▁The ▁du eling ▁death s ▁of ▁Brig ad ier ▁Gener als ▁Allen ▁and ▁Hog an ▁demonstrate ▁the ▁difficulty ▁Governor ▁Miller ▁had ▁in ▁rec ruit ing ▁a ▁good ▁officer ▁corps . ▁Mr . ▁Sh inn ▁wrote ▁that ▁the ▁Territ orial ▁Milit ia ▁officers ▁were ▁often ▁" of ▁the ▁Western ▁type , ▁free ▁and ▁easy ▁in ▁their ▁man ners , ▁very ▁out sp oken ▁in ▁their ▁conversation ▁and ▁therefore ▁very ▁hard ▁to ▁control ". ▁Indeed , ▁Sh inn ▁con cludes , ▁the ▁milit ia ▁was ▁composed ▁of ▁" comb ust ible ▁elements ". ▁ ▁The ▁method ▁of ▁selecting ▁milit ia ▁officers ▁contributed ▁to ▁their ▁poor ▁quality . ▁By ▁both ▁law ▁and ▁custom ▁company - level ▁officers , ▁and ▁some ▁at ▁higher ▁levels , ▁were ▁elected ▁by ▁the ▁en list ed ▁men . ▁This ▁frequently ▁resulted ▁in ▁two ▁bad ▁side - effect s : ▁ ▁( 1 ) ▁popular ity , ▁rather ▁than ▁intelligence ▁or ▁ability , ▁became ▁the ▁basis ▁upon ▁which ▁officers ▁were ▁elected ; ▁and ▁( 2 ) ▁the ▁milit ia ▁became ▁deeply ▁imm ers ed ▁in ▁politics . ▁Actually , ▁the ▁milit ia ▁had ▁long ▁been ▁a ▁ste pping ▁stone ▁to ▁political ▁office : ▁George ▁Washington ▁himself ▁had ▁been ▁a ▁Virginia ▁milit iam an . ▁Even ▁the ▁back wood s man ▁Dave y ▁Cro ck ett ▁commented ▁on ▁the ▁political ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁front ier ▁milit ia ▁when ▁called ▁upon ▁to ▁give ▁his ▁formula ▁for ▁political ▁success : ▁" In tr igue ▁until ▁you ▁are ▁elected ▁an ▁officer ▁of ▁the ▁milit ia ;