The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-09
The AMERICAN VOLUNTEER
He Outstrips the West Point Grad
uate on the Field.

/ Only Small Percentage of the
Army Commanders Come From the
! National Military Academy-Fine
Soldiers Outside That Institution.
The approximate total eclipse Of West
! Point as the source Of army commanders
| at the present time is misunderstood to
! a great extent even among those who are
in the service. and it is likely to create
an utterly false impression on the general
public. which IS now beginning TO mani
fest Il wholesome interest in military mat
ters- II may astonish most persons to be
informed that of the thi-ty-three general
officers DOW at the top of the army only
six are graduates Of he Military Acad-
envy. and of the TWEEN -y--tuo generals of
the line, the commando rs of actual fight
ing forces only three lad the advantages
of West Point education. Without ex-
PLANTATION this remarkable state of affairs
might naturally give rise 10 grave doubts
as to the practical utility Of the great
national school on the Hudson. or suggest
4 similarly erroneous suspicion that other
than purely military considerations had
governed many Of the selections for the
highest grades
At the present time the army organiza-
ton is headed by one lieutenant general.
SIX major generals Of the line, and one
major general of the stan, none Of whom
are graduates of the Military Academy
They are Miles. Brooke. Otis, Young
Chaffee. Macarthur, Wheaton. and Cor
bin There are fifteen brigadier generals
of the Hne-Wade. Merriam, Ludlow,
Bates Goh:i g. Davis. Sumner Wood,
Hall, Hughes. Randall, Kobbe, Grant.
Bell, Smith. and Funston. OF these Lud-
low, Han, Grant, and Bell are West Point
ers- There are ten brigadiers in the staff
Inspector General Breckenridge, Judge
Advocate General Lieber, Quartermaster
General Ludington- Comnlissary General
Weston, Surgeon General Sternberg, Pay
master General Bates (Alfred E.), Chief
of Engineers Wilson, Chief of Ordnance
Burlington, Chief Signal officer Greedy,
and Chief Of the Record Division Aims
worth. OF these ten only three-Bates,
Burlington, and Wilson-came out of West
Point, and in the cases OF Wilson ard
Burlington there is no alternative under
the law. which STIMULATES that West Point
men shall be at the head of the Engineer
Corps and the Ordnance Bureau. In fact,
none but West Point graduates become
members Of these corps. and II naturally
follows that their chiefs must be gradu-
ates Of the Military Academy.
Strange as this state Of affairs may ap-
pear to the superficial observer It indi-
Gates Enthusiastically that good soldiers
may be made outside Of the national
school, and goes far to show that under
the American system, at least. some sol
diers are born TO command. The strik-
ing predOmiu4nce of commanders who
never went through West Point is certain
~ not altogether due TO any particular
fayOritism or wireDuiiiHg, il is claimed,
put IS 10 Il great extent one Of the re-
suits Of The reorganization Of the army
at The close OF the evil war At that
time many volunteer officers who had
worked themselves up from the ranks by
sheer merit OF Other influences TO com
missions in the regular establishment. and
by reason Of the Thickness of their APP
pointment became the ranking officers III
the grade cooking over The current
army register, Il IS found that few colon
els are graduates Of West Point. More
than that. in going down the line of each
regiment II Is noticed that the colonies.
lieutenant colonies, ana one and some
times two and three Of the ma jOrs were
never at the Point. Naturally in the
course OF the last five or six years men
VINO hdd seen diStinSu lShed service In the
civil war became CUIOnels 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
II happens that the West Point grsdu-
ateS who are colonies entered the artillery
corps from their choice -OpOn graduation.
The artillery did not get much of an op-
portunity ia the Spanish war and stfu
less in the Philippines Both in Cuba and
were the troops that took prominent part
in the fighting For this reason only the
colonies Of infs ntry and cavalry regiments
had much chance 10 distinguish them
selves. and so these colonies and lieuten-
ant coiOnels we're the ones who secured
promotions to be general officers
dOSt OF the present generals and high
officers of The Army having served in
two wars a generation apart. it follows
that many of them will retire in the
next Ave or six years. and IL is probable
that between 1875 and 1919 the West Point
ers VINO are now captains many OF whom
Vii become ma JorS under the Army Reor-
ganization law, Will be advanced to brig
dGleFS. and even 10 major generals There
is little doubt that a West Pointer will be
come the head of the Army. for both IlId-
low and Bell may De considered in line
for lieutenant general in the course Of
time But II IS figured out by those
West Pointers who are prone to take
peSsimiSJic view of the situation that
tenant general and after him Wood and
then Funston. This is not necessarily
the case While Macarthur is proba bly,
destined 20 be lieutenant general for a
short tine, there is no reason why Lud-
low should not follow him ahead OF
Wood More than that. timber fer iieu-
tenant generals may be developed in the
selection OF general officers is in the dis
erection Of the President. and some ma ior
generals may be passed and some colo
ntls IN the future be jumped over briga-
diers and made major generals. Conse-
GUently, there is no actual necessity for
the scheme of following SIiies with Cor
bin, and COrDin with Wood. and Wood
with Funston. although that is the most
probable sequence in the opinion Of the
best informed officers today.