The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1917-02-16
RANK OF MARSHAL
A Military Honor Instituted by a
King of France.
THE TITLE AN ANCIENT ONE.

" was firet NonTerreu uy ThuiP nv
gustus In 1871, at the Time of the
Third crusade-The Baton 10 tie Dis
tinetive Badge of Office.
It is only in France that the military
dignity of marshal is a very ancient
one. It 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 i'll fated expedition to northern
Africa. Francis I. 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 its 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 staff about two feet long,
an inch and a half In diameter. cover
ed with dark blue velvet. fecked with
gold stars and tipped at either end
with silver gilt, on the borders OF
which are engraved the Latin words.
Terror beali, decus pacis." 1t is car
ried in the right hand at all great mill
tary or state functions and IN used in
lieu of tho 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 beaded
or double headed eagles.
In England the dignity of field mar
shall was unknown until the reign of
George H., who in 1875 bestowed it
upon the second Duke Of Argyll, one
OF the greatest commanders ind states
men Of his day and of whom Pope
wrote;
Argyll, tho states whole thunder born to
WELD
And shake alike the senate end tho 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, a 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
crs 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 Hungary there is but one
field overwhelmingly. Archduke Fred
erick He is brother OF the queen
mother of Spain and heir to all the
colossal fortune of 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 lieuten-
ant" a title which is being continually
mlstranslated abroad as tlat of field
marshal.
In Italy, Scandinavia, Belgium and
Holland and in 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 1883 there were but two
field n1arshals In the en- tire German
army-namely. the then Crown Prince
(afterward Frederick III.) and Count
Moltke, both of whom had received
their lbatons at the close of the Franco.
German war of 1870 AS soon as the
present emperor came to the throne he
began to confer the dignity with such
liberality that there are now fully
score of them. including Duke Bern
hard of Saxe-Meiningen, the Grand
Duke of Baden, Prince Henry of Prus-
sin and Baron Won Plessen., Besides
these there are about dozen more
with the rank of general oberst," or
colonel general, whose rank is assim.
Hated to that of field marshal and who
arc above the full generally. Gun.
life Owen in New York Sun.