Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 02.djvu/69

ARMY ORGANIZATION. telegraphers are organized in a different way in almost every existing army. In the United States and Great Britain, the Signal Corps will, in time of war, be augmented by telegraphers from civil life. In Germany one of the companies of a pioneer battalion is a telegraph company, while France has a field-telegraph battalion, as the fortification telegraph is in the hands of the engineers; Russia and Italy have a field-telegraph company for each army corps, and Austria-Hungary has a field formation of about 50 officers and 2000 men for this service.

are also variously organized in the different armies, but most of the more important nations either already possess or are organizing balloon sections, which are either under the engineers or under the telegraphers, though in a few cases they are independent units. Germany has a balloon section, one company in strength, attached to the railroad engineer brigade; France has one company of balloonists attached to each of the engineer regiments, and in time of war these will be augmented to 8 field sections, 4 fortification sections, and one depot section; and several other nations have balloon companies and parks—namely, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland.

are formed into detachments and are used by all the great nations for orderly service, outpost, and reconnaissance duty and in fortifications for messenger duty. The troops are generally taken from the ranks, and have as yet no definite organization, although many forms have been tested in the autumn manœuvres. In France, the 2 companies organized in 1899 consisted each of 5 officers, 9 sergeants, 8 corporals, 2 trumpeters, 4 mechanics, and 100 privates.

have also been used on a large scale, especially in Italy and France, not only in permanent stations, but also with cavalry on the march.

In the principal European armies every battalion has its own medical officer, and most of them have attendants as a permanent part of the regimental cadre, in addition to the company bearers. In Germany a hospital corps detachment, for discovering and removing the wounded on the battlefield, establishing dressing stations and giving first aid, comprises 7 surgeons, 1 apothecary, 8 hospital stewards, 8 attendants, 191 bearers, and 12 ambulance wagons. A field hospital, for about 200 patients, has 5 surgeons, 1 apothecary, 9 hospital stewards, and 12 attendants with 6 wagons. In the United States the sanitary organization of a corps proper comprises one medical director and a reserve of hospital corps men and material for about 2000 patients; a division has a bearer company, an ambulance company, and a field hospital for 500 patients; to each division, brisade, battalion, squadron, and battery is assigned a medical officer and a certain number of non-commissioned officers and privates of the Hospital Corps. In the field, the bearer company establishes a dressing station, and hunts up and carries the wounded to it, while the ambulance company conveys the wounded, after the first bandaging and attendance, to the field hospitals. General hospitals (not, as a rule, under the general commanding in the field) are established farther to the rear.

The police of an army in the field usually receives a military organization. In most armies the police is a separate body of troops, but in the United States, troops are detailed from the army to act as provost guard—for a division about one company, and for an army corps about one battalion. In Germany the Landgendarmerie is organized into brigades. In France the gendarmerie is an integral part of the army, and is organized into legions (one to each army corps), commanded by a field officer, and subdivided into companies (one to each department), commanded by a captain, and these into circuits, commanded by a lieutenant.

The term train is applied not only to the wagons of an army, but also to the troops who drive them. In all countries except the United States these troops are specially organized and trained for the purpose, but in the United States Army the train (except the ammunition column) has always been under the quartermaster's department, and the men have been detailed from the nearest organizations. In France the train is composed of train squadrons (one to each army corps), composed each of 3 companies, with a strength per squadron, in time of war, of 2300 men and 3500 horses. In Germany it comprises troops organized into battalions (one for each army corps), composed each of 3 companies, the battalion having a strength, in time of peace, of 14 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers, 252 privates, and 190 horses. The ammunition column, in the United States, is attached to the corps artillery, and is under an artillery officer; it is divided into four sections (one for each division, and one for the corps artillery). The men of the ammunition column are the reserves for the batteries, and number about two batteries in strength. The supply train (carrying five days' rations and forage) is part of the corps train, as is also the baggage train and a horse depot, containing a reserve of 100 horses and 100 mules. The number of wagons required for the train varies much, and in Europe the number allowed for each unit is prescribed. During the Civil War the proportion of wagons in the Army of the Potomac was gradually reduced from 49 to 22 per 1000 men. One of these army corps required about 1086 wagons, while to the German army corps is allowed in all 2150. An important feature of the organization of the army is the (q.v.), which may be either military or administrative. This branch, together with the subjects of , , and, will be found discussed under the appropriate heads; while the actual use and operation of an army and its component parts are treated under for the historical development of these arms in which the changes in organization are discussed. Ancient and modern armies will be found treated under, where the statistics of the leading armies of the world are given. Under each of these articles will be found a bibliography. The works of reference mentioned in the article on, will be found, in most cases, to deal with the closely related subject of organization. Among these may be mentioned Wagner, Organization and Tactics (Kansas City, 1896), and Jerram, Armies of the World (London and New York, 1900).
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