Evening star., 1918-03-31

Maj. Gen. Henry P. Mccain. U. S. A.
| has increased its
The Adjutant force until it is
c, about Quadruple
oanoe' what 1t was at
the beginning of the war. and its
duties have increased about fortyfold.
| but kept up to time.
As the official correspondent and re-
| corder of the Army. its mail and filing
matter has multiplied at least thirty
| times but by virtue of its adoption of
| methods and machinery of the best or
ganizers and accountants, and applica-
| tion. its work in this respect is cur
| rent, and red tape is cut to a mini
mum.
The adjutant generals Office has been
engaged in raising the volunteer forces
to their war strength and in selecting
and appointing officers to command
them and the National Army in select
Ing Army field clerks. guarding prison
ers and interned aliens, and in keeping
| complete record of every man sent
abroad. 1t has supervised the growth
and personnel organization of the
Army to its present strength of more
than 1,650.000 men.
II created training camps for officers;
1t prepared and distributed appoint
ments and commissions; maintained the
recruiting service at the highest pitch /;
Issued the thousands of special orders
assigning officers to duty, general or
ders and bulletins.
There were at the beginning of the
war but $500 officers In the Regular
l4,000 more in the guard and the Of
f1cers' reserve, constituted the total
available force, and nearly 100, 900 were
needed. To meet the crisis training
camps Tor officers were created and the
duty has fallen upon the adjutant gem
eral to select and appoint nearly 120,-
600 young men to an intensive course of
three months training. Within twelve
days after the papers from the camps
reached the Office from the first camp
II had examined 10000 papers, and in
one day it issued 1881 appointments.
The entire Office worked day and night
to carry this through. but as a result
the officers were ready in the canton
ments when the National ARMY men
began to arrive
The office supervision of the train
ing camps was centered in Col. Will
liam T. Johnston, U. S. A, and two of
ncer assistants, with an adequate cleri-
cal force.
The Office is handling about $4,000
S,tU
day in 1915 The clerical force has in
creased from 4S3 to 1888. and the
commissioned force from % to 314 Of
ficers.
Some interesting figures in regard to
the Army's strength have recently be-
come available. Prior
Strength of to the beginning of
4ha s, the war the strength
was 5,7s1 officers and 121,797 enlisted
men, and 1t has increased to 10,69s Of
ficers and 503,142 enlisted men. about
! two-thirds of whom are enlisted nor for
the usual four-year term, but for the
war. AS the number of officers in tho
regular establishment has been NOT
quite doubled and the staff greatly in
creased, 1t is plain that, with the en-
listed force increased four times, the
Regular Army has had to take officers
from outside it's own force.
| The National Guard in the federal
service mas increased from 3,733 officers
ana 1913 enlisted men to 1888 Of
ncers ana 4al,5s3 enlisted men. Since
over thousand of the guard officers
| nave Tor some reason or other retired
from the organization, it is manifest
! that many new officers had to come
| from somewhere to make UP the com
pIement- In view of the terrible fYght
| ing which events of the last few days
| indicate they must meet it appears tba
they need the best of officers without
| regard TO sentiment or local influences
ana II is source of anxiety to some
that their regimental and some brigade
| ofhcers have not had better opportunIty
for training than that afforded by
camps and the limited experience on the
border in 1916.
1 he
at the beginning of the war has grown
| from 1000 enlisted men to 96.210 of1-
| GERS and 1850 enlisted men: the latter
group of officers include graduates OF
othcers training camps and many with
out that special training appointed from
| CIVIL life to positions in the Medical
Corps, Signal Corps, ordnance and quar-
termaster departments.
Part of the officers for the Regular
Army were obetained by praduatfne
two classes from West Point. one three
months, the other a year, before its
time.
Thus the strength of the Army of the
united states has in year increased
from 1924 officers and 202,510 enlisted
men to 123.S01 officers and l.5oS. 924 en-
listed men.
The return of Gen. Leonard Wood
and his statement before the Senate
4 military committee at the
The General very time the great Ger
c+aT man drive was in full
swing has created as
great a shock as the shells from the
mysterious seventy-mile gun have in
fiicted upon the Parisians
Il There can be no adverse criticism OF
the general staff of the United States
Army, for the simple reason that it has
in the true sense of the word, none to
criticise. The little body of educated
and able officers who occupy rooms
bearing the title General Stan" in the
Army and Navy building in Washing
ton are not vested with authority
enough without obtaining somebody's
approval to organize and control a
regiment, let alone organize. supply