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Show 1 150 Years Ago Uncle Sam Was Saying: 'I Want You for My Army,' but He Had Much Less to Offer Than He Has Today i i 1 i i By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ' Released by Western Newspaper Union.) YOU see it everywhere now on sidewalk billboards bill-boards that stand in front of post offices or in the corridors of other public buildings. It's a poster in which an arresting figure catches the eye and holds it long enough to deliver this laconic message to the young men of America: . I WANT YOU : s itst i MS : r h '? f It's a part of Uncle Sam's campaign to increase one of his arms of defense to a new peacetime strength of 480,000 men. For, if the flames of war leap across the Atlantic and the forces of totalitarianism totalitarian-ism threaten his land, Uncle Sam intends to be prepared in time to resist them successfully. suc-cessfully. One hundred and fifty years ago he was engaged in a similar campaign, cam-paign, yet how different! There was no such emergency then as now, although Uncle Sam, then but a stripling, had already heard the rumblings of an imminent war across the ocean. More than that, two disasters to his puny army on the western frontier had made him uncomfortably aware of how inadequate he was to defend de-fend the new nation if trouble came to its shores. From its beginnings, the United States has been a peace-loving-nation and has figuratively leaned over backwards to avoid any semblance of militarism. The founding fathers, seeing in Europe the results of despotic power supported sup-ported by a strong military establishment, estab-lishment, resolved that there should be no such thing here to hinder their efforts to establish a government whose power would be derived "from the consent of the governed." When Washington became our first President two of the principal prin-cipal objectives of his administration adminis-tration were the establishment of a strong financial system and a , sound military organization. Alexander Al-exander Hamilton, his secretary of the treasury, provided the former, for-mer, but Gen. Henry Knox, his secretary of war, had more difficulty dif-ficulty in securing the latter. Knox prepared a plan for compulsory com-pulsory military training and service, which Washington recommended recom-mended to congress on January 1, 1790. It wasnot favorablyreceived, mainly because Knox, in his letter of transmittal, said that his proposed pro-posed continental militia would protect the country from internal as well as external enemies and he also stressed his opinion that "the government should possess a strong corrective arm." The secretary's choice of words was unfortunate, especially at . this particular time when congress con-gress was trying to safeguard the liberties of the people by enacting enact-ing a Bill of Rights as the first amendments to the Constitution. Constitu-tion. Naturally a proposal for "a strong corrective arm" rang harshly on the congressional ear and Knox's plan was rejected. First National Defense Bill. On July 1, 1790, Elias Boudinot of New Jersey introduced a national na-tional defense bill which proposed that the organization and training of our peacetime army consist of grouping all the younger men in special "light infantry companies" com-panies" in each regiment of the general militia. If war came, these companies could be assembled assem-bled into battalions and regiments regi-ments and thus form a new Continental Con-tinental army. Similar companies com-panies were to be formed in the other branches of the service and all of them were to have a "sound system of discipline" and be trained under federal supervision. The first congress failed to act on the Boudinot bill and in the first session of the second congress con-gress a similar measure was introduced in-troduced by Jeremiah Wadsworth of Connecticut. But before it was finally passed it was so amended and emasculated that Wadsworth himself voted "no" on it. Washington, though greatly disappointed dis-appointed in this new militia law, nevertheless signed it with the Recruiting Instructions in tin ifmvicc of tin 27ukd ' ifiokt.- SIR. jr ii iiin i, i iiim i a f i r i i ii in inf i j i n ! j in ii i ot' C"11 116 immediately to commence the recruiting fervice in the State of Qyrvnt cZZiut The principal rendezvous will be at &fcddJli'Gwv Tour recruits will be furniihed by- J 0fotl-J " ,(- t!&fcs"s' i w't'1 rations, barracks, barrack utenfils, fttaw and fuel; and alfo with fuch neceflary medicinal affiftance as they may require. Gen. Henry Knox, secretary of war, was sending these instructions instruc-tions to his recruiting officers back in 1792. hope that it might be amended later. How worthless was this law was proved two decades later when the nation tried to assemble assem-ble an army to repel the invasion of the British in the War of 1812. It failed miserably with the result that the enemy easily defeated the defenders of Washington, captured cap-tured that city and burned the Capitol and the White House. Meanwhile events on the frontier fron-tier already had proved that our regular army was inadequate to perform the tasks expected of it. In 1790 it suffered a severe reverse re-verse under the leadership of Gen. Josiah Harmar who was sent to subdue the hostile tribes in the Old Northwest. The next year occurred the defeat and rout of the army led by Gen. Arthur St. Clair, the worst military disaster in America since the days of Braddock. These two fiascoes not only resulted in the Indians renewing their attacks on the western settlements with even greater fury but they indicated to an alarmed country how impotent im-potent was the new federal government. gov-ernment. More than that, France and England were on the verge of renewing re-newing their ancient feud and there was danger of the United States being drawn into it. All of these factors pointed to the urgent necessity of our strengthening strength-ening our forces for national defense. So Secretary Knox launched his recruiting campaign to obtain a regular army that would be equal to the task of defeating de-feating the confederation of tribes which had been formed by Chief Little Turtle of the Miamis. In the light of the present drive to increase our army, the instructions instruc-tions to recruiting officers sent out by Secretary Knox in 1792 y r Tinea: make interesting reading today. Indicative of the difficulties which the federal government