The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-29
A GREAT RUSH TO ENLIST
Recruiting Under the New Army
Reorganization Law.
The Flower of American Manhood
SeIected-NInny Applicants From
the Enthusiastically of Officers the
Only Drawback Experienced.

When the Army Reorganization bill be-
came a law, on February , 1901. it was
feared that the War Department never
could raise the thousands of recruits re-
quired to replace the troops now in the
Philippines who must be mustered out
by July l. 1t was shown that in an en-
tire month only 200 men had been en-
listed for the navy. and the prediction
was made that it would take years to
fill in the new regiments provided for in
the recent Army Reorganization law.
Strangely enough these predictions
have come TO naught, and the recruiting
process is going on at a more rapid rate
than ever before. The number of men
recruited in February was 2.72s. 1t
is estimated from the returns thus
far that the number of new enlist
monts in March will exceed 1900. Thus in
four months no less than 1883 men have
been turned into the army, each coming
within the strict requirements laid down
by the War Department.
The work CT creating new army with
in a few months was ,,iaced in the hands
OF Lieut.. Col. John A. Johnston. one of
the most efficient officials in the War De-
partment, and how well he has succeeded
is being shown by the figures coming in
daily from the stations all over the coun-
try. Colonel Johnston states that his
only trouble lies in great lack of Off
GERS to look out for the men, and he
guarantees all of the regiments that Of
ticers can be secured to command
Il am only waiting for the President to
state just how many men he desires.
said Colonel Johnston, land we will go
ahead and supply them / have great
faft II, 81, sic,
throughout the United States and | don't
think We will ever want for good men.
The statement of enlistments during
February, which has just been prepared.
furnishes an interesting mass of data as
to the American Tommy Atkins who
he is, how he is. and where he comes
from. In the month Of February there
were exactly 10.3S5 Americans to apply at
recruiting stations for an opportunity to
enter the army. That only 2.I29 We're ac-
cepted goes to show the severity OF the
examination and to prove that only the
flower of American manhood has toen
made a part of the big fighting machine.
OF the number accepted, only 156 were
colored men, while four were Indians.
the balance being white and single.
oddly enough. the recruits preferred the
infantry to the cavalry by about two to
one, the figures being 1,sa2 foot and 921
mounted.
As to the recruiting points. tn: majority
Of the men very naturally came out of the
big cities. In New York during. the
month 104S men applied TO enlist. Only
1i3 of these succeeded in passing the ex-
animation In Philadelphia 20 were ac-
cepted and 24l rejected. In Chicago Sc
were accepted and 2sS rejected. In Boston
20 were accepted and 3l3 rejected. Des
Moires. Iowa, has the best record in the
United States, there being % applicants
and 81 accepted. In this city of Washing
ton - men applied and II OF these were
rejected. Topeka, Kan. has the worst re-
cord. % men applying and - of these be-
ing rejected.
There are 20s recruiting stations in the
general service in the United States, to-
gether with III stations of posts and %
stations in the field. There are few re-
jections in the post and field stations. as
nearly all of the enlistments are those of
old soldiers.
AT present 600 men have been recruited
into the Fourteenth Cavalry At Fort
Leavenworth, Kan, $50 recruits have been
added to the Eleventh Cavalry at Fort
Myer Va. and 500 have been added to the
Fifteenth Cavalry at the Preside, San
Francisco.
In the new infantry regiments one bat
TALON each of the Twenty-seventh and
Twenty-eighth Infantry have been re-
cruited and eed men have been secured for
the Twenty-ninth Infantry.
Four years remain in which TO organize
the new artillery regiments and Colonel
Johnston is not in any hurry. He is as
ba wi hay oil he
men desired and only asks for officers TO
drill the recruits