Year: 1861

Oflcers, and the Way to Get Them.


"CARNoT," said Napoleon, "has organized
victory" ut was" says Allison, in his His
tory Of Europe, "a maxim of this great man,
that nothing was SO easy as to find excellent
officers in all ranks, if they were only chosen
according to their capacity and their cour
age" 1t was this rejection of every other
rule of choice than that of personal merit
which by developing the best talents that it
contained made the revolutionary army of
France what it was, and prepared the way
for the victories of Napoleon.


If the United States are to have long
war, and hope to succeed in it, or even to
escape disaster and defeat, the rule of select
ing from the ranks, and promoting men ac-
cording to capacity and courage, will have
to be adopted. The practice of appointing
persons to responsible commands in consid-
Grafton of their party status or influence, or
in compliance with the clamor of newspapers
or the favoritisms of their conductors, will
serve no other purpose than to render our
armies inefficient and prepare the way for
their destruction.


For the want of something else upon
which to rely, we are accustomed to attach
undue Importance to the fact that this or that
education" We have a national Military
Academy which every year graduates few
score of young gentlemen who have for a
limited time enjoyed, under its auspices, iu-
struction in the rudiments of military SCI
ence. The greater share of these, either
Immediately or after few months residence
at some military post, retire to the walks of
civil life, and abandon all thoughts of or
connection with martial pursuits. AS these
young gentlemen are, in the first instance,
selected without regard to their genius or
proclivity for arms, it can hardly be expected
that any large number of them are possessed
OF the capacity or the courage, even under
the most favorable circumstances, to render
! them eminent in actual war. Nor, even il
they had it, would the garrison life to which
the greater share of the officers of the army
now holding commissions have been con-
demned, be calculated to bring their talents
to high pitch of development. They have
a large amount of rust to wear off in active
service, before they can be expected to come
up to the requirements of great war; and
as some, at least of them have continued in
the service rather through the hope of ease
and inactivity, than its opposite, they car
hardly be looked upon to be as good as new
material for the formation of such officers a!
the wants of the country demand.


1t is doubtful whether the single fact tina,
man has received what we, by stretch o
courtesy, call military education, is to bt
taken as evidence that he is fit for any but {
subordinate position; much less is it to b
supposed that we are to be restricted to thu
small number of graduates of our Military
Academy as the class from which officer
entrusted with the higher commands are II
be drawn. Carnot deemed it impossible tina
an army commanded by officers chosen ex
clusively from limited class could lonI
maintain contest with one led by thos
chosen with discernment from the inferio
ranks; and "the French Revolution" as re
marks the historian we have quoted above
"by opening the career of talent to all rank
ipdiscriminately, and affording the means Q
elevation, in a peculiar manner, to the mos
energetic and audacious characters, was EN-
inently favorable to the growth of militar


proves"


The efficiency of an army is in its officer


They constitute its bond of unity and witt


out confidence in them nothing but coward


ice and disaster can be expected. The trooI


at Manassas who were well oficered, fought
they who were not fed, Our GoVernmeI
in entering upon great war has undoub
edly had to encounter great difficulties.
has been obliged to create armies out OF ne
: material, and to officer them with the sam
Our volunteer system, with the power pc


mitted to the soldier to select, or elect II
!, officers under whom he is to serve, hi
been grievous disadvantage. But our Ca
? nots at the seat Of Government have pu
!: sued line OF conduct widely different fro
Q that of the Carnot of the French Revolutio
!: The rule which they have followed in Il


dispensation of commissions has, to all q


pearance been adopted with a view to an
thing else than the good of the service al
: their appointments, many of them, If tn


have not borne the appearance Of beiI
I made in sport or in derision, have at lea


seemed to testify that they had not y
: learned to look upon the war as a serio
!. undertaking. Perhaps no other one THU
), has been productive of more discourageme
: and apprehension than this seeming ind
ii ference on the part of the AdministratiI
q 20 the fate of the brave men who have plae
themselves under its guardianship.