The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-26

Enquiries are frequently received at the
! War Department as to the present strength
of the army ard its distribution in the
| Philippines. Cuba, Porto Rico. Hawaii
Alaska, and China. These enquiries re-
| veal considerable misapprehension as tC
the real status of the army, and it is
evident that the country does not yet
fully realize the mixed condition of our
present army laws. Congress at its next
session will certainly have to take action,
and hence the need Of clear understand
ing at this time of the military situation
The army of the United States today nom
inally consists of 100000 men. OF this
number 81, 600 enlisted men is the author
lied strength of the Regular Army, and
5,000 the authorized strength of the VOL
unteer army. But Il July 1. 1901. all OF
the volunteers and all but about about
$4,000 of the regulars must be mustered
out. unless Congress in the mean time
decides otherwise.
In anticipation of the early mastering
cut Of the volunteer army. that force has
been allowed to drop until it numbers,
instead of 80. 900 men, between 3l.t0j and
81 COO Vacancies in the Regular Army, on
the other hand, are filled with p!omptness.
and of the g, 900 authorized the actual
present strength is probably about $4,000.
1t therefore appears that $4,000 men is
about the real strength of the army,
making no allowance for those who are
temporarily incapacitated for service. Of
this number sc, SEQ are in the Philippines,
of which about half are regulars and the
other half volunteers. In Cuba there are
= tad
include both regulars and volunteers. In
Porto Rico, there are 2,400 soldiers, OF
whom all but 800 are regulars, regi-
ment of native Porto Ricans constituting
the ;nainstay. In Alaska there are 800
regulars. There are also I,2C0 troops
which were under orders for China, but
whose destination has been changed.
This leaves about II 600 troops for the
continental part of the Republic.
No such thing exists as the 'short-term
regulars. Jas that was stopped at the CLOSE
of the Spanish war. All enlistihent5 now
made are of regulars for period of three
years. The 2S,0C0 figure to which this
branch Of the service will fall without new
legislation is the size of the old army,
including some increase in the artillery
which was provided by act of March 2,
1899.
As to the sickness or disability of our
much has been heard, a very complete re-
view was made by the War Department up
to June /. 1t covered nearly two years in
the Philippines, and among the regulars,
who numbered for the last part of the time
about 81 goo troops. and for the first eight
months about 5000, making an average,
perhaps, of IS 600 for the whole time there
had been II officers and 175 enlisted men
killed. OF wounds officers and CT en-
listed men had died. Disease had swept
off 10 officers and 65S enlisted men. Two
officers and 10 enlisted men had committed
suicide, making a gloomy total. although
compared with other wars not large one,
Of SO officers and 800 enlisted men. This
is about per cent Of the total for period
of twenty-five months. Among the yolun-
teers the totals were Al officers and S54
enlisted men, which were made up Ia about
the same way. except that for some reason
the volunteers seem TO have suffered less
from disease. The number in service for
the whole time was about the same as that
OF the regulars.
The War Department takes pains TO
point out that these figures are very small
when compared with the great wars OF
history The Germans took nearly 100000
men into France, and lost in killed and
deaths from wounds 2S.277. In the battle
OF Gravelotte alone, 4,ii9 men were killed,
to say nothing CT the wounded, who were
four times as many, out OF total OF
l46 coo men engaged