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Administration of the Army - 1870s

The Sultan was the supreme head of all the forces by land and sea. Next to him came the Grand Vizier. The Minister of War, or Seraskier, directed under his orders the various services. The Ministry of War is divided as follows between the Grand Military Council (Dari-Choura) and the Council of Topana. Under the orders of the Minister of War are the following officers:-

• The Generals in command of the seven corps d'armee.
• The Generals of Divisions and Brigades which may be temporarily created.
• The Central Commission of Reserves.
• The Grand Military Council.

The Grand Military Council Proper, was composed of the Minister of War, a Field-Marshal (Mouchir), as President, six Generals of Division, and one General of Brigade. The departments included the Adjutant-General, Quartermaster-General, Paymaster-General, and General of the Staff, or Military Secretary. The Council of Topana, under the presidency of the Chief of Artillery, furnished and controlled the material of war and all military manufacturing establishments. The corps of workmen are under their direction.

The Seven Corps d'Armee were each commanded by a Field-Marshal, who was assisted by the Etat Major, the Military Council, and a Sub-Commission of Redifs. The Etat Major is composed of the Field-Marshal and his staff of four Generals of Division (of which one is President of the Military Council); five Generals of Brigade, one of which is the Chief of Artillery, and another President of the Sub-Commission of Redifs ; four Colonels or Lieutenant-Colonels ; the Senior Officer of Engineers ; one Surgeon-Major; one Officer of " Intendance;" two of Control; and one Accountant. Through this staff the Commander-in-Chief can put himself into communication with every part of the corps d'armee.

The Military Council is composed of a General of Division (as President), some Generals of Brigade or Colonels, an Assistant Adjutant-General, a Surgeon-Major, and a Secretary. It is in communication with the Military Council, at Constantinople, and directs the AdjutantGeneral's department of the corps d'armee ; but such a division, of authority cannot do otherwise than create confusion. Regiments or battalions which are on detached service are only responsible to the Military Council at Constantinople.

The Sub-Commission of Redifs, presided over by a General of Brigade, attends to the conscription, and to the calling lip of the Ikhtiat and Redifs. The main principle of this organization was that all tactical movements shall be under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief of the corps d'armee, while the administration is under the control of the Military Council at Constantinople-two masters in one house-which must prove a certain source of difficulty, delay, and confusion.

Special commands were formed in certain parts of the empire where disaffection was anticipated. The troops which composed them were taken from the district corps d'arm6e, but the commandant reported direct to Constantinople. Another imperium in imperio.

There are six of these commands:-

• 1. That on the frontier of Bosnia and Servia, which generally consists of about 8,000 men, and is drawn from the 5th Corps d'Arm^e.
• 2. The Brigade of Herzegovina, of about 6,000 men, also drawn from the 3rd Corps.
• 3. The Brigade of Thessaly, whose duty it is to keep down brigandage on the Greek frontier, composed of about 3,000 men, also drawn from the 3rd Corps.
• 4. The Brigade of Tripoli and Barbary, composed of a regiment and a battalion of Chasseurs from the 1st Corps d'Annee.
• 5. The Division of Candia, of about 6,000 men, furnished by the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Corps.
• 6. The Division of Nedjed, of about 6,000 men, furnished by the 6th Corps.

The first two commands were necessarily merged in the armies which are engaged in the military occupation for quelling rebellion.

The Central Commission of Redifs was at Constantinople, and directs and controls the sub-commissioner. The Control, Commissariat, and Paymaster's Departments are centralized at Constantinople, which is the chief depdt for military stores, and is under the control of the Grand Military Council. The flour for the troops is not purchased, but is made from the wheat, etc., received for the Government tithes, which should effect a great saving. But there exists much corruption in this, as in all other branches of administration, and there was a case of the tithe wheat from Candia being sent to a town in the interior of Macedonia, to be ground into flour by contract. The arrangement was, of course, the result of backshish, and the Government lost £4,000 by this one transaction.