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ARMY ABUSE GENERAL-COLONELS.
• 19M April 1855. San—The principle laid down in the following extract from the article on "Merit as a Mlle to Promotion," in your Speeta for of Saturday last, goes so directly to the root of one great evil in our military system, that I can- not forbear from copying it and drawing your attention again to it. " Past service," your article says, " constitutes no claim whatever after and be- yond the direct reward for that service." Instead of this being the rule with us, every officer who served in the Peninsular war has a sort of "open account" at the Horse Guards ; and even now many officers who served in it, and have probably seen no service since, are being rewarded by having regiments given to them. Not only this, but regiments given to officers who have lately distinguished themselves oonstitute a ground of complaint With the old hands, who consider their juniors are running away with their rights. The truth is, that our whole system of making Generals Is a wrong one. Young Generals and old Lieutenant-Colonels are what we want—so thought the late Sir Charles Napier. We have too many Generals by nine-tenths. Instead of the humbug of Generals for Colonels of regiments, the Lieutenant-Colonel commanding should have more responsibility for the clothing and equipment of his regiment. What an ,absurdity it would be thought if every ship of war in our Navy had an Admiral-Captain appointed to it as well as the Captain commanding it !— is there any less absurdity in every regiment having a General-Colonel ? There is no occasion that all Lieutenant-Colonels, or nearly all, should be- come Generals. They themselves know that it is not given to every regi- mental officer, however good he may be as such, to become a good general. Peculiar talents, something of "le genie de is guerre," are required for that. But if their situation as commanding-officers had the consequence attached to it that it deserves, and they were considered as they ought to be in regard of pay and honours, they would be content, when too old for work, to retire as Colonels with a fitting provision, without adding to the already crowded list of incapable Generals. I have before me the names of three officers who have lately been made Generals. They are three remarkably good specimens of intelligent officers, or men perhaps
I should rather say, but are all more than fifty years of age. They are very well connected, and consequently have all the advantage that social position gives in our country. None of them have seen any actual service as regi- mental officers, and they will in all probability see none as Generals— perhaps it may be as well that they should not, for how can they be up to their work ? 'Well, some ten years hence you will find these three men ob- taining or having obtained regiments : and this is the way we grow, as one of your correspondents has expressed it, our vast crop of Generals. This plan of making Generals of all officers who continue in the Berme long enough is OAS great cause of inefficiency in our upper ranks ; it had its origin in the cor- ruption which formerly pervaded all our departments ; but the abolition of Clothing-Colonels has done away with the corruption, and I hope the Ge- neral-Colonels may soon follow. We have created the situation of Colonels of regiments for our Generals, and have to take care that the supply don't fail! What wonder that we have as was stated in Parliament a short time ago, a greater number of General; in our small army than the French have for their immense force ? The French keep no more cats than kill mice,
and we shall have to follow their example. J. B.
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