The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-18
MARS AND MEDICINE
DISCIPLES OF AESCULAPIUS AS
 WARRIORS.
Rise of Dr. Leonard Wood From Assistant Surgeon to a Major
 Generalship in the United s'' States Army.
Advertiser Bureau. Colorado Building.

 Colorado Building. Washington, April II. It is not often that a young fellow, starting out in life chooses one ,profes- sion and finds that the means of rising to the head of another. In other words. 1t Is a rare thing that a young doctor, who becomes a surgeon, even In the army. gets to be a general in the army. Mucn , marvel has been made over the rise of Dr. Leonard Wood from the position of assistant surgeon to be a major general | with position in line for promotion to be | the highest ranking general in the army. But General Wood Is not the only able | and lucky doctor.
 l In the Historical Register and Die | tionary of the United States Army" re- gently published by authority of Con- gress, the following note is contained of 1 General Wood:
 wood-Leonard Wood. N. H.. Mass. Asst surg., Jan. 1SS6 Col. U. S. C. cav. May. 1898; Brig. Gen. vols. 1s Apr. 1899; Maj. Gen. vols, 5 Dec. 1899; hon. dischd. from vols 4 Feb, 1901; awarded | medal honor for dist. con. in campaign against Apache Indians dur. summer of | 1886, while serving as med. officer with Capt. Lawton's expedition.
 General Wood Is now serving in the Philippines and as commander of the De- | | rated the rate of mortality among the natives. pursuant to the original plan of benevolent assimilation.
 l General Ainsworth's record is thus given in the same army book:
 Ainsworth, Fred Crayton. St. Vt
 Asst. surg. 10 Nov, 1874; Maj. Surg. 27 Feb 1891; Col. chief record and pension office; N May, 1892, and with rank of brig. gen. 2 Mar, 1sss
 | Fra-. l is inevitably interwoven with the caleula- 1 tions of other officers who have never been doctors, but only soldiers. Conse- l quently there is no little speculation in military circles as to the. effect of the 1 proposed consolidation of the Adjutant- l Generals Department and the record and pension office and the establishment of l the office of Military Secretary in charge l of the new bureau. The relations sf the new bureau tp the existing geheraf stafr are not clearly defined and some officers are of opinion that the new military sec retary will relieve the chief of staff of some of his important functions as the principal lInk between the President and the Secretary of War and the Army. | It hapens. as is well known, that Gen. Fred C.. Ainsworth, long chief of the Record and, Pensions offiee. will he the first Military Secretary, with the rank of Major-General, and Col. w. P Hall. se- nior Colonel of the Adjutant General 8 1 department, and acting Adjutant- General, will be assistant chief of the new bureau with the rank of Brigadier General. Ma jor-General H. C. Corbin Is not affected by the pending measure and will remain in command of the Atlantic Division. The | office of AdJutant-Ge held by him will expire on his retirement from active 1 service.
 I ~ l chief of staff will retire for age in April, 1906, and the prevailing bout not en- 1 thusiastlc impression in the army is
 that General Corbin win succeed to 1 that office for the few months that will
 then be remaining for his active service. 1 It Is presumed that the proposed pro- 1 motion of General Ainsworth to the grade
 of major general with a long period of service ahead of him is likely to make
 him a formidable competitor with Major l General Wood for the lieutenant gener- alley on the retirement of General Corbin | in 1906. General Ainsworth is an officer | of acknowledged clerical and executive l ability, his experience never having taken l him into the field in command of troops. 1 He will reach the retiring age of 64 years 1 in 1916. eight years before General Wood, 1 who is to retire in 1924 Even in the | event of the prior selection of General | | Wood would still have a chance to serve 1 at the head of the army for a period of l eight years. Of the major generals now i senior to General Wood General Mac ] Arthur retires in June, 1909, General l Bates. in August, 1906; General Wade in | April. 1907, and General Sumner in l February 1906. Generals MacArthur and | Wade have longer to serve on the active 1 list than General Corbin, and each would I
 him as chief of staff. and then retire in l turn to permit of the successive appoint
 naent of General Ainsworth and General | Wood. General Gillespie, the only other l major general, will retire in October, 1905,
 General Chafee being still in office.
 Military genius and real war records | seem nowadays to count for little in the
 advancement of officers. The great
 American war college. West Point ap-
 pears to be at a greater discount than
 at any time since it's foundation Politics
 Is the subject now most inviting to the
 military student. General H. Clay Cor ] bin was long the master in that branch 1 of martial achievement. General Leonard | Wood has shared the Roosevelt luck for | rising upon sheer fortuitous circum- ] stances, and General Alnsworth has de- l ported himself so smoothly and amiably | to everybody about him that he is not l unlikely destined to the most distinguish ed honors of the army. Thus it is that
 although these men never saw a single
 great battle, Corbin, Wood and Ainsworth
 are fin line for just as important rank
 as were held by Grant, sherman and
 Sheridan, neither of whom ever served
 a clerkship or practiced physic.
 But 1t may be that a Democratic ad-
 ninistration or so will come along after
 March 1905. and some measure of justice
 will he done to the real soldiers of the
 army. R. H. Watkins. | ssu ---------
 RED EYES AND EYELIDs. .