The Washington herald., 1913-02-17
ARMY OF 100000
Gould BE RAISED
Secretary Of United States In
fantry Association Com
piles Interesting Facts.
COST OF CONFLICTS
Civil War Expenditures Estimated to
Have Been More Than
$4,000, ,000, 900.

Striking facts of general interest re
Earding the wars of the United State.
have been compiled from historical an6
official documents by Maj. Evan VI
Johnson, jr.. of the United States In.
fantry. Maj. johnson is also secretary
Of the United States Infantry Associa'
tion.
while the necessity for war may bt
questioned" he says. in a brief intro.
duction, "and hope entertained that the
day may come when courts rather than
the battlefield will decide all national
and international disagreements, there
does not seem TO he any immediate pos
sibility of such solution
Later in his discussion of the subject
he says:
The policy which permits the lack of
discipline and training, which cOunten-
ances short enlistments. improvised
armies. and which fails to make pro-
vision for reserves of men and supplies,
should be carefully studied in connec-
tion with our several wars II We wish TO
arrive at a just conclusion as to its
value and effect"
In pursuit of this study. Mai. johnson
reached the conclusion that we are pay
ing dear for an ineffective military es-
tablishment. and are without a military
policy
If. tomorrow. war should break out.
he says. Congress would again have to
enact nasty and iIl-considered laws. 1t
has been estimated that two nations in
the world can in two weeks and one 9TH
or in four weeks. land 150.U0 men each
ON our coasts.
Straining every resource. counting on
no hitch in transportation. we can in
one month. after the outbreak of hostili-
ties. concentrate at any one point on our
coasts about 10000 men: of these 30.O0S
will he trained. 1oo.0oo half trained. All
will have to be organized into brGadcs,
divisions, field armies. and have staffs
and supply systems created for them" ="
Cost of the Wars.
In his investica ton Mai. johnson found
that the War of the Revolution cost ap-
proximately sS70.Oo0oo0. exclusive of the
pensions of %. 753 veterans The most
amazing thing found by him. however.
was that although 30. 600 men were
called 10 the Colors. the largest force
that Washington was ever able to mass
upon the battlefield was a little less than
1900 The war of 1872 cost S24o. 600 001
and during the three years it lasted the
United States employed 512.654 men OF
whom only 50000 We're regulars.
Even more startling are the data rel
ative to the Mexican war which cost
SlG2,05l,OSi. In this war 1O6.55S men were
called into service, but only small
number was ever actually present in
battle.
The battle of Monterey, he points out,
vas fought by Taylor with 6,645 men
opposed to l0.COO Mexicans. 1000 of whom
were regulars. The battle of Buena
Vista was fought with 4.IS9 men against
2n1pO MeEiCans.
When Scott resumed the offensive il
with ll.Oco effective men against
5000 MeNiCanS.
In the civil war. estimated TO have
cost close to 5000 o0.OoO. about 21IS.34
men We're in service, but engagements
were fought with 4,OSl men in divisions
that should have had 1880.
In the Spanish-AmeriCan war the ma
iority of the 2g3,235 volunteers never got
into action. The battle OF Santiago was
fought with HE men instead of 5O.0O0
as il should have been with the twenty
odd regiments in the field.