STAFF AND ADMILLNISTRATIVE COni's. 235 CHA4P TE nLX.I9 ARMY ORGANIZATIO N--STAFF AND ADIIINISTRATIVE: CORPS. ByJ the law of the 1~2th of December, 17990,on the or· ganization of the public force of France, the Army was defined, "'A standing force drawn from the public force, -and designed to act against external enemies." [Une force hiabituelle exutra~ite de la force pucblique, et destinie s sentiellement di agir contre les ennemzis dx dehors.] In time of peace, the whole organized military force of the State is intended when we speak of thie army; but in time of war this force is brokien uip into two or more frac­ tions, each of which is called an army. ?'ihese armies are usually named from the particularduty which may be as­ signed to them--as, army of invuasio~n, army of occupation, armzy of observation, army of reserve, ~c.; or from the country or direction in Which they operate--as, arm~y ofthe North, ofthe South, of M~exico, of Canada,of the Rhiine, dc.; or from the general who commands it-as, the army of Soult, army~ of Wellington, army/of Bitcher, ~c. All modern armies are organized on the same basis. They are made up of a Staff and Administrative depart­ ments, and four distinct arms-Infantry, Cavalry, Artil­ lery, and Engineers; each having distinct duties, but all combining to form one and the same military body. In the actual operations of a campaign, these forces are form­ ed into corp3s d'ar1mke, each corps d'arnui'e being composed of two or more grand-divisions; each grand-division, of two or more brigades; and each brigade, of several com­ panies, squadrons, or batteries. '236 IMILITARY ARTPAND SCIENOF. In speaking of an army in the field, it is sometimes sulp­ posed to be divided into two classes of men--the Staff and the line. Whehere include in the first class-­ All officers, of whatever arm, above the rank of colonel; All officers of the staff corps of whatever grade, and All officers attached to the staff as aides, &c.; All officers of the administrative departments; All offcers of artillery and engineer staffs; The corps of geographical or topogra~,phical engineers, adnd The guards. In the second class are included all troops, of what­ ever arm, which belong to the active army, in infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers. All troops on detached service, such as recruiting, guarding posts and d~p~ts, es­ corting convoys, &c., as well as all sedentary corps, gar­ risons of fortified places, &c., are not regarded in this classification as composing any part of the line of the army . Troops of the line is a, term applied only to such troops as form the principal line on the battle-field, viz :--The heavy infantry and heavy cavalry. These are technically called infantry of the line, and cavalry of th~elinze. In this sense of the term, lighlt infantry, light cavalry or dragoons, artillery, and engineers, are not classed as troops of the line. But this distinction is now pretty much fallen into disuse; and the division of an army into Staff and Admin­ istrative departments, and four arms of service--Infan­ try, Cavalry, Artcillery, and Engineers--is noxv regarded as the most convenient, from being precise and definite in its meaning. The general staff of an army includes all general off"i­ cers of' the army, and such officers of lower grades as are attached to this general duty, instead of serving with troops, or on special administrative duty. The general STAFF AND ADMINISTRATIVE CORPS. 237 officers are--ist, the generalissimo, or commander-in-chief; 2d, generals, or marshals, as they are called in France, or field-marshals and generals of infatntry and cavalry, as they are called in Eng-land and, the northern states of Eu­ rope 3d, lieultena~nt-g~enerals ; 4th, g~enerals of division, or major-generals,as they are called in England; 5th, gen­ eralbs of brigade, or brigadier-generals, as they are sometimes called ;--colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, ensigns, and comets or cadets, are also either attached to the staff, or form a part of the staff corps. The titles of "adjutant­ general," rind of " inspector-generatl,"' are given to staff' officers selected for th-ese special services, either in the general staff or in the several corps d'anuimee. Ndo special rank is attached to these offices themselves, and the g-rade of those who hold them is fixed by some special rule, or by their general rank in the army. In the war of the Revolution, W~ashington held the rank of General, and in 1798 the rank of Lieutenant-general. In the war of 1812, the highest grade held by any of our offcers was that of General of Division, or M~ajor-general, as