The following succinct retrospect will be of interest to some.
But, for definite information as to who were ‘full
Generals’ C. S. A., and who ‘
Lieutenant-Generals,’ see
ante, p. 190.
The
Nashville Banner of February, 1904, says:
The Confederacy was lavish in the bestowal of military commissions of high rank.
It had more than twice as many full generals as the United States army has ever had in its entire existence.
Only three men have held that rank in the
United States service.
Even
Washington never held it. The Continental Congress commissioned him General and
Commander-in-Chief of ‘the army of the
United colonies.’
He was commissioned
Lieutenant-General, July 4, 1798, and never held a higher rank.
An act of Congress, March 3, 1799, created the office of ‘
General of the armies of the
United States,’ but it was never filled.
Knox,
St. Clair,
Hamilton,
Wayne,
Dearborn,
Brown,
Macomb,
McClelland, and
Halleck held only the rank of
Major-General, although each of them commanded the army of the United States.
James Wilkinson, who commanded it from 1800 to 1812, was only a
Brigadier-General;
Josiah Harmer, who was in command from 1784 to 1791, was only a
Lieutenant-Colonel and a Brigadier by brevet.
The first full general in the history of the United States army was
U. S. Grant.
He was first given the rank in 1864, and was succeeded by
Sherman in 1869, who was succeeded by
Sheridan in 1883.
These three are the only officers who ever attained the rank of General.
Schofield, who succeeded
Sheridan in 1883, was given the rank of
Lieutenant-General by Congress previous to his
[
370]
retirement.
Nelson A. Miles also retired as a
Lieutenant-General, and so did
S. B. M. Young a few days ago, when
Major-General Chaffee succeded to that rank.
The number of generals in the
Confederate service was eight.
This equals the number of lieutenant-generals in the United States army from
Washington to
Chaffee.
The Confederacy had nineteen
Lieutenant-Generals.
Grant was the only Federal officer who attained this rank during the war, though at the beginning of the war
General Wingfield Scott held this rank by brevet.
In the
Confederate service the pay of officers was as follows—when they could get it—general, per month, $500; lieutenantgen-eral, $450;
major-general, $350;
brigadier-general, $300; colonel, infantry, $195;
lieutenant-colonel, $170; major, $150; captain, $130; lieutenant, $90 and $80. In the cavalry, artillery and engineer corps the pay of colonel was $210 per month, and other officers in proportion.
In the cavalry privates were supposed to receive $12 a month, and in the artillery and infantry $11. But the pay was not what they were fighting for.
