New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-10
100000 Selected Men to
Form 16 White and One
Colored Division
Changes Will Affect
IS Of Is Cantonments
Force of 10000 Negroes
VIII Mobilize Only When
Called to France

today 20 commanders Of National
AMY cantonments disclose for the first
tine the War Departments complete
riar, for the training and organization
o, The first 100000 OF the National
Army.
Shortage OF men in the three ma
-o-al divisions in the South, the Soth'
ais, and seth, coupled with decision
n form new National Army division
or negro troops. has made necessary
adjustment Of the forces at fifteen OF
.se sixteen cantonments. The geo
r-anbicsl complexion Of three National
An divisions will be changed en-
.re,v as a result.
statement by General Bliss
General Bliss. chief Of staff issued
tn., explanations;
The selected men, now being gath
,re6 into the sixteen National Army
csrto7ments will be used 70 form the
frs. force Of 100000 men authorized
in the act OF Congress. approved May
&c 1917 and to fiji NJ the National
Guard divisions 70 practically the maxi
MIN strength Of the new organization
orbe balance Of the $4,000 selected
mon will be used TO supplement 'he
voluntary enlistments for the special
and technical troops that are such an
important part of the organization OF
modern army.
I. is expected that the voluntary
cnlstnents for the regular army will
be enough 70 keep that branch Of the
nations forces filed up to strength
vlthou. transferring men to II from
-bis first selection for the National
The force Of 100000 men will he
or-arized iuto sixteen white divisions
and ono colored division. one white
DIVISION will be organized at each OF
'be sixteen National Army canton
ncrt.. and the units Of the colored
divisions will he organized at the vari.
ore csr+ormcnts where the nUmbeS OF
colorcd troops is sufficient 20 organize
divisional unit.
"Iostead Of concentrating all OF the
co'ored men IN the few cantonments OF
.to Southern states. the policy OF the
Var Department viii he 70 dlstr butte
hem more or less evenly Throughout
ali Of the sixteen National Army can
comments.
Whites Outnumbered in South
ain tho Southern states, whose quotas
On 70 tho cantonments A. Columbia
<. c.: Atlanta. Ga. and Little Rock
Camps Jackson. Gordon and Pike, tht
lumber Of white men required 20 M
LID the National Guard divisions fur
-i,hed BY those same states is so grea'
and tho proportion Of colored 10 white
r the populations Of those states is 81
aye that il has been found 10 bt
physically impossible TO organize three
National Guard and three Nationa
Army divisions at full strength from the
white quotas Of these states, and there
fore the War Department has decided
% take all Of the white men from these
states. both National Guard and Ma
fional Army. and organize them into
four full strength divisions three Ma
torsl Guard and one National Army
This National Army division Will be
o~ganized a. Camp Jackson from the
men left over at Camps Jackson, Cor
don and Pike after the three National
Guard divisions l30th, 31st and 39th
have been filled up to strength.
A. Camp Gordon, after its white
Quota has been transferred TO the Ma
'ioral Guard and 10 Camp jackson,
there will be organized National
Army division made up Of surplus
white men drawn from Camps Devens,
Upton. Dix, Meade and Lee and al
Csmp Pike. after It's white quota has
been transferred TO the National Guard
and Camp Jackson, there will be formed
National Army division made up OF
surplus white men drawn from Camps
sherman. Custer. Grant, Taylor, Dodge
Funston and Travis
The new plan adds a division to the
National Army organization, making
seventeen divisions in that force tt
supplement the seventeen Natlona
Guard divisions. The negro division
probably will be designated as the s2c
Division, National Army. IL will b'
modified as a division only when or
dered 10 France for duty. The force
will be the largest lighting unit of ne
gro troops in the army, and the major
'ty Of its officers will come from the
negro officers training camp at De'
Moines, Iowa.
10000 in the Division
The division will take in nearly 30.
200, Of the $4,000 negroes registered
under the draft law. There Will be or
gained IN addition. however, service
units for work behind the lines. Or
dcrs were published to-day authorizing
iWenty-four Of these, to be raised by
voluntary transfer Of drafted men oil
voluntary enlistment from civil life
il has been stated that 100000 mer
must be sent abroad for this purpose
experimenting General Bliss eN
PLANTATION. the department issued &
summary Of orders governing the allot
ment Of quotas Of negro drafted mer
% the environments. With the eXcep
lion Of Camps Jackson, Gordon. Pike
and Travis. each cantonment Will &C
commodste all Of the negro quotas
nom the states from which It's white
'roops are drawn. Supplemental as
'ignments Of colored contingents e
these camps have been made Is fol
lows:
Camp Upton. Yaphank. Long Island
rs own, supplemented by the Porto
Hico quota, 1880; Camp Dix, Wrights
town, y. j., It's own, supplemented
by the Florida quota, $500; Camp
Meade. Annapolis Junction, Md, IL
own, supplemented by he Tennessee,
quota. 6,l00; Camp Sherman, Chilli
Gothic, Ohio, its own. supplemented by
he Oklahoma quota, 10000; Cam
Grant, Rockford H.. It's own, supple
mented by the North Carolina quota
700; Camp Dodge. Des Moines. Iowa
ITS own. supplemented by the Alamaba