The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-05-03
STUDY Of THE ARMY
LOW MANY CAN DISTINGUISH BE.
TWEEN OFFICER AND PRIVATE?
How the Army is Divided and How
Each Unit is Differed and How
Officers May Be Distn-
euished.

low many of us are able to distin.
Guiah between an officer and a private
or are certain of the man in uniform
il not a marine when we think he is
soldier? How many are able to tell
an infantryman from a cayalryman?
Would you know general if you saw
one? Above all, have you any idea
what place in service you are able to
MI to best advantage to your country?
III this concise article, written for
Lc&lies Weekly by Richard Smith, the
author brings up certain fundamental
points about army organization that
Lazy help you to decide in what branch
YOU prefer to seek the Medal of Honor.
The private soldier, standing at the
bottom of the army stairs has nine
steps TO climb before he arrives at the
top, a general His first promotion is
10 corporal and the next to sergeant
lie is elevated to these grades by his
rcgimcntal commander. The next step
&c a commission bearing the Presi
dents name, was formerly the most
difficult to negotiate, but, thanks to
the urmy's pressing need Of officers,
IL now fairly easy to take for men who
honestly possess the qualities neces
sary TO make the right kind of officers.
After he becomes a second lieutenant
timo and opportunity viii give the sol
der his first lieutenancy and later a
cuptancy Next he becomes major,
Directly above the major stands the
lieutenant colonel who is one step be
low 4 colonel. At the top for final re
ward is a generals star.
Easy us the ascent seems to the lay
mon, a superficial examination of tho
facts will prove it difficult climb, but
by no means forlorn hope. Witness
the fact that one of the most cast-con
trollcd armies in the world, the British
las at its head q general in chief who
began as ranker. Even on a peace
footing, enlisted men of ability in oui
army have been able to secure com
missions through study and applica
ton to duty. On war basis this oppor
tunity is much greater.
The entire theory OF army organi
cation is based upon individual re
eponsibility and subordination. No two
men in the service can be together
without one of them possessing the
responsibility of command. The cor
poral in charge of squad is a general
heading an army. -
IN every army of the world, the foo
soldiers or infantry form the main
fighting force. All other branches OF
the service are organized in ratio tc
the strength OF the infantry. Thus the
number of cavalrymen or artillerymeL
enlisted depends upon the numerical!
ctrength of the infantry organization
For this reason let us consider the nu
mCrical units by which the infantry
strength is estimated.
First there is the squad made up Of
eight men under the command of {
corporal. A platoon made up of flv,
squads and comprising from 40 to Sc
men is under the command of ser
gcant or lieutenant. A company com
prising two, three or four platoonS il
under the control of captain. A com
pany's roll contains from 80 to 200
men. -Four companies make up bat,
tallion under the command of a major,
while three battallions form a regi
mcnt led by colonel Three refiments
form a brigade under the command
OF bI'igadfer general and three Dri-
sades make a division. Three divisions
il they represent branches of the ser.
vice are grouped into a corps of field
army. The division is commanded by a
major general as is also the field army.
The Army" in its entirety consists
OF as many field armies as a country
is able to muster, plus the entire mill
tGry organization and its accessories.
There are a few slight differences
between the cavalry and the infantry
organizations, for the infantry com
pany in cavalry terms becomes a troop
ard battalion a squadron.
In the artillery branch of the service
there are several subdivisions. AT the
present time we hear much about the
coast artillery, which is made up of
fixed or stationary cannon, set in bat
tories made up of two or more guns
within proper Notifications at various
strategic points where they may eff
fcctively oppose naval attacks. Artil-
Levy for Notifications is of a character
similar TO coast artillery. Siege guns
are OF as heavy a caliber or power as
the guns used in Notifications but are
mounted so that they may be moved
by motor power or train from one
point to another. Field, horse, and
mountain artillery are exactly what
their names imply-the mobile adapt
able guns of an army.
Such are the three main farms" of
the army. The smallest unit in which
any two of these "arms" are Joined is
the cavalry brigade, which sometimes
contains light artillery, But we may
call the brigade the largest unmixed
unit, while The division is the smallest
mixed" unit; that is. the smallest
unit made up of infantry, cavalry and
artillery The stren 9Th of n fiaId army