Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/803

UNITED STATES. 1900—the American casualties numbered 32 killed and 77 wounded. For the first time since the Revolution the United States Army fought side by side with European troops, and the professional benefit derived from the association was well worth the cost. In certain respects the practical excellence of the American troops was conceded.

On February 2, 1901, Congress authorized a permanent increase of the Army (discretionary with the President except artillery) not to exceed 100,000 men, including 12,000 native troops for service in Porto Rico and the Philippines. This force consisted of 15 regiments of cavalry, 30 of infantry, one of engineers, a corps of artillery, and the staff departments. In June of that year all volunteers were mustered out. In July, 1902, the President, in the exercise of the discretion vested in him by law, the United States having recognized the independence of Cuba and having placed the greater part of the Philippine Islands under civil government, materially reduced the army to the aggregate strength shown in the following table:

The most radical change in the organization was that of the artillery. For many years, nominally it was regimental, but practically the unit for administration and operation was the battery. The system of coast defense lacked cohesion, consisting simply of a number of independent posts commanded by officers, who, having reached the rank of field officer after thirty or forty years' service, as light battery commanders in the Civil War, or with infantry garrisons in peace, were content to rest on their laurels. Under the influence of Secretary of War Root, the seven regiments of artillery (after a long struggle, professional and political) were merged into a corps, supervised by a chief (selected from the fourteen colonels), with his station at the headquarters of the Army, and consisting of 126 companies of coast artillery and 30 batteries of field artillery. These were grouped within a number of artillery districts, and each district placed under command of a competent field officer.

At the same time, a plan of instruction for young officers was devised—an elaboration of the post-graduate schools existing at the opening of the war with Spain—and the following institutions were created: A War College at Washington, a General Service and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, a Cavalry and Light Artillery School at Fort Riley, an Engineer School at Washington Barracks, and a School of Submarine Defense at Fort Totten, N. Y. A large appropriation was made in 1902 for permanent camp grounds and the erection of additional barracks and quarters at certain military posts, at which large garrisons may be concentrated. See 
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