Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

---

Militia, United States

The pressure of wars with the Indians in the Northwest forced Congress to undertake the organization of the militia throughout the Union. This was a difficult task, for at once there was a conflicting claim for authority in the matter between the national and State governments. The President called the attention of Congress to the subject on Aug. 7, 1789. Immediate action was taken. The matter was referred to a committee, but they did not report that session, and a new committee was appointed Jan. 15, 1790. A plan was arranged by General Knox, Secretary of War. A bill was offered on July 1, 1790, but there were no further proceedings on the subject during that session. Soon after the assembling of the third session of the first Congress, another committee was appointed (Dec. 10, 1790) by the House of Representatives, and a bill reported, but no result was reached at that session. The President, in his message at the opening of the second Congress, called attention to it, and another committee was appointed (Oct. 31, 1791). A bill for the organization of the militia passed the House of Representatives, and the Senate made amendments which the House would not agree to. A committee of conference was appointed, and the bill was passed March 27, 1792. Some amendments were made the next session, and the militia system then adopted remained, with very little alteration, until the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861.

It provided for a geographical arrangement of the militia by the State legislatures into companies, battalions, regiments, brigades, and divisions; each company to consist of sixty-four men, each battalion of five companies, each regiment of two battalions, and each brigade of four regiments. Each company, battalion, [184] regiment, and division was officered as now, except that the commander of a regiment held the rank of lieutenant-colonel. This arrangement was long perpetuated in the regular army, as well as in the militia. The rank of colonel, however, had been established in both services. There was provision made for one company of light troops to each battalion, and at least one company of artillery and one of horse to each division, to be formed out of volunteers, and to be clad in uniform at their own expense. Each State was to appoint an adjutant-general for the general superintendence of the whole militia system. Every able-bodied male citizen between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years, with certain exceptions, was to be enrolled in the militia by the captain of the company within whose bounds he might reside; such citizen to arm and equip himself and appear for exercise when called. This law simply adopted the system as it stood in each State. By another act it authorized the President, in case of invasion by any foreign nation or Indian tribe, or imminent danger thereof, or in case of insurrection in any State, application being made by its legislature or its executive, to call forth the militia of the State or States most convenient to the scene of action. Whenever there should be an invasion, or insurrection, or combination to resist the laws too strong to be suppressed by the civil authorities, the President was authorized to call out the

Table showing the condition of the State militia on Dec. 1, 1900.

States and Territories.	Official Designation of State Troops.	Generals and Gen'l Staff.	Cavalry.	Artillery.	Infantry.	Total Number Auhorized.	Total Liable to Military Service.	State Appropriations.
Alabama	Alabama State Troops	24	191	158	1,949	7,788	170,000	1
Alaska	No organized militia	6			163	2	12,00	3
Arizona	National Guard of Arizona	17			382	898	17,200	$4,710
Arkansas	Arkansas State Guard	63	99	140	1,630	4	262,000	5
California	National Guard of California	55	258		2,991	6,471	250,000	154,247
Colorado	National Guard of Colorado	18	181	46	897	6	100,000	37,000
Connecticut	National Guard of Connecticut	16	73	37	2,168	4,108	107,000	138,450
Delaware	National Guard of Delaware	17			449	750	29,000	5,000
District of Columbia	National Guard District of Columbia	14		43	1,213	3,320	50,000	31,325
Florida	Florida State Troops	91			1,167	1,458	85,000	16,000
Georgia	Georgia Volunteers	15	390	142	3,416	12,344	290,000	25,000
Gnam	Guam Volunteers				42		1,200	7
Hawaii	Hawaiian National Guard	7	93		790	2,000	4,000	8
Idaho	Idaho National Guard	6			566	21,000	27,000	1,000
Illinois	Illinois National Guard	103	365	200	6,535	10,626	800,000	205,000
Indiana	Indiana Legion	13		121	739	4,601	550,000	45,000
Indian Territory	Indian Territory Militia9					10	5,000	11
Iowa	Iowa National Guard	26	41		1,806	3,694	350,000	50,200
Kansas	Kansas National Guard	6		93	1,090	2,131	110,000	29,1.50
Kentucky	Kentucky National Guard	7			1,762	3,500	415,000	7,000
Louisiana	Louisiana State National Guard	16	39	678	780	12	140,000	21,000
Maine	National Guard State of Maine	6			1,252	2,051	110,000	33,000
Maryland	Maryland National Guard	15	71		1,806	2,700	210,000	50,000
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Volunteer Militia	38	246	1,027	3,874	6,592	460,000	323,900
Michigan	Michigan National Guard	8			2,800	3,429	280,000	90,000
Minnesota	National Guard of Minnesota	20		138	2,322	3,729	200,000	51,000
Mississippi	Mississippi National Guard	28	95	279	928	1,800	235,000	6,000
Missouri	National Guard of Missouri	4			2,444	3,000	415,000	10,000
Montana	National Guard of Montana	9		60		1,124	34,000	10,000
Nebraska	Nebraska National Guard	1	63	63	950	2,113	100,000	15,000
Nevada	Nevada National Guard	1			154	13	5,500	2,000
New Hampshire	New Hampshire National Guard	15	66	73	1,267	1,699	35,000	30,000
New Jersey	National Guard of New Jersey	43	130	140	3,397	5,127	390,000	174,000
New Mexico	National Guard of New Mexico	3	115	11	274	1,128	40,000	31,325
New York	National Guard State of New York	69	343	370	13,448	18,000	950,000	575,000
North Carolina	North Carolina National Guard	17		23	1,618	5,000	250,000	6,000
North Dakota	North Dakota National Guard	9	51	56	557	933	37,000	11,000
Ohio	Ohio National Guard	21	49	200	4,171	9,486	650,000	191,000
Oklahoma	Oklahoma National Guard	5			498	2,164	62,000	14
Oregon	Oregon National Guard	7	47	74	925	1,585	62,000	30,000
Pennsylvania	National Guard Pennsylvania	178	240	284	9,334	11,103	900,000	350,000
Porto Rico	Porto Rico Battalion				600	1,000	170,000	15
Rhode Island	Brigade of Rhode Island Militia	19	111	98	786	1,030	69,000	37,500
Samoa	Samoan Volunteers				68		400	16
South Carolina	South Carolina Volunteer State Troops.	9	865	96	2,058	5,000	110,000	8,000
South Dakota	South Dakota National Guard	3	46		52	1,000	53,000	6,700
Tennessee	National Guard State of Tennessee	2			1,480	3,000	165,000	14,000
Texas	Texas Volunteer Guard	50	191	210	2,793	17	350,000	5,000
Utah	National Guard of Utah	15	21		286	1,000	40,000	10,000
Vermont	National Guard of Vermont	18		76	617	18	45,000	9,500
Virginia	Virginia Volunteers	2	50	190	805	5,176	300,000	11,200
Washington	National Guard of Washington	11	73	54	669	1,877	96,000	19
West Virginia	West Virginia National Guard	20	20		945	8,359	130,000	16,700
Wisconsin	Wisconsin National Guard	8	67	69	2,692	3,122	400,000	100,000
Wyoming	Wyoming National Guard				348	1,078	180,000	5,000
Grand aggregates		911	4,576	5,459	96,899	199,694	11,448,300	$3,282,407

The total organized force is 105,845. [185] militia in such numbers as he might deem necessary.

The militia of the States and Territories constitute primarily an armed local constabulary that may be called out by the governor as commander-in-chief on the request of a sheriff or other local authority to aid in the enforcement of law, preserve order, etc. In the Civil War as well as that against Spain the bulk of the volunteer army of the United States was drawn from the militia of the States, and in their more extended service these soldiers lose for the time being their State organization and become subject wholly to the orders of the President.

The table on opposite page, compiled by Capt. W. R. Hamilton, U. S. A., shows the condition of the State militia on Dec. 1, 1900.