Expectation of Promotion by Succession
Item
Type
Autograph Draft Document
Title
Expectation of Promotion by Succession
Description
Hamilton explains his conception of the appropriate manner in which vacancies in the officer corps are to be filled. Generally, vacancies are to be filled by succession and not by the insertion of new men.
year created
1799
month created
09
day created
27
author
sent from location
New York
recipient
in collection
in publication
notable person/group
James McHenry
Alexander Hamilton
Commandants of Regiments
General Pinckney
Secretary of War [McHenry]
intruders
notable location
New York
notable item/thing
letter of Colonel Hunewell
vacancy
notable phrase
continuance of a practice which in my judgement is calculated to injure the service
I am only anxious that this course which I deem most correct in itself and most conducive to the harmony and success of the service may prevail in future
when the corps in a state of progression a vacancy happens, the service commonly requires that it be speedily filled
inferior characters in some of the new appointments have been placed over the heads of those which were preferable
when officers...have contributed to raise the men...they are apt to consider new persons placed over them as intruders
the discretion to introduce new characters into corps once organized should be confined within narrow limits
the moment a corps is organized by the appointment of its officers, the expectation of promotion by succession from a lower to a higher grade arises spontaneously in the heart of every officer
the Commanding General was empowered to make the definitive settlement of rank but it was a prerequisite that he was to acquire the necessary information
when a new corps is organized, though vacancies by non-acceptance may be filled by new men, yet the right of succession shall immediately attach as to every case of vacancy
a determinate period shall be fixed, sufficient for ascertaining who will accept and who will decline
a steady system constituted by fixed rules is the essential basis of a good and prosperous military establishment
document number
1799092740000
Item sets
Document instances
| In image | In source | Location in source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Collection: Printed Versions | [unknown] |
| [view document] (0 pages) | [no image] | Publication: The Papers of Alexander Hamilton | [unknown] |
Document names
| Type | Name | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Alexander Hamilton | New York | [n/a] |
| Recipient | James McHenry | [unknown] | [n/a] |