Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-02-01
BATES BECOMES
HIGHEST ARMY
OFFICIAL
General ". A. Greeley Steps into
Vacant Shoes and Allen Sue.
cesds Greeley.
Long and Honorable Service Of General
Adna r. ChAiiee. Who Goes Into
Retirement Today.

Washington. February 1.-The pre-
sident today nominatei' Major.General
John G. Bates. at present chief OF
stan, TO be lieutenant general to sue.
ceed Major-General a. Il. Chaffee, re.
tired; General w. A. Greeley, chief
signal officer, to be majorgeneral Of
the line to succeed Bates as major
general. and Col. James Allen to be
presiding officer Of the signal corps
to succeed Greeley. 1t was announc.
ed that Brigadier-ueneral J. Frank.
lin Bell. now In command Of the in
fantry and cavalry school at Fort
Leavenworth. would be appointed
chief Of star to succeed Bates upon
his retirement.
chaffe Retires.
Washington. d. c., February L.
The official life of gallant ola war
riof expired today when, by reason
OF the fact that this Is the sixty.
fourth anniversary Of his birth, Lieut..
General Adna r. Chaffee, late chief
Of stan Of the army. was retired from
active service. The usual leave-tak-
ings were not in order, for the reason
that General Chaffee two weeks relin.
pushed his Office Of chief Of staff
in favor OF his successor. Gen Bates.
and has gone to Southern California
where he is to make his future home
It is a grand record that Gen.
Chaffee leaves upon the pages OF the
department from which he has now
taken his departure. From a private
in the ranks, which he entered freck-
led and bronzed from the harvest
fields, he worked bis way step by
step to the highest rank within the
gift OF the United States army.
General Chaffee was born in Ohio
in 1912. and entered the service as
. private soldier in the Sixth Cavai-
~ In July 1861. In March. 1863, he
was commissioned second lieutenant,
becoming a first lieutenant in Febru-
ary, 1865, and bore the rank Of car
tain at the close OF the war. He took
part in all the campaigns OF the army
of the Potomac, being severely
wounded at Fairfield and Brandy sta
tion, and was hrevetted for gallan-
try at the battles of Gettysburg and
Dinwiddie court house Following the
civil war he was engaged much ct
the time in campaigns against the
hostile indians on the frontier. He
was with General McCook in the de-
partment of Arizona, as inspector
general, and then was sent to Fort
Leavenworth as instructor Of tactics.
At the breaking out of .hostilities
with Spain he was instructor in the
school Of cavalry and infantry tac-
tics at Fort Riley, kas.
During the Spanish war he served
first as a brigadier-general and lat
er as a major-general OF volunteers.
At FL Canev, General Chaffee having
been given command Of a brigade,
the fight was opened by him. and
his men bore the brunt Of It through
out the day. To his brilliant leader
ship, in fact, the signal victory Of
the day was chiefly due, but no one
could ever get Chaffee. to open his
mouth about 1t.
General Chaffee's force moved on
the heights occupied by the Spaniards
at an early hour in the morning. en-.
countering a heavy fire from the en-.
emy and suffering severely, but It did
not finch, and carried the summit
with a hearty cheer. An eye-wit-
ness OF the struggle said when the
fight was at its hottest. General Chat
fee dashed about at the head OF the
column with his hat on the back Of
his head urging on his men--who
we're willing enough for all that and
and needed no ncouragement--c
to them 10 get in and help their
country win a victory The men
we're right behind him and the vic.
tory was won.
At the time Of the Boxer troubles
General Chaffee led the American
forces in China. He made favor
able showing in comparison with the
best soldiers Of the great armies rep.
resented there. Subsequently he was
given command In the Philippines,
from which command he was detach-
ed to become chief Of stan.
A model soldier In the field, with
true soldierl, ws.' ~ doing things
General ChaiYee vii u.xays the idci
II his men. & fAe cf.en been said
.tat one of tss favori:e commands,
~hen In ~ ctase after Indians Us, ,