Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-24
ARMY RETIREMENT LAW.
First Passed by Congress in 1861, and Gem. Scott Was First
 on the List.

Officers of both the army and navy
 are recognized as honorable servants of the government, who, when they ask
 to be retired, ask for nothing more
 than a fulfllment of the contract under
 which they have served so many years
 When the retired list was established
 in the early part of the civil war. states the New York Tribune, it was for the express purpose of pensioning deserving
 officers of long service and those who
 should become incapacitated by reason
 of wounds or other exigencies of the
 service. It was also intended to re-
 lieve the highest grades of worthy but
 superannuated officers and to insure T eg-
 ular promotions A retired list for every
 army and navy has been recognized as
 necessary in the interests of the govern ment and of the individual--of the gov-
 ernment, in order to secure the ef1-
 ciency of it's services; of the individual.
 to provide a pyse and provision for
 those unfit for duty in consequence of
 long service and casualties.
 The first law authorizing the retire
 ment of army officers was passed by con-
 gress in August, 1861. By this act off,
 cers of more than 40 years consecutive
 service could be retired by the presi-
 dent, and officers incapable of perform ing the duties of their of1ces' were to be brought before 8 retiring board for examination. If found by this board "incap9citated for active service they were to be retired differently, accord ing as the incapacity resulted from cause incident to the service or other- wise. The first retiring board was as- semb1ed on August IT, 1861, and officers of 40 years service were invited to make application to be retired The first officer announced in orders as re- tired was Lieut.. Gen. Winfield Scott, he being retired upon his own applicaz ton on November l, 1861. On DeceIa- Der 5, 1861, an order was published an- nouncing as taking effect at various dates the retirement of 30 officers in addition to Gen. Scott. It had been hoped that the provisions of the act of August, 1861, would have been sufi- cient to produce the desired end--name- ly, the filling of the highest ranks with officers of bodily powersv vigorous enough to perform every duty required from them in time of war. But this hope was vain one.
 Tn July, 1862, second act was passed, which authorized the president to re- tire at his discretion any officer who had been o1l the army register 45 years, or who was of the age Of 62. The effect of this law was prompt, and up to Sep tember 1, 1863, the president retired un- der it two generals, three colonels, three lieutenant colonels and four majors. In July, 1866, congress passed an act pro- viding that officers retired for disabil- ity for wounds received in battle might be retired with the full rank held by them on the active list, whether in the regular or volunteer service when wounded. About 50 of this class were retired before the law was repealed, in 1872 Tn March, 1869, congress passed an act reducing and consolidating the army, and in July, 1870, additional iegis- lation directed the muster out of all su- pernumerary officers. To prevent hard ship falling upon old officers under this act, some of whom would be left unpro- vided for, congress authorized the re- tiTemert, upon their own application, of officers who had been 30 years in the service. At the same time it fixed the total number of officers on the retired list not to exceed 300 at any time. Tn June, 1878, congress, by clause in the army appropriation bill, increased the retired list, and limited it tS 400. Tn 1883 l the retirement law was amended to change the compulsory limit from t2 years and to read "and when an ofiter is GA years of age, he shall be retired 1 from active service and be placed on the retired list" Other notifications l have been made in the law from time | to time respecting the limit of num- Der, etc.