The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-02-23
In Case Of War.

CdllluB OUT Ine STATISTICS OF the military
strength of this country, and the ways
and means that would be employed to
resist invasion. The aggregate organ
lied military strength of the nation, ss
Represented by the National Guard of
the several States aud Territories, is
105, 1855 enlisted men and 9,196 COM
missioned officers, total of 114,362.
New York leads the list with Nation
al Guard of 1884 enlisted men and
officers; Pennsylvania has 1921;
Illinois, 6,260; Ohio, 6,004; Massa-
chusetts, 1854, and the numerical
strength descends by hundreds and
thousands, according to the population
of the State or Territory, New Hamp-
shire having 1905, Vermont 743, and
Wyoming 1856, at the end of the list.
Besides the National Guard, there is
the unorganized militia available for
military service, aggregating in round
numbers, 100000 men. The num-
Der in each State is estimated by the
Acknowledgement of the State and re-
ported to the acknowledgements office
at Washington. The differences be-
tween individual judgments and vary
ing methods of computation appear in
the fact that! New York, the State hav-
ing the largest population of any in the
Union, is credited with 100000, while
Pennsylvania has $4,000. Compare
son develops similar differences in
other States. Vermont returns Al, 1854,
while New Hampshire reports $4,000.
Nevertheless, the estimates are approx
mately correct. Columbia's sons of
military age care many and are men,"
now, as they were generation ago.
They are adequate, in number and in
courage, to face a world in arms. AS
the New York. Sun says 1.-THE ten
million Americans who are ready to
fight for the flag, if fighting there is to
be done, constitute, in the eyes of the
world, the most impressive feature of
Jul hdIiObdl OAlclduCc'
An officer of the regular army, in
an essay on the subject of the
National defense, has evolved an
elaborate plan of military organiza-
ton and mobilization to defend the
country against invasion. He says it
is possible to transport across the ocean
at one time an army of $4,000 or $4,000
men, with their horses, ammunition,
etc. Armies made up of available
militia and the regular army will never
be large enough to carry on defensive
war against any power likely to go to
war with the United States. An army
of adequate strength must be created
from the unorganized militia. To cre-
ate measurably effective army of this
material at least three months of busy
preparation would be needed. Any
one of the great powers has a larger
navy and standing army ready for a
campaign as soon as transportation
could be provided. A month, the
writer of the article in question be-
lieves, would suffice to bring a Euro
pean army to these shores. The prob
lem, then, is how to employ this long
est period that would probably be
allowed the government for preparing
raw troops for campaign at the be.
ginning of the war. Any system that
will enable it to do this must be ma
terrially different from any system
heretofore pursued.
In the judgment of this officer it will
require about $4,000 heavy artillery
soldiers to man the Notifications of the
principal harbors in time of war. If
an army of $4,000 or 10000 regular
troops should make landing in an I'M
fortified port, 100000 volunteers would
be required to prevent their advance,
and 100000 to dislodge them before
they could be reinforced. Without
going into further calculations, he es-
estimates that the government would
need,
Volunteers for Notifications. ....... $1,000
For army of observation for north
Atlantic coast. go. ........... $4,000
For a similar army for middle
Atlantic coast Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
For south Atlantic coast. .......... $4,000
For gulf coast Observation-Disclosures. $4,000
For Pacific coast INSTRUMENTATION. 5000
Iotal' '.''.',..'........,.. 400 600
In case of war with Great Britain
100000 additional volunteers would be
needed for the Canadian frontier.
In the impending danger, Spain is
the prospective invader. BY a supreme
effort Carnovas, the Bismark of
Spain, sent 100000 troops to Cuba.
To-day, contemplating the shrunken
ranks of that army, the Spanish
premier's reflections must be like
those of the Persian king who, CEN
49,. AZ ca