The American Army

The first volume of this series gives a brief history of the evolution of the army in America. In the interest of maintaining their independence, the individual states put up fierce and successful resistance to the establishment of a standing army under the command of a central government. As a result, each armed threat meant appealing to Congress to fund troops for a defined amount of time. The end of any conflict meant the dissolution of the army until the need arose again. A true standing army would not be established until 1815, after the War of 1812.