The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-07-30
A MILITARY ANOMALY.

TT"---
A MILITARY ANOMALY.
Over at Missoula the rejoicing is not
less than down at Miles City and FOL
the same cause. Word has been re
ceived that Fort Missoula Is not to be
abandoned, on the contrary, it is to be
regarrisioned shortly and the neces
sary orders have been issued to adver
tise tor forage and other supplies fol
the post. 1t is said that two compan
les have been ordered to take station
at the fort and sufficient more are ex.
pected shortly to garrison it UP to
It's full capacity. A prominent Mis-
soulian Is quoted as saying that he
has been repeatedly assured by Gen.
eral Miles since the Spanish war be.
gan that Missoula would be one of
the first inland forts to receive a
garrison when troops returned from
foreign service and men enough could
be had to distribute over the country.
He further quotes the general as say.
Ing that the war department recog-
nizes the excellence of location Of the
post and that it will not abandon it.
The same may be said of Fort
Keogh, as to location, etc, which by
the way, is usually considered as
occupying first place among western
posts in the affections Of the general,
as he was the one who located Il
and under whose supervision it was
constructed. The general, when col.
onel of the Fifth infantry, was sta.
toned at this post for several years
and much Of the reputation he made
as an Indian fighter was acquired
when commanding officer of the fort.
1t Is but natural, therefore, that he
should feel particularly kindly dis
posed to this child of his own crea-
ton and desire to see it continued,
but the trouble is that the general,
for some reason, does not seem to
cut an overly wide swath with the adj
ministration at Washington. While
nominally, by reason Of his rank, the
chief commanding officer Of the Unit
ed States army, he Is in reality only
a figure head and the command rests
elsewhere and with others. While
holding the rank and drawing the
pay of lieutenant general of the army
he is not the real head of the estab.
lishmnt, that office being filled by the
adjutant general, who from perform
ing merely clerical duties has gradu-
ally expanded until now he is the
commander, adjutant. quartermaster,
commissary and in fact "the whole
thing" much as 1t may humiliate Cen
eral Miles and his friends. This is
evidenced by the talk made to report
ers at Manila recently by Adjutant
General Corbin. In all the great
changes contemplated in the military
establishment of the Philippines, it
is safe to say that the commanding
general of the army will be but little
consulted. Corbin will issue the ord
ers and they will be submitted, as a
matter of form, to General Miles for
his. signature. He will put his name
to them, but as far as issuing from him
it is all a pleasant little fiction, pleas
ant for Corbin. By some sort of mil
itary legerdemain the adjutant gen
eral, instead of being under the ord.
ers and direction of the general COM
handing, has usurped the prerogatives
and duties of the latter and the com
handing general finds himself ignored
and pushed to one side.
Commenting on the anomalous posi-
tions which the adjutant general and
the commanding general occupy, the
Minneapolis Journal very pertinently
says: III the duties Of the ONCE of
adjutant general belong more properly
to the business side of the war de-
partment, the man who discharges
them should be q civilian. Being An
ofhcer OF the army. the adjutant gem: