Having arrived at the conclusion that professional military education as hitherto given in this country has been begun at too early an age, we are met by what may be called the extreme opposite view, which would suggest the desirableness of giving up altogether education in military colleges previously to entering the army, or to entering a purely practical class or college for the special corps of Artillery and Engineers. An opinion appears to exist that the ordinary schools of the country are the best means of giving nearly the whole teaching of general and even military science which is desirable for all classes of officers before entering the army. It seems to be thought that not only modern languages and mathematics, but military history and topography are likely to be taught in such schools sufficiently for the highest military purposes, and that even young men intended for the special arms of the service may, on joining a military academy, be absolved, or almost entirely absolved, from any other studies than those included under the expression “a purely practical course.”
Having arrived at the conclusion that professional military education as hitherto given in this country has been begun at too early an age, we are met by what may be called the extreme opposite view, which would suggest the desirableness of giving up altogether education in military colleges previously to entering the army, or to entering a purely practical class or college for the special corps of Artillery and Engineers. An opinion appears to exist that the ordinary schools of the country are the best means of giving nearly the whole teaching of general and even military science which is desirable for all classes of officers before entering the army. It seems to be thought that not only modern languages and mathematics, but military history and topography are likely to be taught in such schools sufficiently for the highest military purposes, and that even young men intended for the special arms of the service may, on joining a military academy, be absolved, or almost entirely absolved, from any other studies than those included under the expression “a purely practical course.”
The Commissioners expressed their unhesitating dissent from this view. After pointing out the difficulties of giving at ordinary schools a complete preparation even in studies of a general preparatory character, such as modern languages and mathematics, and the still greater difficulties of teaching special subjects, like military history and topography, the Report proceeds:
Agreeing, therefore, as to the fact of a “sound general education being given by public schools,” we are unable to draw from it the conclusion that they will “give a specific military education.” They may indeed assist our military education, in a manner which the true sense of the term “sound general education” expresses, by encouraging preliminary tastes and studies, such as general history, mathematics, and modern languages, English included, to a greater extent than they do at present. But if there is such a thing as a science of war at all, it stands to reason that it can only be taught fully in cases where young officers have the passion and the capacity to begin it early, by its own teachers, and in its own place. The teachers should bepractical men, as well as men of military science; the place a military college. And the great schools of the country will perform the same service to such an academy for young scientific officers as they do for places which give a specific education for other professions; they willprepare for it, but disclaim any attempt tocomplete it.
Agreeing, therefore, as to the fact of a “sound general education being given by public schools,” we are unable to draw from it the conclusion that they will “give a specific military education.” They may indeed assist our military education, in a manner which the true sense of the term “sound general education” expresses, by encouraging preliminary tastes and studies, such as general history, mathematics, and modern languages, English included, to a greater extent than they do at present. But if there is such a thing as a science of war at all, it stands to reason that it can only be taught fully in cases where young officers have the passion and the capacity to begin it early, by its own teachers, and in its own place. The teachers should bepractical men, as well as men of military science; the place a military college. And the great schools of the country will perform the same service to such an academy for young scientific officers as they do for places which give a specific education for other professions; they willprepare for it, but disclaim any attempt tocomplete it.
The Report of the Public Schools Commission does not appear to have made any direct reference to the question of the possibility of giving technical military instruction at civil schools; but the disinclination shown by the Commissioners to recommend even the general institution of “Modern Departments” would lead to the conclusion that they were not disposed to view with favor the introduction of any system of special instruction into the ordinary school course.
The question has been dealt with at considerable length in the evidence taken before the present Commission. In addition to the evidence given by Dr. Barry, Mr. Southwood, Dr. Benson, and Dr. Temple, to which particular reference is made in the Report, opinions on the subject were expressed by several military witnesses. Major-General Sir P. Herbert considers that all which is learnt at Sandhurst—all the knowledge requisite for a line officer—might equally well be acquired at a public school, if proper arrangements were made for teaching it. In his opinion fortification (including the practical construction of field-works), military drawing and surveying, military history and drill, could all be taught by military instructors at public schools without difficulty, and without interference with the subjects of general education. Major-General White considers that military history, modern languages, and drawing might be taught with advantage at public schools to boys intended for the army, although it would be difficult to teach the practical work of field fortification, artillery, and surveying. Colonel Baker appears to be of opinion that at the Universities, certainly, a special preliminary education might be given to candidates for the army, on a system similar to that which it was at one time proposed to introduce at Cambridge, but which does not appear to have ever been actually adopted. At the same time, though this instruction would be of a special character, Colonel Baker does not seem to contemplate its embracing strictly technical military subjects. On the other hand, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge is of opinion that special military classes at public schools would fail; Major-General Sir F.Abbott thinks it unnecessary to establish such classes; Colonel Hort is decidedly opposed to an attempt to give military instruction at any but a military college, on the ground that it could not be so effectively given at a civil establishment, and would, moreover, interfere with the acquisition of a general education; and Lieut.-General Sir D. Cameron considers that it would be impossible for public schools to give a thorough or perfect knowledge of the practical subjects taught at Sandhurst, such as fortification, artillery, military drawing, and surveying.
In connection with the same subject suggestions have been made by some witnesses that the Government should assign a certain number of free commissions annually, as prizes to be competed for, either at particular public schools, or more generally amongst candidates educated at such schools. The institution of military exhibitions or scholarships at civil schools, and of military degrees at the Universities, has been also suggested. By some witnesses these proposals are advocated with the special view of inducing public schools to adopt a system of military instruction; by others with the more general object of holding out increased encouragement to enter the service to candidates who have had the advantage of a public school education.
Although the question of giving military instruction at public schools was not specially discussed by the Public School Commissioners, their attention was directed to the results of public school education in preparing candidates for the military examinations. Their Report speaks as follows in reference to this subject:
The number of public-school boys who enter the army is not large. Of 1,976 candidates for direct commissions within three years, 122 only had been at any of these schools. Of these 102 succeeded and 20 failed. It will be observed, on reference to the returns, that this proportion of failures is considerably below the average; the public school men, therefore, were better prepared than the general run of candidates. Of 96 who passed at their first examination, 38 came immediately from school, 58 had had intermediate tuition. Of the 20 who failed, 14 had had such tuition.The public-school candidates for Sandhurst during the same period were 23 out of 375; the proportion who succeeded being here also above the average. Of 18 who succeeded, 11 came straight from school; of five who failed, only one.The scheme of examinations for direct commissions, framed to meet the suggestions of the Head Masters of public schools, is simple and easy, and requires nothing that is beyond the reach of any boy of moderate industry and ordinary capacity; and it is clear that no boy, who will give himself a little trouble, needs to forego the wholesome influences of a great school for the sake of being “crammed” in the house of a tutor. The Sandhurst examination is also evidently within the reach of the schools.The qualifying examination for Woolwich appears, before 1862, to have required an amount of mathematical knowledge difficult of attainment for a boy educated at a public school; but it underwent in that year some changes which have made it easier for candidates who have not received a special training. The obligatory mathematics do not now go beyond plane trigonometry; and a candidate need not obtain in them, to qualify, more than 700 marks out of 3,500; with this minimum, and with a fair proficiency in Latin, Greek, French, and geometrical drawing, he is entitled to enter into the competition. This standard is certainly not so high as to be inaccessible to a boy educated at a good public school, and from a table showing the working of the scheme at the examination of January, 1863, it appears that of the 20 successful competitors, 11 distinguished themselves in classics; the other marks were chiefly gained in mathematics and French. In three years, previous to this change, 35 public-school candidates passed and 49 failed to pass the qualifying examination, the totals being 545 and 689. Of the whole 84, two only went direct from the schools, and these failed.In another passage the Commissioners say: “The main studies of the public schools being classical, it is obvious that, unless a due amount of weight is given to the classics in the Woolwich examinations, boys from those schools will not stand a fair chance in the competition. On the other hand, as it is of importance that the examinations should comprise other subjects besides classics, it is also obvious that unless the public schools provide a due amount of instruction in those other subjects, the candidates whom they send up must compete at a disadvantage. It is certain that there has hitherto been a want of adjustment between the Woolwich standard and the teaching of the public schools. The fault, we think, lies chiefly, though not wholly, in the deficiencies in the course of education pursued at the latter; and we are convinced that when these deficiencies have been supplied the difficulty which is now complained of will speedily disappear. But it is also to be observed, with respect to the Woolwich examinations themselves, that the scale of marks has lately (as we have already stated) undergone an alteration, which diminishes the amount of mathematical attainment required, and allows greater weight to classical scholarship. It appears probable that the Modern Departments at Cheltenham and Marlborough would not have been what they are had the old Woolwich standard, which is stated to have influenced them so strongly, been the same as the present; and probable, also, that they will hereafter feel the effects of the change which has been made init.”
The number of public-school boys who enter the army is not large. Of 1,976 candidates for direct commissions within three years, 122 only had been at any of these schools. Of these 102 succeeded and 20 failed. It will be observed, on reference to the returns, that this proportion of failures is considerably below the average; the public school men, therefore, were better prepared than the general run of candidates. Of 96 who passed at their first examination, 38 came immediately from school, 58 had had intermediate tuition. Of the 20 who failed, 14 had had such tuition.
The public-school candidates for Sandhurst during the same period were 23 out of 375; the proportion who succeeded being here also above the average. Of 18 who succeeded, 11 came straight from school; of five who failed, only one.
The scheme of examinations for direct commissions, framed to meet the suggestions of the Head Masters of public schools, is simple and easy, and requires nothing that is beyond the reach of any boy of moderate industry and ordinary capacity; and it is clear that no boy, who will give himself a little trouble, needs to forego the wholesome influences of a great school for the sake of being “crammed” in the house of a tutor. The Sandhurst examination is also evidently within the reach of the schools.
The qualifying examination for Woolwich appears, before 1862, to have required an amount of mathematical knowledge difficult of attainment for a boy educated at a public school; but it underwent in that year some changes which have made it easier for candidates who have not received a special training. The obligatory mathematics do not now go beyond plane trigonometry; and a candidate need not obtain in them, to qualify, more than 700 marks out of 3,500; with this minimum, and with a fair proficiency in Latin, Greek, French, and geometrical drawing, he is entitled to enter into the competition. This standard is certainly not so high as to be inaccessible to a boy educated at a good public school, and from a table showing the working of the scheme at the examination of January, 1863, it appears that of the 20 successful competitors, 11 distinguished themselves in classics; the other marks were chiefly gained in mathematics and French. In three years, previous to this change, 35 public-school candidates passed and 49 failed to pass the qualifying examination, the totals being 545 and 689. Of the whole 84, two only went direct from the schools, and these failed.
In another passage the Commissioners say: “The main studies of the public schools being classical, it is obvious that, unless a due amount of weight is given to the classics in the Woolwich examinations, boys from those schools will not stand a fair chance in the competition. On the other hand, as it is of importance that the examinations should comprise other subjects besides classics, it is also obvious that unless the public schools provide a due amount of instruction in those other subjects, the candidates whom they send up must compete at a disadvantage. It is certain that there has hitherto been a want of adjustment between the Woolwich standard and the teaching of the public schools. The fault, we think, lies chiefly, though not wholly, in the deficiencies in the course of education pursued at the latter; and we are convinced that when these deficiencies have been supplied the difficulty which is now complained of will speedily disappear. But it is also to be observed, with respect to the Woolwich examinations themselves, that the scale of marks has lately (as we have already stated) undergone an alteration, which diminishes the amount of mathematical attainment required, and allows greater weight to classical scholarship. It appears probable that the Modern Departments at Cheltenham and Marlborough would not have been what they are had the old Woolwich standard, which is stated to have influenced them so strongly, been the same as the present; and probable, also, that they will hereafter feel the effects of the change which has been made init.”
III. EXAMINATIONS FOR PROMOTIONS.
HISTORICAL NOTICE.
Examinationsfor promotion were for the first time instituted shortly after the introduction of examinations for admission to the army, by the Duke of Wellington when Commander-in-Chief, in the year 1850. A circular memorandum, published on the 14th of May of that year, announced that all officers would in future be subjected to an examination previously to promotion to the respective ranks of lieutenant and captain. The first examination was to be confined to subjects connected with the rudiments of drill, regimental duties, interior economy, and the Mutiny Act and Articles of War. The second examination for the rank of captain was in addition to extend to more general subjects, and to include geography, ancient and modern history, mathematics, and field and permanent fortification; but the examination in these subjects was not intended to affect lieutenants who had entered the service previously to 1849.
The examination for promotion to the rank of lieutenant was to be conducted regimentally by the commanding officer and the two next senior officers of the candidate’s regiment. The purely professional portion of the second examination, for the rank of captain, was to be conducted in the same manner; with regard to the mode of testing the candidates’ qualifications in the more general subjects required in this examination, it was stated that such orders would be given in each individual case as the Commander-in-Chief might think proper and necessary.
These regulations continued in force up to the time of the institution of the Council of Military Education in 1857, although it appears, both from official statements made by the Secretary at War, and from numerous expressions of opinion in Parliament between the years 1854 and 1857, that, at least so far as regarded the second examination for the rank of captain, little attempt was made, even nominally, to enforce the regulations. Mr. Sidney Herbert proposed, in 1854, in connection with his general scheme of military education, to remodel the examinations and to institute a special machinery for conducting them; and though no actual steps were taken to carry out his proposal, the necessity of making the examinations real and genuine tests of professional knowledge, and of enforcing strict qualifications for promotion, was frequently recognized in the numerous discussions which took place in Parliament on the subject of military education during the course of the Crimean War.
The Council of Military Education, on their appointment in 1857, were directed to consider the question of the professional examination of officers for promotion up to the rank of captain, and in the course of the year submitted a proposal on this subject, in connection with a scheme for providing instruction for officers after entering the service.
New regulations on the subject were issued on the 19th of July, 1858, which, while introducing little change in regard to the examination of cornets and ensigns, rendered a knowledge of mathematics, history, and fortification no longer requisite in the second examination for the rank of captain. Geography, on the other hand, was still retained among the subjects, and, as a condition of promotion to a captaincy, a lieutenant was required “to be able to state the general divisionsof the world, the name of the capital of each nation in Europe, and the principal rivers, seaports, and military posts in Great Britain, Ireland, and Her Majesty’s Dominions in every part of the world.” The examinations of cornets and ensigns still continued to be conducted regimentally; that of lieutenants, so far as related to matters of regimental economy, detail, or discipline, was to be made by boards of officers appointed by the commanding officer at the station, consisting, when possible, of three senior officers not of the same corps as the candidate.
In November, 1858, revised regulations were issued, which, in accordance with the recommendations of the Council of Military Education, made considerable changes in the examinations, and placed them on their present basis. The subjects of regimental and ordinary duties on which candidates were to be examined were more minutely detailed than heretofore; the examinations were made entirely professional, geography being excluded from the second examination, and at the same time it was announced that lieutenants would be required to show a sufficient knowledge of reconnaissance and of field fortification. But the most important change made at this time was in regard to the mode of conducting the examinations, which were no longer to be carried on regimentally, but by a board appointed by the commanding officer of the district, consisting (if possible) of three field officers,—with the additional provision that in no case in which it could possibly be avoided, an officer of the same regiment as the candidate was to be a member of the board. Cornets and ensigns were to be required to pass the examination before completing eight months’ service; and, in order to give additional stringency to the regulations, it was announced that the Commander-in-Chief would “not hesitate to promote (either regimentally or from other corps) officers who may have passed the required examination, in place of the idle and incompetent.”
REGULATIONS IN FORCE IN 1869.
Infantry and Cavalry.
159. Before officers are recommended for promotion to the rank of lieutenant, the commanding officer is to apply to the senior officer of the district or station for a board to examine and report upon their qualifications as under:(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge, and must give an account, of the duties they have to perform as regimental orderly officers, as officers commanding guards, or as subaltern officers of guards under officers of superior rank.(b.) They must have a thorough knowledge of, and be able to put a company through the various exercises and evolutions prescribed in the first two parts of the “Field Exercises of the Infantry;” and they must be acquainted with the rifle drill and practice, and the theoretical principles of musketry, as defined in the authorized book of instruction.(c.) They must know exactly the place of all the company officers in every situation of the battalion, and be able to command a company in battalion exercise.(d.) They must be acquainted with such parts of the Queen’s Regulations and Orders for the Army as relate to the duties, and conduct of a subaltern officer, and with the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, so far as is necessary for the performance of their duties as members of a court-martial.(e.) They must be acquainted with the regulations of the army in regard to the pay and messing of the troops, the supply of clothing and necessaries, and all details regarding the weight of, and mode of carrying, the various articles of the soldier’s kit, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition.160. In addition to such portions of the foregoing as may apply to the cavalry service, it is necessary in the case of cornets recommended for promotion to the rank of lieutenant,—(a.) That they shall have learnt their foot drill and sword exercise, and have been instructed in the single and double ride.(b.) That they shall be able to put a troop through the carbine, lance, and sword exercise, and to exercise both a squad and troop in the drill and evolutions prescribed in the Cavalry Exercise Book.(c.) That they shall be able to command a troop in squadron exercise.(d.) That they shall have made themselves masters of the detail of saddlery, the mode of fitting the saddle, bridle, etc., and of the whole equipment of the cavalry soldier and his horse.161. Lieutenants in the Cavalry and Infantry will, in addition to the foregoing, before they are recommended for promotion to the rank of captain, be required to show that they are further duly qualified as follows:(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge of the provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, and of the forms and proceedings of courts-martial, and must give evidence of having studied some of the standard works on military law.(b.) They must understand perfectly the evolutions of a regiment of cavalry or a battalion of infantry, as laid down in the regulations for those services respectively.(c.) They must be acquainted with the light infantry drill, duties of outposts, patrols, escorts, advanced and rear guards.(d.) They must perfectly understand the interior economy of a troop or company, and the established system of keeping their accounts.(e.) They must be thoroughly acquainted with the Queen’s and War Office Regulations applicable to their own branch of the service.(f.) They must be competent to take charge of a troop, company, or detachment, in every position in which it may be placed.(g.) And they will be required to show that they have a sufficient knowledge of field fortification and reconnaissance.162. The board of examination is to consist, if possible, of three field officers; but on no occasion, when it can be avoided, is any officer of the same regiment as the candidate to be a member. In all cases the board will ascertain by practical examination, as well as by verbal and written answers to questions, whether the officer is instructed in the subjects specified in the preceding paragraphs. The questions are to be written on half margin, and the replies written opposite to them. The board will mark in red ink its correction of any mistakes in the answers, and will certify in each case that “the candidate has not received any assistance from books or other sources.” The report of the board to be on a separate sheet, and when officers of different regiments are examined by the same board, the report in connection with each regiment is to be made separately.163. The general officer commanding will forward the report of the board, and the written questions and replies, to the adjutant-general, accompanied by his own observations thereon, regarding the nature of the examination, the correctness of the answers, and the eligibility of the officer examined.164. Every cornet or ensign is to be examined on the different points herein specified, before he has completed one year’s service; and should he fail to qualify himself for promotion within that period, his commanding officer must report, through the general officer commanding, for the information of the Commander-in-Chief, whether it is owing to a want of diligence and attention on the part of the officer, or to sickness, or other circumstances over which he could have had no control.165. No officer will be recommended for promotion to the rank either of lieutenant or captain unless his examination papers and certificate of qualification have been received by the Military Secretary; but the Commander-in-Chief will, in all cases, select the senior officer who may have qualified for promotion to the higher grade.Artillery.166. The examination of lieutenants of artillery for the rank of captain will include all the subjects required from officers of the line of corresponding rank, except that a general knowledge only of the evolutions of cavalry and infantry will suffice. In addition to the foregoing, lieutenants of artillery are to be examined as to their acquaintance with the more special duties of their arm of the service. The following will serve as a guide:(a.) Field-gun drill. Exercise of heavy guns on ground and traversing platforms, mortar drill, rocket drill, Armstrong gun drill, practice with hot shot and molten iron shells, gun and transporting carriage drill.(b.) General duties of the men, and principles involved in mounting and dismounting ordnance generally, in placing guns on towers, in embarking and disembarking ordnance, and in moving ordnance up steep inclines; also the tackle, etc., required in the above operations.(c.) Different pieces of ordnance in use throughout the service at the time of examination, their weight and calibre, and special purpose.(d.) Ammunition employed with ordnance generally; ammunition employed with Armstrong guns; general construction of a Congreve rocket, and the principle of its motion; manufacture and action of fuzes and tubes; the advantages of the rifle action, and the principle upon which it depends; essential points with regard to rifling ordnance: general principles of breaching; position and employment of artillery in the field; considerations which regulate the rapidity of artillery fire; principles connected with the construction of artillery carriages; general knowledge of laboratory duties.(e.) Embarking and disembarking horses; management of horses on board ship.(f.) To be able to define technical artillery terms, etc., in such a way as to make them understood by the non-commissioned officers and men under their command, such as,—1, point blank; 2, point blank range; 3, dispart; 4, chambers; 5, preponderance; 6, different kinds of artillery fire; 7, how elevation gives an increase of range; 8, windage; 9, deviation, etc., etc.(g.) Subalterns who have been one year or more in the horse brigade, or in a field battery, will be required, in addition to the foregoing subjects, to be thoroughly acquainted with stable duties, and horse artillery or field battery movements and details. All must have a general knowledge of these subjects.167. Every officer, on becoming the thirtieth on the list of lieutenants, must be prepared to undergo the required examination. Any officer, after four years’ service, may apply for such examination at an earlier period.168. Instructions will, from time to time, be issued to the general or other officer commanding districts or stations, to assemble a board, to consist of three officers, viz., a field officer (of the artillery, if possible), an officer of the staff, and a captain of artillery, or an officer of that corps who may already have passed the examination. Either the gunnery instructor or the fire-master should, when practicable, be selected for this duty. If it be impossible to obtain a staff officer, a captain of the line should be substituted; if a second officer of artillery cannot be had, an officer of engineers should be substituted; but either the president or one member must be of the artillery.169. That portion of the examination which can be best replied to in writing will be conducted by means of questions prepared by the deputy adjutant-general of artillery, and forwarded to the general officer commanding the district. Thevivâ voceand practical examination will be conducted by the board of officers, who will satisfy themselves that the officer under examination not only possesses the requisite knowledge himself, but that he is able to impart that knowledge in a clear and satisfactory manner.170. The board will then forward, through the general officer, its report, together with the written answers, to the adjutant-general of the forces; and, in returning to him the written answers, the president of the board will certify that they are thebonâ fideperformances of the candidates, without assistance. The written papers will then be examined by the deputy adjutant-general of artillery, and the result, together with the opinion of the board, reported to the Commander-in-Chief.
159. Before officers are recommended for promotion to the rank of lieutenant, the commanding officer is to apply to the senior officer of the district or station for a board to examine and report upon their qualifications as under:
(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge, and must give an account, of the duties they have to perform as regimental orderly officers, as officers commanding guards, or as subaltern officers of guards under officers of superior rank.(b.) They must have a thorough knowledge of, and be able to put a company through the various exercises and evolutions prescribed in the first two parts of the “Field Exercises of the Infantry;” and they must be acquainted with the rifle drill and practice, and the theoretical principles of musketry, as defined in the authorized book of instruction.(c.) They must know exactly the place of all the company officers in every situation of the battalion, and be able to command a company in battalion exercise.(d.) They must be acquainted with such parts of the Queen’s Regulations and Orders for the Army as relate to the duties, and conduct of a subaltern officer, and with the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, so far as is necessary for the performance of their duties as members of a court-martial.(e.) They must be acquainted with the regulations of the army in regard to the pay and messing of the troops, the supply of clothing and necessaries, and all details regarding the weight of, and mode of carrying, the various articles of the soldier’s kit, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition.
(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge, and must give an account, of the duties they have to perform as regimental orderly officers, as officers commanding guards, or as subaltern officers of guards under officers of superior rank.
(b.) They must have a thorough knowledge of, and be able to put a company through the various exercises and evolutions prescribed in the first two parts of the “Field Exercises of the Infantry;” and they must be acquainted with the rifle drill and practice, and the theoretical principles of musketry, as defined in the authorized book of instruction.
(c.) They must know exactly the place of all the company officers in every situation of the battalion, and be able to command a company in battalion exercise.
(d.) They must be acquainted with such parts of the Queen’s Regulations and Orders for the Army as relate to the duties, and conduct of a subaltern officer, and with the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, so far as is necessary for the performance of their duties as members of a court-martial.
(e.) They must be acquainted with the regulations of the army in regard to the pay and messing of the troops, the supply of clothing and necessaries, and all details regarding the weight of, and mode of carrying, the various articles of the soldier’s kit, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition.
160. In addition to such portions of the foregoing as may apply to the cavalry service, it is necessary in the case of cornets recommended for promotion to the rank of lieutenant,—
(a.) That they shall have learnt their foot drill and sword exercise, and have been instructed in the single and double ride.(b.) That they shall be able to put a troop through the carbine, lance, and sword exercise, and to exercise both a squad and troop in the drill and evolutions prescribed in the Cavalry Exercise Book.(c.) That they shall be able to command a troop in squadron exercise.(d.) That they shall have made themselves masters of the detail of saddlery, the mode of fitting the saddle, bridle, etc., and of the whole equipment of the cavalry soldier and his horse.
(a.) That they shall have learnt their foot drill and sword exercise, and have been instructed in the single and double ride.
(b.) That they shall be able to put a troop through the carbine, lance, and sword exercise, and to exercise both a squad and troop in the drill and evolutions prescribed in the Cavalry Exercise Book.
(c.) That they shall be able to command a troop in squadron exercise.
(d.) That they shall have made themselves masters of the detail of saddlery, the mode of fitting the saddle, bridle, etc., and of the whole equipment of the cavalry soldier and his horse.
161. Lieutenants in the Cavalry and Infantry will, in addition to the foregoing, before they are recommended for promotion to the rank of captain, be required to show that they are further duly qualified as follows:
(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge of the provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, and of the forms and proceedings of courts-martial, and must give evidence of having studied some of the standard works on military law.(b.) They must understand perfectly the evolutions of a regiment of cavalry or a battalion of infantry, as laid down in the regulations for those services respectively.(c.) They must be acquainted with the light infantry drill, duties of outposts, patrols, escorts, advanced and rear guards.(d.) They must perfectly understand the interior economy of a troop or company, and the established system of keeping their accounts.(e.) They must be thoroughly acquainted with the Queen’s and War Office Regulations applicable to their own branch of the service.(f.) They must be competent to take charge of a troop, company, or detachment, in every position in which it may be placed.(g.) And they will be required to show that they have a sufficient knowledge of field fortification and reconnaissance.
(a.) They must have a thorough knowledge of the provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, and of the forms and proceedings of courts-martial, and must give evidence of having studied some of the standard works on military law.
(b.) They must understand perfectly the evolutions of a regiment of cavalry or a battalion of infantry, as laid down in the regulations for those services respectively.
(c.) They must be acquainted with the light infantry drill, duties of outposts, patrols, escorts, advanced and rear guards.
(d.) They must perfectly understand the interior economy of a troop or company, and the established system of keeping their accounts.
(e.) They must be thoroughly acquainted with the Queen’s and War Office Regulations applicable to their own branch of the service.
(f.) They must be competent to take charge of a troop, company, or detachment, in every position in which it may be placed.
(g.) And they will be required to show that they have a sufficient knowledge of field fortification and reconnaissance.
162. The board of examination is to consist, if possible, of three field officers; but on no occasion, when it can be avoided, is any officer of the same regiment as the candidate to be a member. In all cases the board will ascertain by practical examination, as well as by verbal and written answers to questions, whether the officer is instructed in the subjects specified in the preceding paragraphs. The questions are to be written on half margin, and the replies written opposite to them. The board will mark in red ink its correction of any mistakes in the answers, and will certify in each case that “the candidate has not received any assistance from books or other sources.” The report of the board to be on a separate sheet, and when officers of different regiments are examined by the same board, the report in connection with each regiment is to be made separately.
163. The general officer commanding will forward the report of the board, and the written questions and replies, to the adjutant-general, accompanied by his own observations thereon, regarding the nature of the examination, the correctness of the answers, and the eligibility of the officer examined.
164. Every cornet or ensign is to be examined on the different points herein specified, before he has completed one year’s service; and should he fail to qualify himself for promotion within that period, his commanding officer must report, through the general officer commanding, for the information of the Commander-in-Chief, whether it is owing to a want of diligence and attention on the part of the officer, or to sickness, or other circumstances over which he could have had no control.
165. No officer will be recommended for promotion to the rank either of lieutenant or captain unless his examination papers and certificate of qualification have been received by the Military Secretary; but the Commander-in-Chief will, in all cases, select the senior officer who may have qualified for promotion to the higher grade.
Artillery.
166. The examination of lieutenants of artillery for the rank of captain will include all the subjects required from officers of the line of corresponding rank, except that a general knowledge only of the evolutions of cavalry and infantry will suffice. In addition to the foregoing, lieutenants of artillery are to be examined as to their acquaintance with the more special duties of their arm of the service. The following will serve as a guide:
(a.) Field-gun drill. Exercise of heavy guns on ground and traversing platforms, mortar drill, rocket drill, Armstrong gun drill, practice with hot shot and molten iron shells, gun and transporting carriage drill.(b.) General duties of the men, and principles involved in mounting and dismounting ordnance generally, in placing guns on towers, in embarking and disembarking ordnance, and in moving ordnance up steep inclines; also the tackle, etc., required in the above operations.(c.) Different pieces of ordnance in use throughout the service at the time of examination, their weight and calibre, and special purpose.(d.) Ammunition employed with ordnance generally; ammunition employed with Armstrong guns; general construction of a Congreve rocket, and the principle of its motion; manufacture and action of fuzes and tubes; the advantages of the rifle action, and the principle upon which it depends; essential points with regard to rifling ordnance: general principles of breaching; position and employment of artillery in the field; considerations which regulate the rapidity of artillery fire; principles connected with the construction of artillery carriages; general knowledge of laboratory duties.(e.) Embarking and disembarking horses; management of horses on board ship.(f.) To be able to define technical artillery terms, etc., in such a way as to make them understood by the non-commissioned officers and men under their command, such as,—1, point blank; 2, point blank range; 3, dispart; 4, chambers; 5, preponderance; 6, different kinds of artillery fire; 7, how elevation gives an increase of range; 8, windage; 9, deviation, etc., etc.(g.) Subalterns who have been one year or more in the horse brigade, or in a field battery, will be required, in addition to the foregoing subjects, to be thoroughly acquainted with stable duties, and horse artillery or field battery movements and details. All must have a general knowledge of these subjects.
(a.) Field-gun drill. Exercise of heavy guns on ground and traversing platforms, mortar drill, rocket drill, Armstrong gun drill, practice with hot shot and molten iron shells, gun and transporting carriage drill.
(b.) General duties of the men, and principles involved in mounting and dismounting ordnance generally, in placing guns on towers, in embarking and disembarking ordnance, and in moving ordnance up steep inclines; also the tackle, etc., required in the above operations.
(c.) Different pieces of ordnance in use throughout the service at the time of examination, their weight and calibre, and special purpose.
(d.) Ammunition employed with ordnance generally; ammunition employed with Armstrong guns; general construction of a Congreve rocket, and the principle of its motion; manufacture and action of fuzes and tubes; the advantages of the rifle action, and the principle upon which it depends; essential points with regard to rifling ordnance: general principles of breaching; position and employment of artillery in the field; considerations which regulate the rapidity of artillery fire; principles connected with the construction of artillery carriages; general knowledge of laboratory duties.
(e.) Embarking and disembarking horses; management of horses on board ship.
(f.) To be able to define technical artillery terms, etc., in such a way as to make them understood by the non-commissioned officers and men under their command, such as,—1, point blank; 2, point blank range; 3, dispart; 4, chambers; 5, preponderance; 6, different kinds of artillery fire; 7, how elevation gives an increase of range; 8, windage; 9, deviation, etc., etc.
(g.) Subalterns who have been one year or more in the horse brigade, or in a field battery, will be required, in addition to the foregoing subjects, to be thoroughly acquainted with stable duties, and horse artillery or field battery movements and details. All must have a general knowledge of these subjects.
167. Every officer, on becoming the thirtieth on the list of lieutenants, must be prepared to undergo the required examination. Any officer, after four years’ service, may apply for such examination at an earlier period.
168. Instructions will, from time to time, be issued to the general or other officer commanding districts or stations, to assemble a board, to consist of three officers, viz., a field officer (of the artillery, if possible), an officer of the staff, and a captain of artillery, or an officer of that corps who may already have passed the examination. Either the gunnery instructor or the fire-master should, when practicable, be selected for this duty. If it be impossible to obtain a staff officer, a captain of the line should be substituted; if a second officer of artillery cannot be had, an officer of engineers should be substituted; but either the president or one member must be of the artillery.
169. That portion of the examination which can be best replied to in writing will be conducted by means of questions prepared by the deputy adjutant-general of artillery, and forwarded to the general officer commanding the district. Thevivâ voceand practical examination will be conducted by the board of officers, who will satisfy themselves that the officer under examination not only possesses the requisite knowledge himself, but that he is able to impart that knowledge in a clear and satisfactory manner.
170. The board will then forward, through the general officer, its report, together with the written answers, to the adjutant-general of the forces; and, in returning to him the written answers, the president of the board will certify that they are thebonâ fideperformances of the candidates, without assistance. The written papers will then be examined by the deputy adjutant-general of artillery, and the result, together with the opinion of the board, reported to the Commander-in-Chief.
ROYAL WARRANT OF OCTOBER 30, 1871.
In pursuance of the abolition of the whole system of purchase, sale, or exchange for money, of commissions in the army, by Royal Warrant, dated July 20, 1871, certain changes in respect to first appointments, regimental promotion, and exchanges, became necessary, and were provided for in the Royal Warrant issued October 30, 1871, which became operative on the first day of November following. By these regulations, the first step in official rank is that of Sub-Lieutenant; the rank of Cornet and Ensign being no longer recognized. As a general rule, the final appointments will be given only to successful candidates at a competitive examination. These will be probationary, and revocable in case the unfitness of the incumbents shall be demonstrated by practical trial in theirwork.From the Memorandum of the Secretary of War (Edward Cardwell), which accompanies the Warrant, we cite the following as defining the present system of original appointments andpromotion.
Commissions as Lieutenants will be given to all Cornets and Ensigns appointed before the 26th of August, 1871, and to Cornets and Ensigns appointed since that date from the A List at Sandhurst, their commissions to date from the first of November.Commissions as Sub-Lieutenants will be given to:(a.) All other Cornets and Ensigns appointed after the 26th of August, 1871, the rank of Cornet and Ensign being abolished.(b.) Candidates who have passed the examination for Direct Commissions, in their turn as vacancies occur.(c.) Candidates for commissions in the Household Cavalry and Foot Guards who are nominated to fill the vacancies which occur in those regiments, before the date of the first competitive examination for Sub-Lieutenancies, and who pass a qualifying examination.(d.) Candidates from the Universities now on the Commander-in-Chief’s list.Sub-Lieutenants will be attached for a year to regiments at home. They will then be required to go through a course of instruction, and on passing a practical professional examination, be commissioned to regiments as Lieutenants. They will be under strict discipline, and will be liable to be removed for unfitness, either moral or physical, and for misconduct. Those unsuited to the Cavalry may be transferred to the Infantry.In dating their commissions they will be allowed a portion, not exceeding one year, of their services as Sub-Lieutenants; the time allowed being determined by the class of certificate they receive after their year’s regimental training, their conduct while under instruction, and their position at the final examination. Their service for retirement will reckon from the date of their commissions as Lieutenants.Candidates who have passed the examination for direct commissions, and have also passed satisfactorily through a year’s course of study at the Royal Military College before being appointed to be Sub-Lieutenants, and Sandhurst Cadets from the B List will be commissioned to regiments as Lieutenants on serving satisfactorily for twelve months with a regiment as Sub-Lieutenants.There are now a large number of supernumerary officers, and also a large number of candidates who have passed for commissions.The absorption of supernumerary officers will probably be completed, and the candidates who have passed for commissions have received theirappointments in about two years from the present time, and personal appointments in the Army will then only be given as follows:(a.) To successful candidates at a competitive examination.(b.) To non-commissioned officers recommended for promotion by the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief.(c.) To candidates from the Universities.(d.) To Queen’s Cadets, Indian Cadets, and Pages of Honor.(e.) To Lieutenants of Militia.The competitive examination will be carried out by the Civil Service Commissioners; the standard of qualification being that recommended by the Royal Commission on Military Education. Ample notice will be given of the first examination, and there will be no advantage in any applications being made for admission to be examined before the publication of such notice.Non-commissioned officers, on being selected for promotion, will pass an examination in certain professional subjects; and then, after twelve months’ satisfactory service as Sub-Lieutenants, will receive commissions as Lieutenants.A certain number of Sub-Lieutenancies a year will be allotted to candidates who have passed the University examination specified in the Regulations. If they also pass the examination for the degree of B.A., they will be allowed two years’ extension of the limit of age. University candidates will be required to give at least six months’ notice of their desire to be admitted into the Army. If in any year there should be more candidates than appointments, the requisite number will be chosen by competition between the candidates; after their appointment they will go through the same course as other Sub-Lieutenants.There will be no vacancies for two years for any candidates from the Universities whose names are not now on the Commander-in-Chief’s list.Queen’s and Indian Cadets and Queen’s Pages will be required to pass a qualifying examination, which for the present will be the same as that recommended by the Royal Commission on Military Education. The nominations will remain as heretofore. When appointed, Cadets and Pages will go through the same course as other Sub-Lieutenants.First appointments as Subalterns in the Militia will be made on the recommendation of the Lieutenants of counties. Candidates, before receiving their Commissions as Lieutenants in the Militia, will be required to pass a qualifying examination in general subjects equal to the standard fixed as necessary for a candidate for a Sub-Lieutenancy. They will next be required to be attached to a regiment of the Line for three months, or such time as may be necessary to teach them their drill. After serving with their Militia regiments for two annual trainings, they will be eligible for the appointment of Lieutenants in the Army. In order to obtain such an appointment they must be recommended by the commanding officer of their Militia regiment, his recommendation being confirmed by the general officer commanding the district, and they will be required to pass an examination in professional subjects of the same kind as that which will be required of a Sub-Lieutenant before he receives his commission as Lieutenant.The limits of age, except for non-commissioned officers, will be fixed at from seventeen to twenty for Sub-Lieutenants, the limit being raised to twenty-two in the case of candidates who have passed their examination for the degree of B.A. at the Universities, and from nineteen to twenty-two for Lieutenants from the Militia.In addition to the examinations hitherto required from regimental officers, those who are promoted to the rank of Captain after the 1st of November will, before being promoted to the rank of Major, be required, to pass a professional examination.
Commissions as Lieutenants will be given to all Cornets and Ensigns appointed before the 26th of August, 1871, and to Cornets and Ensigns appointed since that date from the A List at Sandhurst, their commissions to date from the first of November.
Commissions as Sub-Lieutenants will be given to:
(a.) All other Cornets and Ensigns appointed after the 26th of August, 1871, the rank of Cornet and Ensign being abolished.
(b.) Candidates who have passed the examination for Direct Commissions, in their turn as vacancies occur.
(c.) Candidates for commissions in the Household Cavalry and Foot Guards who are nominated to fill the vacancies which occur in those regiments, before the date of the first competitive examination for Sub-Lieutenancies, and who pass a qualifying examination.
(d.) Candidates from the Universities now on the Commander-in-Chief’s list.
Sub-Lieutenants will be attached for a year to regiments at home. They will then be required to go through a course of instruction, and on passing a practical professional examination, be commissioned to regiments as Lieutenants. They will be under strict discipline, and will be liable to be removed for unfitness, either moral or physical, and for misconduct. Those unsuited to the Cavalry may be transferred to the Infantry.
In dating their commissions they will be allowed a portion, not exceeding one year, of their services as Sub-Lieutenants; the time allowed being determined by the class of certificate they receive after their year’s regimental training, their conduct while under instruction, and their position at the final examination. Their service for retirement will reckon from the date of their commissions as Lieutenants.
Candidates who have passed the examination for direct commissions, and have also passed satisfactorily through a year’s course of study at the Royal Military College before being appointed to be Sub-Lieutenants, and Sandhurst Cadets from the B List will be commissioned to regiments as Lieutenants on serving satisfactorily for twelve months with a regiment as Sub-Lieutenants.
There are now a large number of supernumerary officers, and also a large number of candidates who have passed for commissions.
The absorption of supernumerary officers will probably be completed, and the candidates who have passed for commissions have received theirappointments in about two years from the present time, and personal appointments in the Army will then only be given as follows:
(a.) To successful candidates at a competitive examination.
(b.) To non-commissioned officers recommended for promotion by the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief.
(c.) To candidates from the Universities.
(d.) To Queen’s Cadets, Indian Cadets, and Pages of Honor.
(e.) To Lieutenants of Militia.
The competitive examination will be carried out by the Civil Service Commissioners; the standard of qualification being that recommended by the Royal Commission on Military Education. Ample notice will be given of the first examination, and there will be no advantage in any applications being made for admission to be examined before the publication of such notice.
Non-commissioned officers, on being selected for promotion, will pass an examination in certain professional subjects; and then, after twelve months’ satisfactory service as Sub-Lieutenants, will receive commissions as Lieutenants.
A certain number of Sub-Lieutenancies a year will be allotted to candidates who have passed the University examination specified in the Regulations. If they also pass the examination for the degree of B.A., they will be allowed two years’ extension of the limit of age. University candidates will be required to give at least six months’ notice of their desire to be admitted into the Army. If in any year there should be more candidates than appointments, the requisite number will be chosen by competition between the candidates; after their appointment they will go through the same course as other Sub-Lieutenants.
There will be no vacancies for two years for any candidates from the Universities whose names are not now on the Commander-in-Chief’s list.
Queen’s and Indian Cadets and Queen’s Pages will be required to pass a qualifying examination, which for the present will be the same as that recommended by the Royal Commission on Military Education. The nominations will remain as heretofore. When appointed, Cadets and Pages will go through the same course as other Sub-Lieutenants.
First appointments as Subalterns in the Militia will be made on the recommendation of the Lieutenants of counties. Candidates, before receiving their Commissions as Lieutenants in the Militia, will be required to pass a qualifying examination in general subjects equal to the standard fixed as necessary for a candidate for a Sub-Lieutenancy. They will next be required to be attached to a regiment of the Line for three months, or such time as may be necessary to teach them their drill. After serving with their Militia regiments for two annual trainings, they will be eligible for the appointment of Lieutenants in the Army. In order to obtain such an appointment they must be recommended by the commanding officer of their Militia regiment, his recommendation being confirmed by the general officer commanding the district, and they will be required to pass an examination in professional subjects of the same kind as that which will be required of a Sub-Lieutenant before he receives his commission as Lieutenant.
The limits of age, except for non-commissioned officers, will be fixed at from seventeen to twenty for Sub-Lieutenants, the limit being raised to twenty-two in the case of candidates who have passed their examination for the degree of B.A. at the Universities, and from nineteen to twenty-two for Lieutenants from the Militia.
In addition to the examinations hitherto required from regimental officers, those who are promoted to the rank of Captain after the 1st of November will, before being promoted to the rank of Major, be required, to pass a professional examination.
The General Order promulgating the Royal Warrant and the Memorandum of Secretary Caldwell contains the following paragraph:
His Royal Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, in promulgating these regulations to the Army, would desire to impress upon each individual officer, and especially upon those of junior standing who have still a name to make in the service, that they must more than ever rely upon their own exertions, upon their professional knowledge and ability, upon their general character and conduct as officers, and the opinion with which they impress their military superiors, for advancement in the service.Examiners Employed by Council of Military Education.Mathematics.—Rev. Canon Heaviside, Norwich; Rev. W. N. Griffin, late Fellow and Tutor, St. John’s, Cambridge.Classics.—Rev. Osborne Gordon, D.D., late of Christ Church College, Oxford; Prof. Rawlinson, Camden Professor of Ancient History, Oxford.English.—G. W. Dasent, D.C.L.; W. Stebbing, M.A., Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford.French.—M. Esquiros; M. Savoye.German.—Prof. Max Müller, Prof. of European Languages, Oxford; C. Schöll, Ph.D.Hindustani.—Prof. J. Dowson; Rev. W. D. Mallagan, M.A.Experimental Sciences.—Prof. Liveing, M.A., Prof. of Chemistry, Cambridge; Prof. Abel, Chemist to War Office.Natural Sciences.—Prof. Morris, F.G.S.; H. W. Bristow, F.R.S.Drawing.—Lt. Col. H. Scott, R.E.; Rev. W. Kingsley, late Fellow and Tutor, Cambridge.Italian.—C. De Tivoli.Spanish.—Señor Vives.Portuguese.—Le Chevalier da Costa Ricci.Dutch.—Rev. Dr. Gehle.Modern Greek.—Rev. N. Morphinos.Danish.—Rev. J. Plenge.Military History.—Major G. P. Colley.Fortification and Practical Gunnery.—Lt.-Col. Hutchinson, R.E.; Major Milman, R.A.Military Administration.—Major M. Petrie.Persian.—Col. Ouseley.Military Legislation.—Col. J. H. Laye, D.J.A.Artillery.—Major C. F. Yonng.
His Royal Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, in promulgating these regulations to the Army, would desire to impress upon each individual officer, and especially upon those of junior standing who have still a name to make in the service, that they must more than ever rely upon their own exertions, upon their professional knowledge and ability, upon their general character and conduct as officers, and the opinion with which they impress their military superiors, for advancement in the service.
Examiners Employed by Council of Military Education.
Mathematics.—Rev. Canon Heaviside, Norwich; Rev. W. N. Griffin, late Fellow and Tutor, St. John’s, Cambridge.
Classics.—Rev. Osborne Gordon, D.D., late of Christ Church College, Oxford; Prof. Rawlinson, Camden Professor of Ancient History, Oxford.
English.—G. W. Dasent, D.C.L.; W. Stebbing, M.A., Fellow of Worcester College, Oxford.
French.—M. Esquiros; M. Savoye.
German.—Prof. Max Müller, Prof. of European Languages, Oxford; C. Schöll, Ph.D.
Hindustani.—Prof. J. Dowson; Rev. W. D. Mallagan, M.A.
Experimental Sciences.—Prof. Liveing, M.A., Prof. of Chemistry, Cambridge; Prof. Abel, Chemist to War Office.
Natural Sciences.—Prof. Morris, F.G.S.; H. W. Bristow, F.R.S.
Drawing.—Lt. Col. H. Scott, R.E.; Rev. W. Kingsley, late Fellow and Tutor, Cambridge.
Italian.—C. De Tivoli.
Spanish.—Señor Vives.
Portuguese.—Le Chevalier da Costa Ricci.
Dutch.—Rev. Dr. Gehle.
Modern Greek.—Rev. N. Morphinos.
Danish.—Rev. J. Plenge.
Military History.—Major G. P. Colley.
Fortification and Practical Gunnery.—Lt.-Col. Hutchinson, R.E.; Major Milman, R.A.
Military Administration.—Major M. Petrie.
Persian.—Col. Ouseley.
Military Legislation.—Col. J. H. Laye, D.J.A.
Artillery.—Major C. F. Yonng.
In the evidence before the Military Education Committee, of July 13, 1869, the Secretary of the Civil Service Commission expressed the opinion that the entrance examination, both to Sandhurst and Woolwich, on subjects purely civil, might be conducted by the latter; and that the same and other subjects, in their scientific value, both in all qualifying and competitive examinations for direct commission and promotion, could be conducted by the same examiners, thereby securing economy, more uniformity in the methods and tests, and more satisfactory results. The staff of examiners should be composed of changing as well as of permanent members, and when the service is professional, an expert should be called in. The entire work of the Civil Service Commission, including the India Service, is done by one Commissioner, the Secretary, and his permanent examiners, with occasional assistants.
Expenses of Council of Military Education.
The Royal Military College at Sandhurstwas instituted in 1799, on the persistent representations of its necessity and advantages, by General Le Marchant, an eminent and distinguished officer, who met his death in actual service on the plains of Salamanca, in 1812. The report of the Parliamentary Commissioners of 1855 and 1870 give the following particulars of the history and present condition:
It commenced as a place of instruction for officers, in 1799. In 1801, the Junior Department was organized. The united departments took the name of the Royal Military College, and his Majesty George the Third was pleased by Royal Warrant to appoint a Supreme Board of Commissioners for the purpose of managing all the affairs of the College.An establishment and a course of study were recommended by this Board, and adopted in a Royal Warrant, passed in the same year, 1801. From this date warrants were issued from time to time until the warrant of 1808, which cancels all former warrants, and still regulates the College.By this warrant, a Board of Commissioners was appointed, consisting of the Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary at War, the Master-General of the Ordnance, the Quartermaster-General, the Adjutant-General, the Governor, and the Deputy-Governor of the College,—all for the time being. Certain other officers were added to theseex officiomembers. In the Board so constituted were vested the control, direction, and management of all the affairs of the College. The College was to be under the immediate command of the Governor and Deputy-Governor, to be divided into a senior and junior department, each to have its own course of study, under its own staff.A collegiate board was created to take cognizance, of all matters relating to the interior economy of both departments. This board consisted of the Governor, the Deputy-Governor, and three other resident military authorities.
It commenced as a place of instruction for officers, in 1799. In 1801, the Junior Department was organized. The united departments took the name of the Royal Military College, and his Majesty George the Third was pleased by Royal Warrant to appoint a Supreme Board of Commissioners for the purpose of managing all the affairs of the College.
An establishment and a course of study were recommended by this Board, and adopted in a Royal Warrant, passed in the same year, 1801. From this date warrants were issued from time to time until the warrant of 1808, which cancels all former warrants, and still regulates the College.
By this warrant, a Board of Commissioners was appointed, consisting of the Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary at War, the Master-General of the Ordnance, the Quartermaster-General, the Adjutant-General, the Governor, and the Deputy-Governor of the College,—all for the time being. Certain other officers were added to theseex officiomembers. In the Board so constituted were vested the control, direction, and management of all the affairs of the College. The College was to be under the immediate command of the Governor and Deputy-Governor, to be divided into a senior and junior department, each to have its own course of study, under its own staff.
A collegiate board was created to take cognizance, of all matters relating to the interior economy of both departments. This board consisted of the Governor, the Deputy-Governor, and three other resident military authorities.
The Royal Warrant of the 27th May, 1808, for regulating all matters relative to the Royal Military College, states the objects of the two departments of the College, as follows:
The Senior Department of the Royal Military College is established for the purpose of instructing officers in the scientific parts of their profession, with a view of enabling them the better to discharge their duty when acting in command of regiments (the situation in which they can best recommend themselves to Us, and be entitled to hope for advancement in the higher stations of Our service), and, at the same time, of qualifying them for being employed in the Quartermaster-General’s and Adjutant-General’s Departments.The Junior Department of the Royal Military College is appropriated to the instruction of those who, from early life, are intended for the military profession, and who, by this means, may be grounded in science previously to their obtaining commissions in Our army.This department of the College is also intended to afford a provision for the sons of meritorious officers, who have fallen or been disabled in the service of their country, and the means of education to the sons of those officers who belong to Our regular service.
