OCR Text |
Show UNCLE SAM'S FORCES HISTORY OF THE ARMY OP THE UNITED STATES. Enlarged and Reduced at Necessity's Demand. It Haa Gone Through Many Fluctuations Tha Varloua Commanders. Com-manders. Thn army of tho tTnltod States, do-pfindlnic do-pfindlnic upon and nvernel by tho national loKinlature more directly than tha army of any other country, has from the very hrlnnlna: of our national nation-al Mlntxnro reflected thn noccsnltitis nf the country by thn way In which It haa expanded nr contracted to meat exlHtlnft conditions. It may ho doubt cd If any other army went throuKh no many lluctuutluna of slzo as ours has dono. After WanhlnKton nvo up hla command com-mand at Kraunc's Tavern In Decpm bor. 1781. (irn. Henry Knox aa acnlor ofllcnr became commander-in-chief, holding olTlce until Juno, 1784. when ho waa muHtnrnd out along with most of tha army. Iho rest, consisting of ij'v;V; faJ.-OEN. RBHItT CBARaoHIt. a roRlniont nf Infantry and a battnllon of foot artillery, waa placod under tha senior orllcor. Major Joslah Ilnrmcr, commander-ln-rhtcf by brevet an lieu-lonant-cobinol. There worft 700 mon In thn army then. In 1789, after tho cnnHtltutlnnal government gov-ernment had Rot Into working; order, the army was enlnricod tn forty-six officers and MO men. In March. 1791, the army waa atlll further Increased until It cunslatod uf 1U4 officers and 2.128 men. Arthur Ht, Clair was commissioned com-missioned Major fleneral, and Ipso facto became commaniler-ln-chlof, whereupon Col. Ifarmor resinned. In Mnrch, 1702, the lesion waa brought Into our army. It consisted of four reglmeuts of Infantry, four companies com-panies of dragoons and four companies compan-ies ot riflemen, with a tntal of 268 officers and 6,136 mon. Major Oenornl Anthnny Wayne became Ronoral-lo chlof of the Army of the Frontier, a post which he held until Dec. IS, 1796, when he died. He was followed by Majur-Gon. James Wilkinson, who r mslnod senior oltlcer until July t, 1798. There waa fear nf a war with France, and Washington, who bad left the presidency fifteen months earlier, waa made lieutenant ncncral and com-mander com-mander ln chief ; and on March 8, 1799, the army was enlnmed, and the rank of genornl waa created r.ir hlin. He never waa commissioned In that rank, however, and died lieutenant general. Tho army had been enlarged moan tlrao, Its authurized strength being placed at twn regiments of artillerists and engineers, four reglmunts of dragoons, dra-goons, forty regiments of Infantry and one regiment and ono battnllon of riflemen. Its total was 2, 447 officers and 49,244 men. Major (ion. Alexander Hamilton was senior officer. When the danger of war was over the army waa cut down with great rapidity, ra-pidity, the act of Mny 14, lhno, lopping men off right and left, until nnly two regiments of artlllerlsta and engln eora, two companlea of tight dragoons and four reglmenta of Infantry remained; remain-ed; and nf these James Wilkinson again took command aa senior officer. The army consisted then of 318 officers offi-cers and 4,118 men; but only a year later this number waa further reduced to one regiment ot artillerists and two regiments of Infantry, with a strength oi 241 officers and 3.0411 men. The army remained nt thla sire for six years, with Wilkinson still In command, until on April 12, 1SU8, the strongth waa placod at 774 offlcera and 9,147 mon, divided among a regiment of light artillery, a regiment of artll- BBia-osur josiaii karjiar. torlsts, a regiment of dragoons, Bevan regiments of Infantry and one regiment regi-ment of riflemen. Oon. Wilkinson was relieved as commander-in-chief In January, 1812. Gon. Iiearborn succeeding htm for the war with Great llrlluln. Many additions to the army were nulhorlzed during that war. tho greatest strength roached being be-ing S.4H6 officers and 69.1711 men. In ono regiment of llitht artillery, a corps of artillery, a reglmont of rungera uud sea fencihles. At the end of the war the Urcni-ili was flxeu at r.7' olll.irs mi l 1 1.1 To iiu-u. In a corps of i-nciueers. a r .