"Commander-in-Chief" had a definite and well-known meaning. 
Nothing has occurred since that time to change that
meaning.  It will be recalled that during the Revolutionary
War, George Washington was placed in supreme military
command of the Continental Army with the now historic title
of Commander-in-Chief.  At that time there was no civilian
President and as Commander-in-Chief, George Washington was
charged with the responsibility of waging the war for
independence.  That office was exclusively a military
office.  The echoes of that war had not yet died away when
the framers of the Constitution used those very same words
to apply to the newly created office of President of the
new Republic.  Article II of the Constitution relating to
the Executive Department provides in Section 1 that the
Executive power shall be vested in a President and Section
2 provides that the President shall be Commander-in-Chief
of the Army and Navy.  As pointed out in the memorandum
previously submitted herein (Page 6) the words
"Commander-in-Chief" were chosen deliberately by the
framers of the Constitution and all attempts to limit the
military significance of that office were rejeted.  When it
came to choosing the first President under the new
Constitution what was more natural than that the people
should almost by popular acclamation choose as their Chief
Executive and Commander-in-Chief the very same man who as
Commander-in-Chief of teh Continental Army achieved the
victory which made the Constitution possible!
 
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