The Senior Department of the Royal Military College is established for the purpose of instructing officers in the scientific parts of their profession, with a view of enabling them the better to discharge their duty when acting in command of regiments (the situation in which they can best recommend themselves to Us, and be entitled to hope for advancement in the higher stations of Our service), and, at the same time, of qualifying them for being employed in the Quartermaster-General’s and Adjutant-General’s Departments.
The Junior Department of the Royal Military College is appropriated to the instruction of those who, from early life, are intended for the military profession, and who, by this means, may be grounded in science previously to their obtaining commissions in Our army.
This department of the College is also intended to afford a provision for the sons of meritorious officers, who have fallen or been disabled in the service of their country, and the means of education to the sons of those officers who belong to Our regular service.
The first of the departments organized was thus the Senior Department, which was established at High Wycombe, in 1799, although it would seem that classes for the military instruction of officers had been in existence previous to that year. The origin of the Senior Department is thus described in the evidence given by Sir Howard Douglas before the Select Committee on Sandhurst:
General Jarry, who was the first Commandant of the Senior Department, was a Frenchman, highly educated in France, who entered the service of Prussia a short time before the commencement of the Seven Years’ War, and was on the personal staff of Frederic the Second through the whole of that war. He returned to France, and became afterward one of the generals of the French army; and, in the year 1795, defected from the French army, and came to London, where he soon became very generally known as a man of eminent talent, perfectly master of the science and the practice of his profession, and, from his having served so long about the person and on the staff of Frederic the Second, full of the most interesting anecdotes and instructive details connected with that war. General Le Marchant, having formed an acquaintance with General Jarry, in London, it occurred to him that, if General Jarry could be engaged to give lectures to a certain number of young officers Who might be disposed to go and reside where the general might attend, it would be very advantageous to the service. General Jarry was so engaged. A house was taken at High Wycombe; a considerable number of the rising young officers of the day became his students,—Sir George Murray, Sir Henry Bunbury, Sir Richard Bourke, General Richardson, and a great many others. General Jarry soon found that the rudiments of military science in the British army were not sufficiently known to enable all the students to profit by his instruction, and recommended that mathematical, and fortification, and other classes, should be established; and, accordingly, Mr. Dalby, a mathematical professor, M. St. Denis, professor of fortification, and M. Polchet, of the Polytechnic School, were engaged; and in this Way the Senior Department was established.
General Jarry, who was the first Commandant of the Senior Department, was a Frenchman, highly educated in France, who entered the service of Prussia a short time before the commencement of the Seven Years’ War, and was on the personal staff of Frederic the Second through the whole of that war. He returned to France, and became afterward one of the generals of the French army; and, in the year 1795, defected from the French army, and came to London, where he soon became very generally known as a man of eminent talent, perfectly master of the science and the practice of his profession, and, from his having served so long about the person and on the staff of Frederic the Second, full of the most interesting anecdotes and instructive details connected with that war. General Le Marchant, having formed an acquaintance with General Jarry, in London, it occurred to him that, if General Jarry could be engaged to give lectures to a certain number of young officers Who might be disposed to go and reside where the general might attend, it would be very advantageous to the service. General Jarry was so engaged. A house was taken at High Wycombe; a considerable number of the rising young officers of the day became his students,—Sir George Murray, Sir Henry Bunbury, Sir Richard Bourke, General Richardson, and a great many others. General Jarry soon found that the rudiments of military science in the British army were not sufficiently known to enable all the students to profit by his instruction, and recommended that mathematical, and fortification, and other classes, should be established; and, accordingly, Mr. Dalby, a mathematical professor, M. St. Denis, professor of fortification, and M. Polchet, of the Polytechnic School, were engaged; and in this Way the Senior Department was established.
General Jarry became commandant of the establishment on its institution, and, in 1804, Sir Howard Douglas himself was appointed to assist General Jarry, as superintendent.
The formation of the Junior Department had probably been determined upon from the time when the Senior Department was established. It was actually organized in 1801, when it was established at Great Marlow, and, in the year 1803, consisted of 200 cadets; the Senior Department being, at thesame time, composed of 30 students. Each department had at this time its own commandant, superintendent, and special staff of instructors (7 for the Senior, and 19 for the Junior Department); while there was, in addition, a general staff, consisting of a governor, lieutenant-governor, and other officials, for the two departments, which, although in separate localities, together constituted the Royal Military College.
The Royal Warrant of 27th May, 1808, fixed the establishment on a still larger scale, as follows:
1 Governor, 1 Lieutenant-Governor, 1 Inspector-General of Instruction.Senior Department.—1 Commandant, 1 Adjutant, 30 Students.Junior Department.—1 Commandant, 1 Major, 4 Captains of Companies, 412 Gentlemen Cadets.Staff.—1 Chaplain and Librarian and Superintendent of Religious and Classical Instruction, 1 Agent, 1 Secretary to the Board of Commissioners, 1 Paymaster, 1 Quartermaster, 1 Surgeon, 1 Assistant Surgeon.
1 Governor, 1 Lieutenant-Governor, 1 Inspector-General of Instruction.
Senior Department.—1 Commandant, 1 Adjutant, 30 Students.
Junior Department.—1 Commandant, 1 Major, 4 Captains of Companies, 412 Gentlemen Cadets.
Staff.—1 Chaplain and Librarian and Superintendent of Religious and Classical Instruction, 1 Agent, 1 Secretary to the Board of Commissioners, 1 Paymaster, 1 Quartermaster, 1 Surgeon, 1 Assistant Surgeon.
The number of professors is not fixed by the warrant, but, in 1810, 5 were employed at the Senior, and 32 at the Junior Department. In 1815, the number of professors was 6 at the former, and 36 at the latter.
The establishment, with slight modifications, continued as above throughout the period of the war which terminated in 1815; but shortly after the conclusion of peace reductions began, in consequence of the recommendations made in the report of the Finance Committee of 1817, and at the same time the course of instruction in the Junior Department was made of a much less military character than it had originally been.
The Senior Department was, as has been stated, originally established at High Wycombe, and the Junior Department, as there was not sufficient accommodation for it at the same place, was, on its institution, placed at Great Marlow. It is probable, however, that it was intended from the first that the Military College should be at Sandhurst, and it appears that, as early as 1801, the greater part of the estate at Sandhurst had been purchased. Owing, however, to doubts having subsequently arisen as to the eligibility of Sandhurst as a site for the college, the works there do not appear to have been commenced until 1809; and it was eventually determined that the Junior Department alone should be placed there, the Senior Department being accommodated at Farnham. In 1812, the Senior Department went to the quarters prepared for them atthe latter place, and about the same time the Junior Department was removed to Sandhurst. In 1820, in consequence of the space left vacant by the reductions which had then been made in the Junior Department, the Senior Department was transferred to Sandhurst; its separate military staff was at the same time abolished, the number of students at it was reduced to 15, and the number of instructors to 2. It continued in this state down to the time of its conversion into the Staff College, which took place in January, 1858. The Junior Department was also, by successive reductions, brought, in 1832, to the state in which it stood in 1855, at the time of the appointment of the Select Committee of the House of Commons, the number of cadets having been reduced to 180, divided into two companies. In the year 1832, also, the Parliamentary votes in aid of the College, which, in 1815, had amounted, for the Junior Department alone, to £34,000, entirely ceased, and, from this time up to 1855, the College was not only self-supporting, but, in some years, actually paid money into the Exchequer.
In the year 1855, in consequence of attention having frequently been drawn in Parliament to the state of Sandhurst, a Select Committee of the House of Commons was appointed to inquire into the condition of the Royal Military College. The establishment of the College, was, at that time, as follows: