Page:Kansas A Cyclopedia of State History vol 1.djvu/102

 But such was not the case. It was an armed force, the strength of which has been variously estimated at from 500 to 1,100 men, organized by David R. Atchison and one of the Stringfellows, whose policy was banishment or extermination of all free-state men in the territory. The "army" was divided into two regiments, with Atchison as com- mander-in-chief. The headquarters of the organization were at Little Santa Fe on the Missouri border, some 15 miles south of Westport. Among the outrages committed by this force was that of robbing the Quaker mission, because the Quakers were "nigger stealers." The cattle and horses belonging to the mission were driven off, articles of value were appropriated, and for a time the mission was broken up. In the latter part of Aug., 1856, the "army" was preparing for an attack upon the city of Lawrence, when the timely arrival of Gov. Geary put a stop to the proceedings. The Army of Law and Order was a part of the militia disbanded by Gov. Geary, and it was never reorganized. (See Woodson's and Geary's Administrations.)

 Army Service School.— As early as 1870 Gen. John Pope, then commanding the Department of the Missouri, urged the establishment of a school for teaching military tactics, etc., and recommended that it be located at Fort Leavenworth. He repeated his suggestions several times before Gen. W. T. Sherman, commanding the army of the United States, laid the foundation of the infantry and cavalry school in his General Orders No. 42, dated May 7, 1881. This order directed that steps be taken for the establishment of a school of application for the infantry and cavalry, similar to that for the artillery at Fortress Monroe, Va. The school was to be made up of three field officers of cavalry and infantry; not less than four companies of infantry and four troops of cavalry; one battery of light artillery, and the officers detailed for instruction from each regiment of cavalry or infantry, not exceeding the rank of lieutenant, who had not previously received professional instruction.

Col. Elwell S. Otis, of the Twentieth United States infantry, was as- signed to the command of the post and charged with the work of organizing the school, under a code of regulations similar to that in use at Fortress Monroe. General Orders No. 8, series of 1882, announced the organization of the school, issued certain regulations for its government, prescribed a course of instruction covering organization of troops, tactics, discipline and theoretical instruction.

The Spanish-American war caused a suspension of the school for four years, during which time there was a large increase in the army. Elihu Root, secretary of war, in his report for 1901, said: "In the reorganization of the enlarged army about 1,000 new officers have been added from the volunteer force, so that more than one-third of all the officers in the army have been without any opportunity whatever for systematic study of the science of war." He spoke highly of the work accomplished by the school before the war, and recommended its renewal.

As a result of his recommendations, General Orders No. 155, of the war department for 1901, directed that "The infantry and cavalry school