american military history final

EQ1 — What was Emory Upton’s plan? What did he want?

Less civilian army control; larger and more powerful general staff'; larger regular army organized on the expansible army concept

To what extent did that Army exist, or not exist in World War I, in terms of raising manpower, training, and a more professional officer corps?

Professionalization through schooling, professional journals; national defense act 1916; ROTC, land grants

What factors may have inhibited more of his vision from being realized?

Resistance of the public and thus Congress (1878) to greater military control and rejection of the American military tradition and volunteers

What are the 3 main roles of the US army in the late 19th century?

Enforce Reconstruction; frontier constabulary in the west; suppress labor unrest

How did army leaders feel about late 19th century roles for the military?

roles were temporary and the army must prepare to take on foreign armies

Emory Upton was

West Point graduate, influential officer who created infantry tactics (1867)

Upton’s concerns with military policy and reforms of the army

too much reliance on citizen soldiers; too much civilian control

Upton’s solutions to his concerns

large regular army with expansible concept; large general staff with independence and freedom from civilian control

Large general staff idea entails

peacetime military planning, intel gathering; military education system; large role of military in society

Stephen b. Luce

Pushed for more technology and education in the navy; creation of Naval War College in 1884

Expansion of military education

Artillery schools, naval war college, US naval institute, professional journals

Imperialism was based on

social darwinism

Imperialism was driven by the concept of

“The White Man’s Burden” or “Manifest Destiny”

Imperialism drove

the creation of a stronger navy

Alfred Thayer Mahan’s argument

all great powers have great navies, great powers need commerce and a great navy, great navies need overseas bases

Spanish American War began

Cuban revolution; Spanish brutally suppress and Americans side with cubans

Spanish ambassador Depuis Delome and the Delome Letter

President McKinley as “weak and spineless”; prompted Americans to be angry with the Spanish

US justification for the Spanish American War

explosion of the USS Maine

Teller Amendment

Cuba would be liberated, not annexed; fight for freedom and independence

First Spanish american war battle occurred in the

Phillippines; Battle of Manila Bay

Early Spanish american war

Admiral George Dewy destroys a Spanish fleet in the Pacific

Santiago Bay

Admiral William Sampson blockades Cuba in Santiago Bay

3 army battles in the Spanish american war

San Juan hill; Kettle hill; El Caney

Marines

capture Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for naval base

End of Spanish American War

capture of Guam and Puerto Rico, Philippines; treaty ratified in 1899

Factors aiding military reform

Spanish American War; Progressive movement; manifest destiny

Spanish american war showed bad army performance in that

war department and military system was disorganized, chaotic, and unable to handle or mobilize thousands of troops

Issues that prompted public outcry post Spanish american war

more killed by disease than combat, leading to federal investigation and reform momentum in the 1900s

Morrill Land Grant Act

1862, provided fed. funding for state colleges focusing on ag and practical science

Morrill Land Grant Act 2

1890, requires black colleges or black students to attend white colleges

black land grant schools were unique in that

they couldn’t carry rifles, study tactics; often just did drill and wore uniforms

southern land grant schools were unique in that

they functioned as military schools

southern military tradition and the lost cause

idea the south is more militaristic; set of beliefs, facts, and myths that southerners use to explain what happened to them

how was the lost cause militaristic/contributing to southern military tradition

glorified the confederate soldier, emphasis on valor and sacrifice, huge portions of main leaders in society as confederate veterans

spanish american war as an opportunity for north/south reconciliation

appointment of southerners as generals in the war; allowance of confederates to be buried on federal grounds

battleship navy and the new marine role

acquiring advanced naval bases and defending them with modern comms, artillery, and land based weaponry

Elihu Root

secretary of war 1899; supported a German style general staff system; increased professionalization; reform of national guard and militia system

National Defense Act

1916; organized the state militia into the National Guard which has 48 drills and 2 weeks of field training, established ROTC

Need for new lieutenants and captains, and the sources for junior officers

Land grant colleges that provide military training; Plattsburg Movement; ROTC

Plattsburg Movement

summer camps that were voluntary officer training programs for college students and businessmen

the American expansible army concept

professional army with a way to mobilize quickly, but without a draft

Mobilization for WWI flaw

does not follow expansible concept, requires a draft, rushed mobilization

WWI began

1914; US enters April 1917

unrestricted submarine warfare

germans base decisions on strength of american military and attempt to cutoff trade, gambling they can finish off the allies before Americans matter

14 points

national self determination; free trade; freedom of the seas; open diplomacy; make the world safe for democracy

advantages the US army had going into WWI

US had a large manpower pool with 2mil volunteers, though draft still needed with Selective Service Act; industrial strength gave economic power and shift to military production

disadvantages the US army had going into WWI

inexperience of senior officers in handling large armies; weak general staff system; amalgamation controversy; inadequate weaponry

amalgamation controversy

British and French wanted to split american troops, American general Pershing said no

John Jay Pershing and his flaw

American Expeditionary Force; tied to outdated doctrines like open warfare

Open warfare

“expert stalking rifleman” and initiative of small unit leaders; did not take into account modern weaponry and instead focused on marksmanship

Trench warfare and combined arms doctrine

limited attacks and counterattacks, use of wire and radio comms, launch carefully coordinated and planned limited offensives

Battle of Cantigny and significance

1918; shows the 1st division attempting to master trench warfare and combined arms; heavy casualties; important for morale and confidence of US

Belleau Wood and significance

1918; shows american divisions are learning to fight combined arms; huge morale boost for US; cemented the reputation of the marines as an unbeatable land fighting force; army jealousy and bitterness towards marines

Germany based its strategic decisions in 1917 and 1918 on

its appraisal of american military strength

progressivism

response to problems of urban society; progressives had faith that government and trained professionals could and should solve problems

how southern military schools used lost cause ideas

participated in confederate traditions; involvement in postwar confederate organizations; idea that training young men as soldiers was a good thing

Marine Corps original role

sentries on naval warships that prevent mutinies, fought consistently for their place in the military

The Influence of Sea Power Upon History

Alfred Thayer Mahan’s 1890 argument for a battleship navy

Dodge Report

February 1899, investigation of the War Dept. management of the Spanish American War

Dodge Report discoveries

administrative inefficiencies but no corruption present; hasty mobilization of too many men; long neglect of the army; primitive medical knowledge