The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-06
Army and Navy


ted States navy should have as per-
manent official rank that Of vice ad-
miral The official personnel of the
navy now includes one admiral and
eighteen rear admirals. The admiral,
George Dewey, who was promoted to
that high rank on account of his
achievement in sinking the Spanish
fleet in the Philippines, is performing
staff duty in the department as presi-
dent of the naval board. Thus it is
seen that the highest rank in the line
With the death of Dewey the rank Of
admiral will cease.
The British navy has number of
vice admirals, and in the event that
United States officers and British Of
ficers should be called into confer
ence as an outcome of complications
with any foreign power British vice
admiral would preside even if condi-
tions in the nature of things called
for an officer of the United States
navy to take precedence. The ques
ton of precedence has ordinarily little
interest outside of government circles.
But it can be readily seen that the
United States would be humiliated in
measure by having a foreign vice
admiral take precedence over an
American rear admiral in time of war
like demonstration.
Secretary Daniels after a study of
the situation thinks that our navy
1should have at least four vice ad
mirals. This would provide for suf-
| ficiently wide distribution in large
naval command to give an American
officer the right of presiding over any
international conference.
The United States navy has not had
"a vice admiral since that rank was
held by S. c. Rowan, who was retired
in 1889, and who died in 1890. Con-
gress has always been chary-ex-
tremely chary-in the matter of high
rank both in the army and in the navy.
1t was not until the civil war that the
regular army had a lieutenant gen.
eral. Until Grant was put in full
command of the Union army the last
year of the war, with the rank of
lieutenant general, the highest rank
had been that of major general. At
the close of the war, Grant had
the distinction of being the first full
general. On the reorganization of the
army, in 1866 Sherman was made
lieutenant general, and in 1869 sue
ceeded to the rank of general. Phil
Sheridan, who succeeded Sherman as
lieutenant general, was, while on his
death bed, made full general. The
rank of lieutenant general ceased with
Sheridan; but Congress revived the
grade in favor of General Schofield. 1t
passed with him, but was revived
again for Gen. Nelson A. Miles. There
are now four lieutenant generals on
the retired list: Miles, Bates, Chaffee
and Young. The highest active rank
now is major general. There is no good
reason why the army should not have
at least one lieutenant general. The
chief of staff should certainly have
that rank.
If Secretary Daniels succeeds in in
ducing Congress to revive the grade
of vice admiral, the military commit
tee in the House of Representatives
will doubtless insist upon reviving the
grade of lieutenant general. The ques-
ton of salary would not be worth
considering. If the navy had -four
vice admirals the difference between
their pay and that of rear admirals
would be only a few thousand dollars
Ia negligible quantity Congress
would be ready to act favorably upon
the higher rang proposition provided
the respective committees of the
House-navy and military-reported
fovorohIv