ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
_Washington, December 27, 1845_.
Major-General WINFIELD SCOTT,
_Commanding the Army_.
SIR: The death of Lieutenant-Colonel Hoffman, Seventh Infantry, on the
26th ultimo, having caused a vacancy in the grade of major, to which,
under the rule, Captain J.B. Clark, Third Infantry, would be entitled to
succeed, I deem it proper to submit the following statement, extracted
from the official returns of his regiment, touching his physical
capacity for the performance of military duty.
In May, 1836, Captain Clark went on the recruiting service, where he
remained till October 4, 1838, when he was granted a three months'
leave. He joined his company at Fort Towson in May, 1839, and continued
with it from that time till March, 1841, accompanying it meanwhile
(October, 1840) to Florida. He obtained a three months' leave on
surgeon's certificate of ill health March 23, 1841, but did not rejoin
till February 16, 1842. In the interim he was placed on duty for a
short time as a member of a general court-martial, which happened to be
convened at St. Louis, where he was then staying. He remained with his
company from February to November, 1842, when he again received a leave
for the benefit of his health, and did not return to duty till April 26,
1843 (after his regiment had been ordered to Florida), when he rejoined
it at Jefferson Barracks. He continued with it (with the exception of
one short leave) from April, 1843, till June, 1845, but the returns show
him to have been frequently on the sick report during that period. On
the 2d of June, 1845, his company being then encamped near Fort Jessup
in expectation of orders for Texas, he again procured a leave on account
of his health, and has not since been able to rejoin, reporting monthly
that his health unfitted him for the performance of duty. The signature
of his last report (not written by himself), of November 30
(herewith[5]), would seem to indicate great physical derangement or
decrepitude, approaching, perhaps, to paralysis.
From the foregoing it appears that during the last seven years (since
October, 1838) Captain Clark has been off duty two years and four
months, the greater part of the time on account of sickness, and that
even when present with his company his health is so much impaired that
very often he is unable to perform the ordinary garrison duties.
Under these circumstances it is respectfully submitted, for the
consideration of the proper authority, whether the senior captain of
infantry should not be passed over and (as Brevet Major Noel,[6] the
next in rank, is utterly disqualified) Captain Martin Scott, of the
Fifth Infantry, promoted to the vacant majority.
It is proper to state that Captain Clark has always been regarded as a
perfect gentleman, and as such, as far as I know, is equal to any
officer in the Army.