As many of you guys know, there was a fierce rivalry between Wesley Merritt and George Armstrong Custer, while serving side by side as general officers in the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac.
Both were appointed to a brigadier generalship on the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg. Following distinguished services in the Overland and Shenandoh Campaigns at brigade and division level, they moved up to brevet major general of volunteers in the wake of the spectacular victory at Cedar Creek.
On 24 April 1865, following a recommendation by Phil Sheridan, patron to both Merritt and Custer, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton ordered the Adjutant General's Office to make out a letter of appointment, promoting Custer to full major general of volunteers, to date from 3 April 1865.
Custer, thus becoming the youngest full-fledged major general in the Union Army, did not receive notice of his elevation until 18 May 1865, the day on which he accepted his provisional appointment, pending nomination before and confirmation by the Senate.
On 17 May 1865 Sheridan also recommended his other "pet", Wesley Merritt, for a full major generalcy, to date from 9 April 1865. Stanton obliged and ordered Merritt's appointment on 18 May. But then Sheridan, or, probably rather, Merritt, realized that Custer was now the senior officer of the two. In a carefully worded letter, written 20 May 1865, Sheridan asked Stanton to change Merritt's date of rank to 1 April 1865, to "preserve" the two boy general's "former relative positions in rank". Stanton again obliged.
On 27 November 1865 Stanton, for whatever reason, gave the order to the AGO to change Custer's date of rank to 15 April 1865.
Custer, formally nominated to major general, US Volunteers, by President Andrew Johnson on 13 January 1866, was confirmed by the Senate 23 February 1866 and duly commissioned 10 March 1866.
What about Merritt?
Ten years later, 6 April 1876, Merritt reported to the AGO that "my commission as Major General of Volunteers has been lost", requesting to furnish him with a duplicate thereof.
When Merritt received a reply, dated 24 April 1876, he was in for a bad surprise, as he was informed "that no commission in the grade named was ever issued to you, for the reason that your nomination - made January 13, 1866 - was not confirmed by the Senate".
How could Merritt have missed that? Did he confuse his letter of appointment with a commission never issued? And why wasn't he confirmed in the first place?
Apart from this conundrum, which offers fodder for further research and discussion, Merritt ultimately qualifies only as a "might-have-been"-major general, as two crucial legal requirements are missing in order to consider his appointment to be a valid one: confirmation on a vote of the Senate and signing and sealing of the commission by the SoW and the POTUS.
There is some irony to the story. Despite the best efforts by Sheridan to uphold Merritt's seniority, Custer, at the end of the day, outranked his erstwhile rival as a general officer in the Volunteer Service.
Any comments?
Sources: Custer & Merritt Commission Files, RG 94, NARA.
Both were appointed to a brigadier generalship on the eve of the Battle of Gettysburg. Following distinguished services in the Overland and Shenandoh Campaigns at brigade and division level, they moved up to brevet major general of volunteers in the wake of the spectacular victory at Cedar Creek.
On 24 April 1865, following a recommendation by Phil Sheridan, patron to both Merritt and Custer, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton ordered the Adjutant General's Office to make out a letter of appointment, promoting Custer to full major general of volunteers, to date from 3 April 1865.
Custer, thus becoming the youngest full-fledged major general in the Union Army, did not receive notice of his elevation until 18 May 1865, the day on which he accepted his provisional appointment, pending nomination before and confirmation by the Senate.
On 17 May 1865 Sheridan also recommended his other "pet", Wesley Merritt, for a full major generalcy, to date from 9 April 1865. Stanton obliged and ordered Merritt's appointment on 18 May. But then Sheridan, or, probably rather, Merritt, realized that Custer was now the senior officer of the two. In a carefully worded letter, written 20 May 1865, Sheridan asked Stanton to change Merritt's date of rank to 1 April 1865, to "preserve" the two boy general's "former relative positions in rank". Stanton again obliged.
On 27 November 1865 Stanton, for whatever reason, gave the order to the AGO to change Custer's date of rank to 15 April 1865.
Custer, formally nominated to major general, US Volunteers, by President Andrew Johnson on 13 January 1866, was confirmed by the Senate 23 February 1866 and duly commissioned 10 March 1866.
What about Merritt?
Ten years later, 6 April 1876, Merritt reported to the AGO that "my commission as Major General of Volunteers has been lost", requesting to furnish him with a duplicate thereof.
When Merritt received a reply, dated 24 April 1876, he was in for a bad surprise, as he was informed "that no commission in the grade named was ever issued to you, for the reason that your nomination - made January 13, 1866 - was not confirmed by the Senate".
How could Merritt have missed that? Did he confuse his letter of appointment with a commission never issued? And why wasn't he confirmed in the first place?
Apart from this conundrum, which offers fodder for further research and discussion, Merritt ultimately qualifies only as a "might-have-been"-major general, as two crucial legal requirements are missing in order to consider his appointment to be a valid one: confirmation on a vote of the Senate and signing and sealing of the commission by the SoW and the POTUS.
There is some irony to the story. Despite the best efforts by Sheridan to uphold Merritt's seniority, Custer, at the end of the day, outranked his erstwhile rival as a general officer in the Volunteer Service.
Any comments?
Sources: Custer & Merritt Commission Files, RG 94, NARA.