The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-10-10
Officials Increase Number Of
National Army Divi-
siOns to IL.
ONE is EXCLUSIVELY
FOR NEGRO SOLDIERS
Redistribution Of Whites ir
South Necessary Through
the New Plan.

Washington, Oct. 9.-Orders issued
today to commanders of national army
contonments disclose, for the first time,
the war departments complete plans
for the training and organlzat ton Of the
first half million of the national army.
Shortage OF men In the three ma
tiOnal guard divisions In the south, the
30th. 3lst and 39th. coupled with n de-
ciston to form a new national army
division of negro troops. has made
necessary readjustment of the forces
at Is OF the Is cantonments. The geo.
graphical complexion of three national
army divisions will be changed entirely
as a result. General Bliss. chief Of
staff. issued this explanation:
THE selected men are now being
gathered into the l6 national army cam
tonments will be used to form the first
force Of 100000 men and to fill the
national guard divisions. The balance
Of $4,000 selected men will be used to
supplement the voluntary enlistments
or the special and technical troops that
are such IN important part OF the or
6dHlHAtIOII VI tIiOAleIl uTfuE.
Sixteen White; One coiored.
'The force of 100000 men will be or
ganized into 16 white divisions and one
colored division. One white division
national army contmments and the
units of the colored division will be or
eanized at the various cantonments
where the number of colored troops is
sufficient to organize divisional unit
Instead of concentrating all of the
colored men In the few cantonments
of the southern states. the pslicy of the
war deparement will be to distribute
them more or less evenly throughout
all Of the l6 national army canton
ments.
In the southern states the war de-
partment has decided to take all of the
white men, both national guard and
national army, and organize them into
fonr full strength divisions This ma
tional army division will be organized
at Camp Jackson from the men left
over at Camps Jackson, Gordon and
Pike. after the three national guard d.
visions have been filled up to strength.
AT Camp Gordon. after its white
quota has been transferred to the ma
tional guard and to Camp Jackson
there will be organized II national army
division made up of surplus white men.
viii BE National Division.
This plan, though somewhat differ
ent from the one originally adopted by
the war department of forming COM
plete national army division composed
exclusively OF men from each of the 16
national army areas. is In fun COM
pliance with the spirit of the law OF
May IS. because under it each white
national army division still represents
n distinct geographical area, the one
at Camp Jackson being made up en-
tirely from the white men of the cx-
treme southern states. the one at Camp
Gordon being mare up entirely from
The surplus white men of the extreme
eastern states and the one at Camp
Pike made up entirely from the sur
plus white men of the great middle
western section. On tho other hand.
the colored division win be made mp of
representatives from every part of the
nation and will be {, truly national di-
vision
The new plan adds division to the
national army organization. making Il
divisions in that force to supplement
the II national guard divisions. The
negro division probably will be desig
mated as the a2nd division national
army. 1t will take in nearly 10000 of
the $4,000 negroes registered under the
draft law.