short
age Of officers with the regiment. One of its
best captains doing staff duty at depart
ment headquarters in Texas and three sub
alterns were on duty at West Point
The same authority showed that only twentv
eight Of the forty seven officers of the 11th
Infantry were with the colors about the same
date while sixteen were detached service
two were on leave and there were three vacancies
in the grade of second lieutenant The last
Army list showed that one OF these vacancies
had been filled, and perhaps the other two have
since been filled. About the same time only
twenty-siX officers were present in the 18th In
fantry, although only eight were stated to be on
detached service. But five were on leave and
there were four vacancies. These data are
noticed In detail, because they have recently
been published an evidence of a shortage
of officers with the troops in the field
MANY ON DETACHED DUTY.
1t is significant that out of total compile
ment of l4l commissioned officers to which these
three regiments are entitled. forty five were on
detached service-nearly one third of the whole
In view of the fact that these regiments are in
active service abroad, and not on garrison duty
at home, the large percentage of detached offi-
GERS is most extraordinary. How so many Off
GERS can he spared from their commands in
active service is the astonishing feature about
this business. Why there should be any va
cancies in the grade of second lieutenant is an
other almost equally surprising fact There is
a constant pressure for commissions in the Reg
ular Army, and plenty Of available material
with which to I'LL vacancies of this sort
Doubtless many and perhaps all Of these spe-
cial details which are the chief cause of the
shortage OF officers with the troops in the field
are necessary. and therefore warranted but Il
is not likely II may be- too, that they are TO
the general advantage OF the military service
and promote the public interest at the same
time, but there is no positive assurance of the
fact, as anybody learn in a two minutes
conYarkaflon with anv candiA ana In.allLn...