Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-05-08
WILL SEND MEN
TO Fl. SMELLING
IOWA GUARDSMEN GET CHANCE
TO BECOME OFFICERS; EXAM
NATIONS TUESDAY,.

Cdpl. SleileT Has lne OluSl uuucl az
. visement and will make the appoint
ments within few days.
Officer Will Come Here.
Capt. Robert r. Welsheimer of the
United States regular army. has wired
Mayor L,eeny that he will arrive in OF
tumwa Tuesday and open an Office at
Market and Second streets, for the
purpose of examining candidates for
commissions in the officers reserve
corps Of the United States army.
Will Send 81 Men To Camp.
The highly trained enlisted men in
chance for commissions in the officers
reserve corps after all.
Adjutant General Logan has receiv-
ed telegram from the chief of the
Militia Bureau of the War Department,
saying that authority had been granted
allowing 81 enlisted men and as many
alternates in the Iowa Guard to attend
the Fort Smelling camp and try for
commissions in the reserve
The commanders of organizations
will select these men at the rate of 25
per regiment and eight each for tho
battalion of artillery and squadron OF
cavalry In the case of the Second and
third infantry and artillery and cav
airy, the recommendations will pass
through the office of the adjutant gen.
eral to be approved or disapproved. In
the case of the First infantry, now in
federal service, the % men will be
placed on detached service by the de-
partment commander.
viii Receive Discharges.
After enlisting in the training camp,
' the men will be discharged from the
guard.
According to advices from Washing
ton, the first United States war army
authorized under the selective draft
bill will consist of 1888 officers and
52S,659 enlisted men. This number
makes up eighteen war strength di-
visions complete in every arm and sup
plemented by sixteen regiments OF
heavy field artillery, equipped with
large caliber howitZers.
In addition to this regular army
strength will be the national guard
units, which will have a strength Of
9s47 officers and 329,954 men.
Ready For Draft Law.
Virtually every detail has been work
ed out and the selection of men for the
regular army will begin as soon as
the draft measure becomes law
Besides the units mentioned, there
will be two separate cavalry divisions
which probably will be situated in the
southwest near the Mexican border
and will have 1,214 officers and 32062
fighting men.
Officers for the cavalry divisions will
be trained at ali CT the sixteen officers
training camps. which will open within
few days, with 10000 prospective Of
ficers under training.
In the regular army, each infantry
division will consist of nine full regl-
ments of infantry, three regiments of
field artillery, one regiment of cavalry,
one regiment of engineers, one division
hospital, and four camp infirmaries.
The total strength of the sixteen d.
visions of infantry will be 1902 Of
ficers and 337,772 men.
Since April 1, $4,000 recruits have
been obtained for the regular army,
bringing its strength up to nearly
100000.
In preparation for the enormous task
of training the first army, officers OF /
the regular army are expected to be
raised in rank. Upon the presidents
approval of the army bill, the first in !
crement will be added to the regulars. |
Details of officers and designations of
new units have already been arranged. |
The full strength of the national |
guard units now existing will be 9,S47 |
officers and 329,954 men, giving total
regular and national guard force to be
whipped into shape before the new
army is called, of 21,OS0 officers and
622.954 men. New units must be Great
ed. however, to fill out tactical organi.
h,tiOns and probably the total of this
first force will exceed 100000 active
troops backed by about 900 more in
the regimental recruit battalions.
Regulars To Command.
From this force will be formed
eighteen divisions corresponding to the
organization of the first new army
From it also. early in September, will i
be drawn some 100000 officers and
officers who will
constitute the frame work on which
the new army will be shaped.
They will be. with the 10000 officers
10 be selected from the training
HIPS, tIlt lUStTuClOTS VI Tie IlESt dI1Ily |
and on their efficiency rests the whole
fabric that is to be built up
In general the plan will be to pro
vide regular army officer to command
each new regiment, with an adequate
number of regular or national guard
officers of experience to carry out eff
fciently the administrative duties and
to supervise instruction.
During the interval between registra-
ton and the calling out Of new army
the regular and national guard divis-
ons will be at work prepardlng the
mobilization camps and with their own
To them also will continue
o fall the duty of protecting public
md private property. The commander
Vt each training district probably will
lirect this work under the orders of
the military department in which his
camp is located. II
SUEERAGJSTS TO HELP