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The Modernization of the National Guard (1900-1916)
History of The Iowa National Guard
CW2 David L. Snook
America’s mobilization for the Spanish-American War
demonstrated that both the Regular Army and the National Guard
were unprepared for modern warfare. Subsequent battlefield
successes notwithstanding, the need for reform was clear to all.
The process of reform was initiated, in 1899, by the
distinguished Secretary of War, Elihu Root. Advances in weapons,
training, financing and organization aided the Regular Army but
failed to benefit the National Guard. In 1902, Major General
Charles W. Dick, commander of the Ohio Division of the National
Guard and a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, became
president of the National Guard Association. General Dick,
working with Secretary of War Root, proposed legislation which
would place the National Guard on an equal footing with the
Regular Army. The final version of the law was a compromise
between what National Guard Association wanted – an
organization properly funded, equipped and trained, and what many
career officers of the Regular Army wanted – a federally
oriented reserve force, freed from state control.
The 1903 Dick
Act, which replaced the old Militia Act of 1792, divided all male
citizens between the ages of 18 and 45 into the organized militia
(National Guard) and the reserve militia. In addition, it
mandated that, within five years, the organization, pay,
discipline and equipment of the National Guard be the same as
that of the Regular Army. Increased federal funding would
compensate Guardsmen for summer training camps and joint
maneuvers with the Regular Army. States were required to hold at
least 24 drills (instructional periods) each year, and some
National Guard officers could now attend Regular Army schools.
The War Department assigned Regular Army officers to each state
as advisors, instructors and inspectors and enabled states to
exchange outdated weapons and equipment for current issue. The
War Department also created the Division of Militia Affairs., the
forerunner of the National Guard Bureau, to oversee National
Guard organization and training.
Membership in the
National Guard remained voluntary, and governors retained control
over National Guard mobilization. The Dick Act’s nine-month
limit on federal service was an improvement over previous
restrictions. Most National Guard leaders, however, favored
removing all limits to federal service. A 1908 amendment lifted
the nine-month restriction and permitted Guardsmen to serve
outside the continental United States.
The Dick Act was
a landmark. It created a stronger and more professional National
Guard to serve as the nation’s second line of defense. To
some extent, the new law formalized many already existing
practices. In Iowa, Regular Army advisors had attended annual
encampments since the late 1880s, and Guard units had
participated in joint maneuvers with Regular Army personnel since
the 1890s. Increased federal funding permitted more regular
inspections. It also encouraged more joint-training activities. A
rotation system was developed so that each year one of the Iowa
Guard’s four infantry regiments could train with Regular
Army troops at Fort Riley, Kansas. The quantity and quality of
equipment also improved. In 1903, the entire Iowa National Guard
was equipped with the 30 caliber United States Magazine rifle,
and officers were issued revolvers, holsters and new regulation
sabers.
Increased federal
funding for training and equipment allowed the state to spend a
greater portion of its military budget on facilities and training
areas. In 1907, the Iowa General Assembly established a permanent
Iowa National Guard training site on 78.5 acres of land located
just north and west of Des Moines. In 1910, the place was named
Camp Dodge. The development of Camp Dodge was slow but steady. A
"modern, well-equipped" rifle range was completed in
1908, and permanent buildings, including a new state arsenal,
were completed in 1914 and 1915. Additional land purchases
expanded Camp Dodge to 571 acres by 1917.
The increased
level of both federal and state support was soon to bear concrete
results. In August of 1907, the first all-Iowa encampment took
place. The entire Guard of the state participated in field
maneuvers held at the new state training site (Camp Dodge) and
surrounding areas. In these "war games," Colonel James
Rush Lincoln, commander of the 55th Infantry, led the
Brown Army, while Colonel Frank W. Bishop, commander of the 54th
Infantry, led the Blue Army. Guard officers would later describe
the maneuvers as "the greatest field service rendered by
them, not excepting their participation in like service with
United States troops at Fort Riley." (1908 Adjutant
General’s Report)
In 1908, the Iowa
Guard was armed with the new Springfield rifle, model 1903. The
new Iowa State Rifle Range at Camp Dodge was completed that same
year. A training rotation was soon developed that included annual
qualification firing for all units within the state. An All-Iowa
Rifle Team was organized. It would consistently place high at the
National Rifle Competition held annually at Camp Perry, Ohio. The
1910 team finished fourth, defeating "all National Guard
teams and one of the Service teams." Two members of the Iowa
team, Captain Fred Hird and Sergeant John Jackson, went on to
earn spots on the 1912 Olympic team.
The period from
1900 to 1916 saw a remarkable transformation in the National
Guard, both nationally and in Iowa. Improvements in facilities,
training and evaluation produced a well-trained, well-equipped
military force, which could be could be confidently called on to
support the Regular Army in any future emergency. Fortunately,
the reforms were completed just in time to prepare the Guard for
its next challenges – the Mexican Border Service of 1916 and
World War I.
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