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General Staff Corps est. 1903


roadrunner
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Hello

 

I collect items from the General Staff Corps.

Collecting is not only hunting for the next insignia ( I still do so ), also the history behind the items is interesting and need time to search the internet.

Here are a few informations I put together.

 

Michael

 

 

General Staff Corps

 

Feb 14, 1903

57th Congress Session II. Chapter 553

An Act To increase the efficiency of the Army.

General Staff established.

In effect August 15, 1903.

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/57th-congress/session-2/c57s2ch553.pdf

 

Feb 18, 1903

General Orders, No. 15

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE Washington, February 18, 1903 The following act of Congress is published for the informa- tion and government of all concerned: An Act To increase the efficiency of the Army. ...

 

Apr 9, 1903

Army General Staff Secretary of War Announces Names of Officers Chosen to Serve on Supreme Body. published at the New York Times April 9, 1903

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9506E3DD1F3DEE32A2575AC0A9629C946297D6CF&legacy=true#

 

Feb 1, 1909

WAR DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF Washington, February 1, 1909

GENERAL STAFF CORPS LAWS, REGULATIONS, ORDERS, AND MEMORANDA NOW IN FORCE Relating to the organization and duties of the General Staff Corps and the Army War College

( 27 pages )

 

May 26, 1911

General Orders, No. 68

WAR DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON, May 26, 1911

The following compilation and condensation of existing law, regulations, and orders relating to the General Staff Corps is published to the Army for the information and guid- ance of all concerned: ...

CHIEF OF STAFF 1. - 5.

THE OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF 6. - 15.

GENERAL STAFF CORPS 16. - 20.

 

Jan 1, 1912

WAR DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF Washington, January 1, 1912

GENERAL STAFF CORPS LAWS, REGULATIONS, ORDERS, AND MEMORANDA Relating to the organization and duties of the General Staff Corps

( 39 pages )

 

Aug. 24, 1912

62nd Congress Session II. Chapter 391

An Act Making appropriation for the support of the Army for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and thirteen, and for other purposes.

Composition modified.

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/62nd-congress/session-2/c62s2ch391.pdf

 

Jun 03, 1916

64th Congress Session I. Chapter 134

An Act For making further and more effectual provision for the national defense, and for other purposes.

Composition modified.

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/64th-congress/session-1/c64s1ch134.pdf

 

1916

THE MILITARY AND COLONIAL POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES Addresses and reports by Elihu Root Collected and edited by Robert Bacon and James Brown Scott Cambridge Harvard University Press London: Humphrey Milford Oxford University Press

https://archive.org/details/militaryandcolo01rootgoog

 

June 4, 1920

66th Congress Session II. Chapter 227

An Act To amend an Act entitled An Act for making further and more effectual provision for the national defense, and for other purposes, approved June 3, 1916, and to establish military justice.

Composition modified.

- War Department General Staff

- General Staff with troops

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/66th-congress/session-2/c66s2ch227.pdf

 

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@ USMF staff

please allow to splitt the post in several parts, because of a better overview.

Thanks

Michael

 

 

 

Board of officers convened to select the officers for assignment to the General Staff

 

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Following is the list of officers selected:

 

COLONELS.

Thomas H. Barry, Adjutant General's Department.

John B. Kerr, Twelfth Cavalry.

John L. Chamberlain, Inspector General's Department.

Enoch H. Crowder, Judge Advocate General's Department.

 

LIEUTENANT COLONELS.

William A. Simpson, Assistant Adjutant General's Department.

Henry P. McCain, Assistant Adjutant General's Department.

James T. Kerr, Assistant Adjutant General's Department.

Frederick A. Smith, Inspector General's Department.

Crosby P. Miller, Quartermaster General's Department.

Charles Shaler, Ordnance Department.

 

MAJORS.

John G. D. Knight, Corps of Engineers.

George W. Goethals, Corps of Engineers.

Henry A. Greene, United States Infantry, Assistant Adjutant General's Department.

Edward J. McClernand, United States Cavalry, Assistant Adjutant General's Department.

James A. Irons, United States Infantry, Inspector General's Department.

Sedgwick Pratt, Artillery Corps.

William A. Mann, Fourteenth Infantry.

William P. Duvall, Artillery Corps.

Montgomery M. Macomb, Artillery Corps.

William D. Beach, Tenth Cavalry.

John S. Mallory, First Infantry.

Major Samuel Reber, Signal Corps.

 

CAPTAINS.

William W. Gibson, Ordnance Department.

David Du B. Gaillard, Corps of Engineers.

Benjamin Alvord, Twentieth Infantry.

Joseph T. Dickman, Eighth Cavalry.

