The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-02-23

qustus In t191, at the Time of ths
| Third crssads-Ths Baton 10 ,ts Dis.
tineSve Badge Of Office.
Il Is only In France that the military
lightly OF marshal Is u very ancient
Jae. IL was King Philip Augustus
who Grst instituted it as II military
Office In fi9I, at the time of the third
crusade. ST. Louis Invested two Of his
commanders with the rank on the eve
| Of his III fated expedition to northern
Africa. Francis ]. created three, ana
! ny the time that Louis XIV. had com
pleted his long reign there were no less
| than twenty of them.
The office was abolished 10y the hrst
! republic. but restored by Napoleon
|. when he proclaimed himself en-
peror. He limited the number to SIX
teen. They were known as marshalS
IF the empire. The Bourbon monarchy
IN its restoration IN 1915 maintained
them In Office, but changed their title
| back 10 that Of marshalS OF France.
! By the law of 1889. bearing the sign
manual Of King Louis Philippe. they
number was limited to six In time OF
peace and twelve IN time OF war
The baton, rs provided for by exist
ing military regulations in France, con
| sists of staff about two feet long.
| IN Inch aud u half III diameter. cover
al with dark blue velvet, tecked with
| .oli stars aud tipped at either end
| With silver gilt. on the borders OF
| which are engraved the Latin words.
Terror belli. decus pacis... 1t Is car
| rcd In the right hand at all great mill
tary or state functions and is used III
| lieu of the sabcr for saluting. The
taton Of the field marshal of Great
Britain IL tipped at either end with
crowns and lions: those OF Germany.
Austria aud Russia with single beaded
or double headed eagles.
In England the dignity OF tield mar
shat was unknown until the reign OF
George H., who in 1875 bestowed il
upon the second Duke Of Argyll. one
! II the greatest commanders and states
men OF his day and OF whom Pope
| wrote:
! Argyll. tho 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 ana
u Malplaquet. bore the title or captain
| general to indicate his rank as gener-
slissimo. title undoubtedly original
ing in Spain, where it is still retained.
IL is regarded there as the equivalent
Of the grade of field marshal in other
Countries.
There are no field marshals ut pres
ent in Russia. The last two comnGnd'
ers to hold that rank were the late
Field Marshal Gourko, governor gen
erai OF Poland, aud the late Grand
Duke Michael Nicholaivitch. who
when he died was the patriarch OF the
imperial house of Romanod.
In Austria Hungary there Is but one
Geld marshal-namely. Archduke Fred
erick. He is brother OF the queen
mother OF Spain ami heir to all the
colossal fortune OF his uncle, the late
Archduke Albert. who bad won his
marshars baton OIL the battlefield OF
Custozza.
The full generals Ia Austria bear the
title of "fellzeugmeister" master or
the ordnance, when they belong 10 the
artillery. while all lieutenant generals
are known as "feldmarshal lleuten-
aut," n title which Is being continually
mistranslated abroad as that Of field
marshal: --' -"','.-'~ ~
In Italy. Scandinavia, Belgium and
Holland and In the armies Of the Bal
kan states the rank of field marshal IL
unknown. although the late King
Charles OF Rolmania had received
batOns from Car Nicholas II. aud
from the kaiser. Portugal, too, has
dispensed with field marshals.
II Is in Germany, however, that field
narshals 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 marshals In the entire German
army-namely. the then Crown Prince
(afterward Frederick I'D and Count
Moltke, both of whom had received
their batons at the close OF the Franco
German war of 1870 AS soon as the
present emperor came 10 the throne he
began to confer the dignity With such
liberality that there are now fully a
score of them. including Duke Bern.
bard Of Sake Meiningen. the Grand
Duke OF Baden, Prince Henry of Prus.
STA 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
are above the full generaL-F. Gun
| tifra. Ovv In Nasv Nnri, Sn,