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George Washington wrote his
"Sentiments on a Peace Establishment," in 1783. Henry Knox wrote his
"A Plan for the General Arrangement of the Militia of the United States," in 1786. Washington as the first President and Knox as the first Secretary of War organized their thoughts into to their elaborate plan below and submitted them to the First Congress in January, 1790. The is No. 2 in the American State Papers Military Affairs. Knox's militia plan was greatly diluted by Congress into the
Militia Act of 1792.
The Federalists who dominated Congress wanted to see the militia institution die out and were not going to give it any encouragement or support. Washington and President Adams did not require the militia
"Return of Militia"
to be reported to the Federal Government as authorized in the Militia Act.
President Jefferson for ideological reasons want to emphasize the militia over the
regular army and required the Militia Returns starting in 1802. The
Returns were reported to the President through the 1820s. These
listed the militia resources state by state including the muskets in private ownership available for militia duty. The NRA's greatest fear today is that the Federal Government will have a list of gun owners, but that was not a concern in the early republic.
This is a thorough statement of the militia consciousness of the early republic. The plan here was for moral uplift and to instill civil virtue through conscript duty. There is no mention of the civil rights of private individuals, no insurrectionist fantasies as have now been advanced in
federal court. The armed populace fantasy does not have its roots in the Second Amendment or the early militia consciousness.
Readers are welcome to try to find in here the armed populace fantasy or Stephen Halbrook's
"libertarian republicans" who are armed first, consent to be governed second; or, the NRA's
"armed citizen guerrilas"; or, the NRA's armed "populace at large" argued in
Perpich v. DOD.
The
American State Papers Military Affairs
are now available on the Library of Congress website.
The "turn to image" box roughly corresponds to the page numbers in the papers.
Enter numbers in the image box or change the last number in URL to
get to certain pages.
The only remote mention of a constitutional militia right we could find are in No. 57 and No. 98
The first "Return of Militia" was ASPMA No. 51 reported to Congress March 1, 1803. ASPMA No. 52, reported to Congress March 22, 1804 for the years 1802 and 1803 was more complete. It is on the Potowmack Institute website at
http://www.potowmack.org/milret.html.
Other militia returns running through the 1820s can be found in the
INDEX of ASPMA and located through the page numbers. Page numbers roughly correspond to the last number of the URL.
ORGANIZATION OF THE MILITIA
COMMUNICATED TO THE SENATE, ON THE 21ST OF
JANUARY, 1790
Gentlemen of the State and House of
Representatives:
GEO. WASHINGTON
United States, January 21, 1790.
WAR OFFICE, January 18, 1790
H. KNOX.
The President of the United States
THE INTRODUCTION
One Lieutenant Colonel Commandant.
Each company to have a captain, lieutenant,
ensign, six sergeants, a bugle-horn, one drum,
and sixty-four rank and file.
10,000 suits of uniform clothing, stated at
eight dollars, each suit of which shall serve
for the three years discipline $80,000
Entire expense of the first year, $225,670
10,000 rations per day, for 30 days, are 300,000
rations, at 10 cents, $30,000
The expense of 10,000 rations for 10 days, is
100,00 rations, at 10 cents, $10,000
$44,100
Combined expenses of the first and second years,
$346,440
The total expenses of the first three years,
$390,440
If the youth of the three ages of eighteen,
nineteen, and twenty, be disciplined at once,
the 1st mentioned sum will be about the fixed
annual expense of the camps of discipline; from
which, however, is to be deducted 6,000 dollars,
being the expense of the standards and colors,
the former of which will be of a durable nature,
and the latter will not require to be replaced
oftener than once in twenty years, $6,000
The annual expense of the advanced corps,
$384,440
It's not about guns...
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ASPMA No. 57.
and on Library of Congress website:
ASPMA No. 51.
No. 2
Secretary for the Department of War.
One Legionary, or Major General.
Two Aides-de-Camp, of the rank of major; one of
whom to be Legionary Quartermaster.
One Inspector and Deputy Adjutant General, of
the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
One Chaplain.
One Brigadier-General
One Brigade Inspector, to serve as an Aid-de-
Camp.
Two Majors.
One Adjutant.
One Paymaster, or Agent.
One Quartermaster.
the first three years, and, after that period,
of 1/ac annual expense of the institution.
10,000 rations per day, for 30 days, each ration
at 10 cents, $30, 000.
The expense of four complete corps of legionary
officers, of all descriptions, for 30 days,
including pay, subsistence, and forage,
$27,870.
Forage for cavalry, $4,800.
Straw, camp kettles, bowls, axes, canteens, and
fuel, $20,000
Annual proportion of the expense of tents for
officers and soldiers, which may serve for eight
annual encampments, $3,000
For legionary standards, $2,000
Consumption of powder and ball, shot, and
shells, damage to arms and accouterments, and
artillery, and transportation of the same,
stated at, $25,000
Hospital department, $5,000
Contingencies of the quarter master's and other
departments, $15,000
General staff, adjutant general, quartermaster
general, inspector genral, and their deputies,
$12,000
The expense of four complete corps of legionary
officers of all the descriptions for 30 days,
including pay, subsistence, and forage,
$27,870
For legionary standards, $2,000
Regimental colors, $1,000
Forage for the cavalry, $4,800
Tents, straw, camp kettles, bowls, axes,
canteens, and fuel, $20,000
Hospital department, $5,000
Contingencies in the quartermaster's and other
departments, $15,000
Ammunition, damage to arms and accouterments,
$15,000
Forage, $1,600
For the camp equipage, $10,000
Tents, $1,500
Hospital stores, $1,000
Ammunition, damage to arms and accouterments,
$10,000
Contingencies in the quartermaster's and other
departments, $10,000
Hence it appears that the expense of 10,000 men,
for one year, amounts to, $225,670
20,000 for the second year, to $346,340
30,000 for the third year, to $390,440
*Vide letter addressed to the inhabitants of the
United States, on the subject of an established
militia.
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