Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-03-29

now in the federal service will not be
mustered out:
Thirteenth Pennsylvania. A and B.
companies Of the LIST Georgia.
N. E. A MILITARY DEPARTMENT.
Division of the United States into
six instead Of the existing four military
departments was announced by the
war department In the following state
ment:
ITO facilitate decentralization Of
command the United States is divided
into six military departments in place
Of the four now existing. The new or
CARNATIONS become effective May II.
1917. and comprise the following:
"A-Northeastern department. to
embrace the States Of Maine. New Hamp-
shire. Vermont. Massachusetts. Rhode
Island and Connecticut. Headquarters
at Boston.
"B-Eastern department. to embrace the
States Of New York. New Jersey. Pennsyl-
vania. Delaware. Maryland and Virginia,
West Virginia, District of Columbia, the
canal zone and the Island Of Porto Rico
with the islands and keys adjacent
thereto. Headquarters at Governors
island.
"C-Southeastern department to embrace
the States of Tennessee North Carolina,
| South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama and Mississippi, together with the
I coast defenses Of New Orleans and the
coast defenses Of Galveston. Headquarters
at Charleston, 8. c.
, "D-Central department to embrace the
States Of Kentucky. Ohio. Michigan.
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
North Dakota. South Dakota. Iowa,
Missouri. Kansas. Nebraska. Wyoming.
and Colorado. Headquarters at Chicago.
| T-Southern department. to en-
brace the State OF Louisiana Except
the coast defenses at New Orleans).
Texas except the coast defenses at
Galveston). Arkansas Oklahoma, New
Mexico. and Arizona Headquarters al
| Fort Sam Houston. Texas.
"F-Western department, to embrace
the States Of Washington. oregon, Ida
no. Montana, California. Nevada. Utah
and the territory of Alaska. Head
., quarters at San Francisco.
Major General Leonard Wood will
command the southeastern department
and Major General ]. Franklin Bell will
command the eastern department. Ma
jor- General Hunter Liggett will COM
mand the western department, and
Brigadier- General Clarence r. Edwards
will command the northeastern depart
ment. Brigadier- eGeneral Edward II
Plummer will command the troops In
the Panama canal zone. Other depart.
ment commanders will remain as al
! present"
Congress must determine the system
under which an army Is to be raised. To
days action provides more elastic ma
chinery. found necessary as a result Of
the recent border mobilization. for thu
enrolling and training Of a great army
whether raised as volunteers. by conscrip
ton or through universal service bill.
The object Of the creation Of the new
departments Of the northeast and south
east was to distribute among three cen
trail commanders the work of mobiliza.
ton in the States most thiclly populated
and from which the greatest number o
soldiers must come. The present eastern
department directed the mobilization o
approximately 50 per cent OF the 1900
guardsmen sent to the border. With 40,
900 men, the maximum authorized strength
Of the National Guard called out In add
ton to whatever volunteers might b
summoned. the task would be too grea
For a single departmental organization be
cause Of the vastness OF the supply prob
lens Lrvolved.