in the development of the breech-loading cannon and armor plate, and his improvements will be found discussed in the articles Ordnance and Armor Plate.
AR′MY. See Armies and Army Organization.
ARMY ADMIN′ISTRA′TION. See Army Organization.
ARMY CORPS, kōr. See Army Organization.
ARMY ESTIMATES. United States Army. The estimates furnished annually by the heads of the various branches of the War Department, giving a statement of their requirements, and the amount of money necessary for the same. The estimates are addressed to the secretary of war, who, in his report to the President, submits the same, together with his comments thereon. The President, in his turn, sends the estimates to Congress, upon which the House of Representatives draws up the Army Appropriation Bill, which is then sent to the Senate for final action. The appropriations are expended by the heads of departments, under the general direction of the Secretary of War, after which the final accounts are audited by the auditor for the War Department of the Treasury. The same general procedure obtains in all other civilized countries, varying only in details due to the various governmental constitutions.
ARMY OR′GANIZA′TION. The power of an army rests on two elements: Its material strength and its moral strength; the former depending on the character of its commanders and soldiers and its organization, the latter being determined by its discipline, the system of military education, and the national spirit. Organization, in a military sense, comprises, in general, all the measures taken to insure to the army a regular and normal working of all its parts, to provide it with all the necessary machinery, to obtain for it regularly all that it requires, to insure its proper instruction, to protect the rights and prescribe the duties of each individual by suitable regulations, to supply the personnel and material which it needs, and, finally, to provide all the means whereby nothing may be wanting to enable it to fight under the most favorable conditions. In a limited sense the word organization is also used to designate the composition or formation of any body of troops; but this is only a particular application of the general meaning of the word.
The entire theory of organization rests upon the principle of individual responsibility and subordination, so that, no matter how small or how great the number of individuals gathered together, some one is responsible, to whom the others must be subordinate. This responsibility and subordination are the great factors in the control of an army, and tactical organization may be defined as the arrangement of an army in such wise as to enable it, in whole or part, to respond at all times to the will of the commander, promptly and efficiently. One of the first elements of strength in an army is the skillful organization of its command, and in this all nations are agreed as to the necessity for unity—that is, for a commander-in-chief of the forces. Next in importance are the assistants to the commander-in-chief, viz. the staff and the entire corps of officers. Finally, arises the question of the number of men to be assembled under one leader, into bodies of various strength, their most advantageous subdivision, and the proportion of accessories of all kinds to be joined to the combatant forces. The army, then, is made up of a collection of units, differing according to the purpose of the organization. Thus, tactical units are the basis of organization for the tactical handling of troops in the field, while administrative units are the basis for administration and supply. A tactical unit is the largest body of men which can be directly commanded by the voice of a single commander. An administrative unit is the smallest organized subdivision having a complete administration of its own.
Infantry. The tactical unit of infantry in the great armies of the world is the battalion, composed of about 1000 men, and divided into four companies of about 250 men each. In the United States Army the battalion is of very variable strength in time of war, but is usually considerably smaller than the European battalion. The company, in this service, is divided into two platoons, and each platoon into two sections, each section is composed of two or three squads, each squad comprising a corporal and seven privates. In the great European armies there are slight differences, but in the main the subdivision is similar. In Germany, however, the company has three platoons, each divided into half-platoons, and these again into sections; while France has four platoons, subdivided into sections and squads. The administrative unit of infantry is the regiment of three battalions, normally, sometimes four. A brigade is composed of two regiments in Europe, of three in the United States. It is the largest unit composed exclusively of infantry.
Mounted Infantry. Great Britain is the only nation that has organized and developed mounted infantry, an arm which proved so effective on both sides in the Boer War (1899-1902) that it will probably form a part of all future war armies. This body of troops does not exist in an organized form in England in time of peace, but a certain number of men, selected and detailed from the forces, are trained for this service. In time of war each battalion receives one of the four sections of a company, and a cavalry division receives a battalion of 8 companies. Each company is composed of 5 officers and 123 men; each battalion of 48 officers and 1094 men.
Machine-Gun Batteries. Several nations have organized machine-gun batteries, not as artillery, but as a special kind of infantry or cavalry. In Great Britain, each infantry and cavalry brigade receives, in time of war, a section composed of 2 Maxim guns. In Switzerland each brigade of cavalry has a machine-gun company with 8 Maxims attached to it, which practically gives it the fire power of two companies of infantry, and at the same time an escort of great mobility.
Cavalry. The tactical unit of cavalry is the squadron of 150 sabres. In the United States service the squadron is composed of 4 troops, each of 100, war strength. The administrative unit is the regiment, composed of 4 field squadrons and 1 depot squadron in Germany; of 3 squadrons in the United States. The brigade, in Europe, consists normally of 2 regiments; in the United States service, of 3.
