Search results

A segment in US history is examined, from the late 1870's to the early 1880's, during which Ed's, writers & a few congressmen endeavored to illustrate to the public & the Congress the importance of the military as a force of nat'l integration. It is seen that the ideal of the soldier with a sense of purpose was strongly contrasted with the reality of dust & drudgery in post civil war army life & the drabness of frontier service. 3 problems of that time, (1) the Utah problems, (2) the Indian menace, & (3) the question of continental defense, are discussed on the basis of editorial writing of that period & of documented military policies. An army reform was proposed, but remained largely unfulfilled. It is concluded that the writers & Ed's of the period were aware of the changing relationship of a peacetime military force to democratic gov. For many, as in earlier decades, a peacetime standing army was a menace to gov'al instit's, but the reformers of the 1870's & 1880's were prepared to accept & use the army for nat'l needs. They wanted to employ the army in solving pressing nat'l problems-riots, Indians, Mormons, & defense. The army, they believed, could & should be altered to cope with these issues, & be made efficient & used as a constructive force for the welfare of the nation. M. Maxfield.