The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1901-04-20
Few West Point Graduates Reach
High Positions In the Service.


officers now at the top of the army only
six are graduates of the military
academy, and of the twenty-five gem
erals of the line, the commanders of
actual fighting forces, only three had
the advantages of a West Point edu-
cation. Without explanation this
remarkable state of affairs might
naturally give rise to grave doubts as
to the practical utility of the great
national school on the Hudson or sug-
gest similarly erroneous suspicion
that other than purely military consid'
erations had governed many of the
selections for the highest grades.
At the present time the army organ
ization is headed by one lieutenant
general, six major generals of the line
and one major general of the staff
none Of whom are graduates of the
military acadsmy. They are Miles,
Brooke. Otis, Young, Chaffee, MacAr-
thur, Wheaton and Corbin. There are
fifteen brigadier generals of the line
Wade, Merriam, Ludlow, Bates John
C.), Davis, Sumner, Wood, Hall,
Hughes, Randall, Kobbe, Grant, Bell,
Smith and Funston. OF these, Ludlow,
Hall, Grant and Bell are West Pointers.
There are ten brigadiers in the staff
Inspector General Breckenridge, Judge
Advocate General Lieber, Quartermas-
ter General Luddington, Commissary
General Weston, Surgeon General
Sternberg, Paymaster General Bates
(Alfred L. Chief of Engineers Wilson,
Chief of Ordnance Burlington, Chief
Signal Officer Greeley and Chief of the
Record Division Ainsworth. OF these
ten only three-Bates, Burlington and
Wilson-came out of West Point, and
in the cases of Wilson and Burlington
there is no alternative under the law,
which stipulates that West Point men
shall be at the head of the Engineer
Corps and the Ordnance Bureau. In
fact, none but West Point men become
members of these corps, and it natural
ly follows that their chiefs must be
graduates of the military academy.
Strange as this state of affairs may
appear to the superficial observer, 1t
indicates Enthusiastically that good SOL
diers may be made outside Of the ma.
tional school, and goes far to show that
under the American system, at least,
some soldiers are born to command.
The striking predominance of com.
manders who never went through West
Point is certainly not altogether due to
any particular favoritism or wire pull.
ing, but Is to great extent one of the
results of the reorganization Of the
army at the close Of the civil war AT
that time many volunteer officers had
worked themselves up from the ranks
by sheer merit or other influences to
commissions In the regular establish
ment, and by reason Of the timeliness
Of their appointment became the rank
Ing officers In the grade. Looking over
current army register 1t is found that
few colonies are graduates of West
Point. More than that, in going down
the line of each regiment 1t is noticed
that the colonies, lieutenant colonies
and one and sometimes two or three Of
the majors were never at the Point,
Naturally, In the course Of the last five
or six years men who had seen distin-
guished service in the civil war became
colonies Of regiments and had also an
opportunity to distinguish themselves
In the Spanish war, and they have
steadily advanced TO the grade Of
general through retirement above them.
1t so happens that the West Point
graduates who are colonies entered the
artillery corps from their choice upon
graduation. The artillery did not get
much Of II show In the Spanish war, and
still less In the Philippines, Both in
Cuba and the Philippines the infantry
and cavalry were the troops that took
the prominent part In the fighting. For
this reason only the colonies of infantry
and cavalry regiments had much chance
to distinguish themselves, and so these
colonies and lieutenant colonies were
the ones who secured promotions TO be
general officers.
Most of the present generals and high
officers of The army have served In two
wars u generation apart, and II follows
that many Of them will retire In the
next five or six years, and It is probable
that between 1905 and 1910 the West
Pointers who are now captains, many
of whom will become majors under the
army reorganization law, will be adj
vanced to Brgadiers, aud even to major
generals.
There Is little doubt that u West
Pointer will become the head Of the
army, for both Ludlow and Bell may
be considered In line for lieutenant
general IN the course Of time, But II
IL figured out by those West Pointers
who are prone TO take u pessimistiC
view Of the situation that, following
Miles, Corbin will be made lieutenant
general, and after him Wood, and thef
Funston, This Is not necessarily tn,
case, While Macarthur Ia probabl,
destined to be lieutenant general for
short tune, there IA no reason VIII,