it was called. The highest grade in our army at the p~resent time is called Matjor-general--a title that prope"rly belongs, not to the general of an army, but to thle chief of staff. Hamilton had this title when chief of W~ashington's staff; Berthier and Soult when chief of Natpoleon's staff, the former till the close of the campaign of 1814, and the latter in the Waterloo campaign. Generazl Jomini first greatly distinguished himself as chief of Ney's staff, and afterwards on thle staff of the Emperor of Russia. Othner generals have owed much of their success to the chiefs of their staff:--Pichegru to Regnier, M/oreau to Dessoles, K~utusof to Toll, Barcla~y to Diebitsch, and Bldcher to Shamnblarst and~ Gacisenan. Trhe generalissimo or com~mander-in- chief of an~ army is the person designated by the law of the land to take charge 238 MILITARY ART AND SCIENPICE. of the organizedmilitarl forces of the state. In this coum try the President, through his Secretary of W;ar, exercises this general command. In England, Wtellington acts in the capacity of commander-in-chief of all the British inili­ tary forces. In F;rance, the Mlinister of WVar, under the king, has this general direction. In other European ser­ vices, some prince of the blood, or distinguished general, exercises the functions of gfeneralissimo. An active army in the field should be commanded by a 'reneral, or, as is done in some European countries, by a marshal. These may be regarded as of assimilated rank. A4corps d'armie should be commanded by a,Lieuctenant­ general. This rule is almost universal in Europe. The number of marshals in France under Napoleon was so great, that. officers of this grade were often assigned to corp3s d'armee. A grand division of an army should be commanded by a General ofDivision. In England, the assimiilated grade is that of major-general, and in France at the present time, the younger lieutenant-generals, or the mare'ckaux-de-camp, commanid divisions. A brigade should be commanded by a Brigadie~r-general. At the present time in the French service, ma-ri~citaux-dle­ camp3 act as commanders of brigades. The several corps~ d'armie' are designated by numbers, 1st, 2d, 3d, &c., and in the same way the several divisions in each corps d'arrnie, and the se -eral brigades in each di­ vision. W16hen the number of troops are placed on a war footing, each corps d'arm~ie ordinarily contains from twenty to thirty t~housand men. The command of these several corps d'a'mie', divi­ sions, and brigades, is taken by the officers of the corre­ srponding grades according to seniority of rank, and with­ out reference to arms, unless otherwise directed by the S'TAFF AND ADI>NIPSTRATIVE CORPS. 239 generalissimo, who should always have the power to des.. ignate officers for special commands. The chief o~fstaff of an army is usually selected from the grade next below thnat of the general commanding-, andI receives the title, for the time being, which is used to designate this special rank. In some European armnies, and formerly in our own service, this officer was calledi maj~or-general. In France, if the generalissimo commands in person, a marshal is made chief of staff with the tern­ poray title of mzajor-ge'n~ral; but if a marshal commands the army, a lieutenant-general or mariehal-de-eamzp be­ comes chief of staff with the title of aidle-major-gtiniral. The chiefs of staff of corps d'arinzee andl of divisions, are se­ lected in precisely the same way. The position assigned by the commanding general for the residence of his staff, is denominated the General Head- Quarter.of the arnny; that of a corps d'armbe staff, the Headl- Quarters of [1st or 2d, &c.] corps d'a/rinzk; that of a divi­ sion, the Head-Quanrters of~ [1st or 2d, &c.] division1, [1st or 2d, &c.1 corps d'arrnie. The petty staffs of regiments, squadrons, &zc.,consisting of an adjutant, sergeant-mrajqr, &c., are especially organ­ ized by the commandants of the regiments, &c., and have no connection whatever with the general staff of an army. Of course, then, they are not embtraced in the present discussion. Trhe subordinate officers of the staff of an army, in time of war, are charged with important and responsible duties connected with. the execution of the orders of their re­ spective chiefs. But in time of peace, they are too apt to degenerate into fourth-rate clerkrs of the Adljutalnt-general's department, and mere military dandies, employing their timne in discussing the most unimportant and really conl­ temp'tible points of military etiquette, oar criticising the letters and dispatches of superior officers, to see whether 2-4 MI~TARY ART AN\D SCIENCE.