Evening star., 1902-02-17
Experience Of Generals Commanding.

"Although General Washington was ap-
pointed as commander-in- chief of the army
in 1893. he did not have an office in the War
Department, nor attempt to conduct affairs
according to the later practice. In 1S2S
General Macomb was assigned to command
ing the army by the President without my
specific authority of law, he being the senior
general officer Of the army. From that time
forth each of the senior officers las been
assigned to duty commanding general of
the army. but difficulties Of admins
trative character have been encountered by
all. Prior to the outbreak Of the war of the
rebellion General Scott's headquarters had
been removed to New York city by reason
of his long g-continued difficulties with the
Secretary of War. Jefferson Davis. and
others Troubles between the Secretary Of
War and General Scott were SO acute that
reports in the same case were finally trans
mitted by the President to Congress, and
the publications made a arge ynlume.
General Sherman became SO discOntented
in the office that he requested that his
headquarters be removed to ST Louis. Cen
eral Sheridan had considerable difficulty.
which was finally adjusted by Secretary of
War Robert Lincoln, who took issue with
General Sheridan, and specifically pre-
scribed the duties of the Office as far as 1t
was possible to do SO. There has never
been a commanding general who has been
able to occupy the narrow limits prescribed
for the duties of that Office in the War De-
partment without encountering mitch serious
difficulty. great deal of this arises from
the fact that the finances of the army,
which are distributed by the various staff
departments, are wholly within the control
of the Secretary Of War and are excepted
from the control of the general of the army,
whose duties are confined to those OF ad-
mnistration and discipline.
There is always great difficulty In fixing
responsibility when so many different chiefs
and generals are concerned In the business
affairs Of the army, and the army itself has
continually turned toward the general staff
scheme as furnishing the most probable
solution to the difficulties which have here
tofore existed.
Extravaganza Of Present System.
"rhese difficulties are much greater than
the average layman would imagine. If the
expenses of the war OF the rebellion as 1t
was carried on and the expenses as they
would have been had the military affairs Of
the nation been in the hands Of trained
general staff corps be compared. the value
of this change in our system would be
readily established in the minds of even
the most casual student of the situation.
One needs but to read the records of the
rebellion in q perfunctory manner to run
across innumerable instances where the
supply departments accumulated enormous
quantities of stores at various points un-
der the supposition that they were to be
needed by our vast armies, only to find that,
at the last moment. a change OF plan would
cause removal of stores for which there
was no transportation, and with the usual
compelled TO apply the torch and destroy
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars worth Of
war material.
1T is not for an instant contended that
a general staff will prove a panacea for all
the His and misfortunes which overtake
country in the conduct Of war. The war
busine IS of a nation cannot be conducted
like that of an ordinary corporation, be-
cause the competition is not the ordinary
business competition, but that of an enter
prising enemy bent upon defeating as far
as possible all the business operations OF
the army because OF the well-recognixed
belief that without good transport, food,
supplies and munitions. any army ceases to
be a successful working machine.
In tho Spanish War.
similar conditions have prevailed
throughout the war with Spain, and IL b
quite apparent that the effort OF each In
dividnal stan corps to provide an ample
supply OF It's own stores causes an uadue |
accumulation OF one kind OF supplies ut |
the expense OF others equally necessary. A
general stair corps that Is authorized to
arrange the details for commanding gem
eraf and to order In advance the character
and quantity Of supplies with which a