-1 meat nf Unlit artillery, a corns of artillery, ar-tillery, eir.ht regiments of Infantry, and one regiment of riflemen; anJ Major-tjen. Jacob Urown beeama senior officer. if'.cr another all years the army was roornanlrrd. with a staff corps, four regiments of artillery and seven of Infnntry, the total strenith being 640 officers and 6,r.N.. men. When (Jen. Urown died In 1828 Oon Macomb was directed to take command of the army the first officer ordered to that duty, the enrller commandera ln-chiof, es-eepi es-eepi Washington, being merely Bonnira for the time being. Macomb held office for thirteen years. In 18H2 a' battalion of mounted rangers waa authorized, the strength of the army being fist officers and 6 640 men; In 18:13 Iho rlllemon sure discontinued and a regiment of dragoons dra-goons enlisted, the authorized alreiiKth i being placed at Mil offlcera and 6. 695 men; threo years later, when a second regiment of ilrniroons wss provided, tho strength became 47 officers and 7..110 men. and twn yenrs Inter still. In 18.18 anotheru (eighth! regiment of Infantry having been formed. It was plnced at 7116 officers and ll.84 mon. Tho Mexican nr was fought vory largely by volunteers, but tho rogu.. lar army was Increased until It con BlHtod of 1.3r3 officers nnd 29.612 men, In three regiments of dragoons, a regiment regi-ment of mounted riflemen, four reglmenta regl-menta of artillery, sixteen of Infantry, and a regiment of volunteers. ThiB last body was not the samo aa Ihe atnte volunteer organl70tlons. (ien, Heott hnd succeeded Macomb In 1811, and held office until Nov. 6. 18ill, when bo retired. After the Motlran war the piping; times of peace returned and the army was cut down by two thirds, so t.iat It consisted of 8S2 officers and 9.43S men. In 18" It was Increased to 1.0411 olllrers nnd 17.278 men. This wns Iho strength of the old army. It was Just about doubled for the civil war. reaching a total of 2.no offlcera and 37.2H4 men. divided among a staff corps, six cavalry, five artillery and nineteen Infantry regiments. regi-ments. Tho end of tho war did not causa a reduction, however. Ir-"ad, tho army wns Increased until, 1. 'ha staff corps, ten regiments of .. 1 ry, rivo of artillery, and forty-five of Infantry, In-fantry, It bad 3.036 officers and 64.641 men. Three years Inter, In Istl9. twenty regiments of Infantry wero disbanded, and thn authorized strength was Used at 2.277 officers and 35.036 men; and lo 1874, with the same number ot regiments, only 26,000 mon wore pormltted. Twenty-four years passed without a Wc AI.-naN. nconna; a. trCLEXLAX. j change tn the army strength. ta Mnrch, 1898, two reglmenta nf artillery artil-lery was aililod, tho officers then numbering num-bering 2,137 and the men 26.610: and six weeks later the strongth waa In-crease In-crease J for tbo Spanish war tn 2,246 officers and 62,473 men. This was Increased In 1899 to 2,285 officers and 66,000 mon, and thon, lo 1901, came a reor'.-nnlzntlon which has given ns, besides the staff onrpa, fifteen regiments nf cavalry, a corpa nf artillery and thirty regiments ot Infantry, with 3.820 offlcera and a maximum enlisted strength of 100,000 men. The actual strongtn at presont Is fixed at 69,81'iu men. Since Hon. Scott retired, the army hns boon commanded by Majnr-Gon. McClollan, Mujor-Oon. llullock. Oen. Grant, lloutonant-goiieral and general; I Gon. Shorman, (ion. Sheridan, aa llou- ' tenant-genornl and general; Gon, ticholleld aa major genornl and lieutenant lieu-tenant genera:, and (Jon. Miles aa major ni'iicral and lieutenant genoral. Now York Sun. |