250 CHAPTER XII.

THE OPPOSING FORCES.— THE ARMIES.

i.— The United States Ar?ny.

had splendid exercise in scouting, andnow and then a taste of actual warfare in the wayof a sharp fight with Indians or outlaws. The infantry were dispersed in detachments, mostly in the west— on theMexican frontier, andalong the States on bothsides of the Rockies— with a few regiments in the great cities. It was very seldom, however,that an American general saw even two regiments of his command together. And the assembly ofa force of all three arms for manSuvres or field training wasunheard of.

ALTHOUGH the war between Spain and the LA UnitedStateswas,in the first instance, a ■*-*■conflict on the sea depending solely on naval power, the undertaking to expel the Spaniards from Cuba implied the landing of a considerable military force in the island. But the United States possesses in ordinary times the smallest regular army maintained by any great power. And the first efforts of the administration had to be devoted to the difficult task of creating an army at very brief notice to supplement the small force actually available.

The last official return of the regular army of The regular army had no reserve. But by law everyState was supposed to keep on foot an efficient militia force, in which all able-bodied men between the ages of eighteen and fortyfour wereliable to be called to serve. After the war there had been a reaction from military ideas, and in most of the States the local military organisation was neglected, and had fallen into a condition of inefficiency for real war. The men were enlisted voluntarily, and in most regiments elected their own officers. In some of the great cities— in New York, Boston, andChicago— there were well-equipped and well-trained battalions. But in many places there were so-called military organisations, which were really only clubs for recreation purposes, some of the militia regiments not possessing a dozen serviceable rifles for each company. There were also in some States troops of volunteer cavalry (mostly mounted rifles) and batteries of artillery, the most useful of these being the artillery corps trained for service in coast batteries. In some States the local troops were knownas the NationalGuard, in others as the State Militia or Volunteers. Originally raised for home defence, it had been decided by the Supreme Court that they were liable for service beyond the frontiers of the Republic when called out for duty by the President. Thestatistics of the State Militia on. January 1st, 1898, were: the United States before the war, dated June 30th,1897, showed that the army then consisted of 27,532 officers and men. The following are the chief details:— Officers. Men. Total. iocavalry regiments ... ... 447 6,010 6,457 5 artillery regiments 290 3.934 4.224 25infantry regiments 910 12,871 13,781 Engineers,ordnance department, West Point Military Academy, hospital and signal service, Indianscouts, etc 532 2,538 3.°7° Total 2,179 25,353 27,532 The 9th and 10th cavalry and the 24th and 25th infantry were composed of negro soldiers with whiteofficers.

During the negotiations that preceded the war, Congress passed an Act for the enrolment of two new regiments of regular artillery (the 6th and 7th), and these were being recruited and organisedwhen the war began.

The officers of the regular army were allmen whohad receiveda thorough military education at West Point. The generals had all seen actual service in the Civil War and the Indian border campaigns. The men were recruitedby voluntary enlistment. But with such a small army the Government was able to offer terms to the rank and file that gave themthe pick of the best material in the country. A free kit on a liberal scale, free rations, and three pounds a month, with no deductions— this is what the private of the United States regular army receives, and his pay rises rapidly onpromotion to corporal or sergeant. The cavalry engaged, as they mostly were, on police duties in the Indian districts and along the Mexican border Total authorised strength,116,125 Actuallyon the rolls: General Staff Officers 1,39* Cavalry 5-29° Artillery 4.9°6 Infantry 101,873 Total 113.460