was having hav-ing in those days is the secretary's secre-tary's statement that "The recruiting re-cruiting service is sometimes abused, both as it respects the individuals recruited and the public pub-lic at large that is, recruits are unwarily and unworthily entangled, entan-gled, contrary to their intentions; such men generally desert the service, at some critical moment, or serve grudgingly, and set bad examples to others; or, unsuitable unsuit-able persons are engaged, who are constitutionally defective and unfit for the hardships incident to a military life ... In order therefore there-fore to avoid the errors of this business, the following instructions instruc-tions are to serve as the general rules and principles of your conduct.' con-duct.' Knox's Recruiting Instructions. He then goes on to list the regulations reg-ulations governing recruiting. Some of them were as follows: The recruits are to be inlisted for three years, unless sooner discharged. Each recruit is to receive a bounty of Eight Dollars: but no part of this sum is to be advanced until the recruit shall have been fairly inlisted and sworn before be-fore a Magistrate, according to the form herein prescribed, and then only the said sum Is to be advanced in such proportions propor-tions as the judgment of the recruiting oflicer shall dictate, until experience shall In some degree have ascertained the fidelity of the recruit. Every recruiting officer shall be allowed al-lowed the sum of Two Dollars, for the trouble and expence of talisting each recruit; re-cruit; provided however, that such al lowance will not be made for any recruit re-cruit who shall desert before he shall march from the rendezvous of the troops In the State where he shall have been recruited. The utmost fairness is to be used by the recruiting officers, in engaging their recruits; no Individual therefore is to be inlisted In a state of intoxication, or to be sworn until after he shall have been inlisted for the space of twenty-four hours. Each recruit (musicians excepted) must be five feet and five inches in heighth, without shoes: he must also be healthy, robust, and sound in his limbs and body, in all respects; and to ascertain ascer-tain which he must be thoroughly examined, ex-amined, previously to inlistment, by a Physician or Surgeon; but if, notwithstanding notwith-standing this direction, a recruit should have any secret disease at the time of his inlistment, the expence of his cure, if retained In service, shall be deducted from his pay. Each recruit, before he Is sworn, Is to have distinctly read to him the rules and articles of war against mutiny and desertion, deser-tion, and relative to the administration of justice; and also the Act of Congress of the 30th of April 1790, establishing the rations, clothing, and compensation In cases of disability; and the Act of the 5th of March 1792, establishing the pay; after which he is to take the following Oath, before a Magistrate, to wit: "I A. B. do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) to bear true allegiance alle-giance to the United States of America, and to serve them honejtly and faithfully against all their enemies or opposers whomsoever, and to observe and to obey the orders of the President of the United States of America, and the orders of the officers appointed over me according to the articles of war." Each recruit (musicians excepted) must be above eighteen and under forty five years of age. No negro, mulatto, or Indian, to be recruited. All the recruits, if possible, to be natives na-tives of fair conduct, or foreigners of good character for sobriety and fidelity, and who have been some years in the country. Any recruiting officer inlisting a vagrant, or transient person, who shall desert before marching from the place of rendezvous, shall reimburse out of his pay. the loss sustained by such desertion deser-tion It Is therefore important that the officers be attentive on this point, as a compliance with this order will be rigidly exacted. The public interests will be better served by a small army of brave, robust, and faithful soldiers, than by & multitude of vagabonds. As soon as the recruits shall be assembled as-sembled at the rendezvous, they are tc be taught, by gentle method regularity of conduct, as it shall respect cleanliness cleanli-ness of their persons, diet and rooms, and also due subordination, and they are to be exercised at least four hours in every day. In the attitudes and other first principles of a soldier. Qualifications Today. Compare with those specifications specifica-tions laid down by Henry Knox, the qualifications for enlistment in the regular army today: Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 35 for original enlistment, unmarried, without other dependents, and those under un-der 21 must have the written consent con-sent of parents or guardians; they must be at least five feet four inches in height, and weigh not less than 115 pounds; they must be of good moral character as evidenced by written testimonials testimoni-als from reputable citizens of their respective communities ; they must be in good health and free from incapacitating or disfiguring dis-figuring deformities; they must be citizens of the United States by birth or naturalization at the time of enlistment; and they must be able to pass certain intelligence in-telligence and literacy tests prescribed pre-scribed for the regular army. Monthly rates of pay for the several grades as prescribed by law at present are as follows: Master sergeant, $126 to $157.50; technical sergeant, $84 to $105; staff sergeant, $72 to $90; sergeant, $54 to $67.50; corporal, $42 to $52.50; private, first class,' $30 to $37.50 ; private, $21 to $26.25. The first figure given in each instance in-stance is the pay of the grade during the first four years of service. This amount is increased in-creased by 5 per cent every four years, until a total of 25 per cent has been added. In addition to the foregoing, numerous specialists special-ists ratings are provided for privates pri-vates and privates, first class, whereby their pay is materially increased. In addition to these monthly wages, Uncle Sam furnishes clothing, food, housing and free medical and dental treatment. In view of all these facts it is easy to understand why he is having hav-ing a greater and readier response re-sponse to his "I want YOU for the United States Army" than he would likely have had if it hod been uttered back in 1792! |
