The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-02-16
RANK OF MARSHAL
A Military Honor Instituted by a
King of France.
THE TITLE AN ANCIENT ONE.
II Was First Conferred by Philip Au-
eustus In 1891, at the Time of the
Third Crusade-The Baton Is Its Dis
tinctive Badge of Office.


gustus In 1881, at the Time of the
Third crusade-The Baton Is Its Dis
tinctive Badge of Office.
1t is only in France that the military
dignity Of marshal is very ancient
enc. 1t was King Philip Augustus
who first instituted it as a military
office In 1191, at the time of the third
crusade. st. Louis invested two Of his
commanders with the rank on the eve
of his Ill fated expedition to northern
Africa. Francis /. created three, and
by the time that Louis XIV. had com
pleted his long reign there were no less
than twenty of them.
The Office was abolished by the first
republic, but restored by Napoleon
/. when he proclaimed himself EN-
peror He limited the number to six
teen. They were known as marshals
OF the empire. The Bourbon monarchy
on It's restoration in 1915 maintained
them In office but changed their title
back to that of marshals of France.
By the law of 1889, bearing the sign
manual of King Louis Philippe, their
number was limited to six in time of
peace and twelve in time Of war.
The baton, as provided for by exist
ing military regulations in France, con
sists OF a staff about two feet long,
an inch and half in diameter, cover.
ed with dark blue velvet necked with
gold stars and tipped at either end
with silver gilt on the borders of
which are engraved the Latin words.
Terror beli, decus pacis. 1t is car
ried in the right hand at all great mili-
tary or state functions and is used In
lieu of the saber for saluting. The
baton of the field marshal Of Great
Britain is tipped at either end with
crowns and lions: those of Germany,
Austria and Russia with single headed
or double headed eagles
In England the dignity of field mar
shall was unknown until the reign Of
George H., who III l135 bestowed 1t
upon the second Duke of Argyll, one
of the greatest commanders and states
men OF his day and of whom Pope
wrote:
Argyll, the states whole thunder born to
WELD
And shake alike the senate and the field.
The first Duke of Marlborough, the
victor of Blenheim, OF Families and
Of Malplaquet, bore the title Of captain
general to Indicate his rank as gener-
alissimo. title undoubtedly originat-
ing In Spain, where it is still retained.
1t IS regarded there as the equivalent
OF the grade of field marshal In other
countries.
There are no field marshals at pres
ent in Russia The last two command
ers to hold that rank were the late
Field Marshal Gourko, governor gen.
eral of Poland and the late Grand
Duke Michael Nicholaivitch, who
when he died was the patriarch OF the
imperial house of Romanoff.
In Austria-H Hungary there is but one
field marshal namely, Archduke Fred
erick. He is a brother Of the queen
mother of Spain and heir to all the
colossal fortune ol his uncle, the late
Archduke Albert who had won his
marshal's baton ON the battlefield Of
Custozza
The full generals IN Austria bear the
title of "feldzeugmeister' master Of
the ordnance when they belong to the
artillery, while all lieutenant generals
are known as "feldmarshal ieuten-
ant, title which is being continually
mistranslated abroad as that Of field
marshal.
In Italy, Scandinavia. Belgium and
Holland and i'm the armies Of the Bal
kan states the rank Of field marshal is
unknown, although the late King
Charles of Roumania had received
batons from Car Nicholas II. and
from the kaiser. Portugal, too has
dispensed with field marshals.
1t is in Germany, however. that field
marshals flourish but only since the
present kaiser has been on the throne.
Just prior to the death of old Emperor
William in 1888 there were but two
field marshals in the entire German
army-namely, the then Crown Prince
(dIlerWdfu fIeuefIck ilI.l anu count
Moltke, both of whom bad received
their batons at the close of the Franco
German war of 1870 AS soon as the
present emperor came TO the throne be
began to confer the dignity with such
liberality that there are now fully a
score of them, including Duke Bern
hard of SAKE Meiningen, the Grand
Duke of Baden, Prince Henry of Prus-
sia and Baron Won Plessen. Besides
these there are about a dozen more
with the rank Of general oberst," or
colonel general, whose rank is assim-
Hated to that Of field marshal and who
are above the full genaral.-F Gun
liffe-Owen in New York Sun.