The pool of professional officers was very small and completely insufficient for the needs of the expanded military. Being a semi-competent officer with some e

The pool of professional officers was very small and completely insufficient for the needs of the expanded military. Being a semi-competent officer with some experience basically guaranteed that you’d be fast tracked to a senior command. e.g. Grant left the military in 1854 and was just a captain when the war started. In about 4 months he was already a brigadier general