Harry C. Hale, Twentieth Infantry.

Charles H. Muir, Second Infantry.

Frank De W. Ramsey, Ninth Infantry.

Frank McIntyre, Nineteenth Infantry.

Sydney A. Cloman, Twenty-third Infantry.

Robert E. L. Michie, Twelfth Cavalry.

Hugh J. Gallagher, Subsistence Department.

John J. Pershing, Fifteenth Cavalry.

C. T. Menoher, Artillery Corps.

William C. Rivers, First Cavalry.

Peyton C. March, Artillery Corps.

William G. Haan, Artillery Corps.

Charles D. Rhodes, Sixth Cavalry.

Horace M. Reeve, Seventeenth Infantry.

Dennis E. Nolan, Thirtieth Infantry.

 

FIRST LIEUTENANT

John C. Oakes, Corps of Engineers.

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Thirty-one of the forty-two members of the newly formed Army General Staff

 

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The „list of officers selected“ named in the category of COLONELS John L. Chamberlain, Inspector General‘s Department. He promoted to Colonel on November 21, 1904 and never was a member of the General Staff Corps.

Initial G. S. C. Eligible List.

Graduate Army War College 1913.

Brigadier General, Inspector General‘s Department February 21, 1917 ( accepted February 21, 1917 )

Major General, Inspector General‘s Department October 6, 1917 ( accepted October 9, 1917 )

Apointment as Inspector General term 20 Feb. 1921

Colonel Inspector General (To rank from 21 Nov. 1904) 21 Feb. 1921

Major General Inspector General (To rank from 6 Oct. 1917) 28 Mar. 1921 ( accepted 28 Mar. 1921)

Retired 6 Nov. 1921 At his own request, after 40 years´ service (act 30 June, 1882) D. S. M.

 

 

The „list of officers selected“ named in the category of MAJORS Sedgwick Pratt, Artillery Corps. He promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on August 10, 1903 and never was a member of the General Staff Corps.

Inspector General [ by detail, act 2 feb. 01 ] 30 june 1905

Colonel Artillery Corps 9 feb. 1906

Retired 22 june 1906 At his own request; after 40 years‘ service [sec. 1, act june 30, 1882; act apr. 23, 1904]

Brigadier General retired 22 june 1906

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Badges and insignias for the General Staff Corps you could find at following sections/topics

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/forum/1437-pentagon-political-appointee-identification-badges/

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/203953-general-staff-collar-insignia/

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/210590-awesome-ww2-general-staff-badge/

 

 

The first information I found was a article from William K. Emerson at his homepage

http://emersoninsignia.net

and

http://emersoninsignia.net/files/Download/6GSC.pdf

 

The "Encyclopedia of United States Army Insignia and Uniforms" by William K. Emerson is a great source every collector should have seen. I bought the book and it has best information.

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The "Annual Reports of the War Department for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1903" list first information about the new General Staff Corps.

 

Vol. 1 p. 61-62

Appendix B "General Order appointing board of officers to select details for General Staff"

General Orders No. 35 March 20, 1903

 

https://archive.org/details/annualreportswa79deptgoog?q=Annual+Reports+of+the+War+Department+for+1903

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I made a Excel-file to get a better overview of the GSC. I used the "Official Army Register for 1904" and following years.

One interesting information is, that in the first 10 years only 177 members are listed for service in the GSC.

I was wondering why many left after 2 or 3 years but the explanation is shown in #10 of this topic, it gives the GSC a continuous renewal and work.

A other point of leaving the GSC was for example a promotion to next higher rank. If a Major was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel he had to leave the GSC because law limited the number of each rank and these were already fully allocated. This problem was solved a few years later in changing the law.

 

blue = general officers

yellow = Chief of Staff

 

green= 4 years

orange = 3 years

pink = 2 years

red = 1 year

 

I know the picture is to small to see details but the colors give a first overview.

It needs to see the compleate Excel file to see details.

If you want a copy of this file, please send a PM.

I,expand the file up to mid 20's.

 

The first problem was to find the regulations, the second to find a source who make it possible to download the regulations as PDFs. Some of the regulations printed pictures into a PDF file, so I had to go through each page and looking if there is a information I need. Other downloaded PDFs were

run through a OCR software and make it searchable. But take care, if you have a regulation with a few hundrets pages you can't trust the PDFs, I had some regulation missing pages ( errors at scanning ) or a OCR didn't work well and some information ( just the one you need - Murphys law ) lost. If pages missing I had to find a second source that have the repuired pages.

The "Official Army Register for ..." are published on December 1 for the next year and shows a point in time, the changes made in december are not considered.

 

Michael

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  • 1 year later...

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