United States Volunteers facts for kids

The United States Volunteers, also known as the U.S. Volunteers or U.S. Volunteer Army, were groups of people who chose to join the military during wartime. They helped the main United States Army but were separate from both the regular, full-time army and the state-based militias.

Before 1903, the United States had three main types of land forces:

• The Regular Army: This was the permanent, professional army of the U.S., serving in both peace and war.
• The Militia: These were groups of citizens from different states and territories who could be called upon to serve the United States when needed.
• Volunteer Forces: These were special groups of soldiers that the U.S. Congress allowed to be formed for a short time during emergencies. They worked alongside the Regular Army.

Early Volunteer Laws

The idea of "Volunteers" first appeared in a law from May 28, 1789, during the Northwest Indian War. This law let the President of the United States accept groups of volunteers who wanted to serve. Later laws allowed the president to organize these groups into larger units like regiments and to choose their officers.

During the Quasi-War with France, a law in 1799 allowed the president to accept 28 volunteer regiments. These volunteers would serve in the same way as the militia. Their main officers would be chosen by the president with approval from the Senate.

Later, in 1803, during issues with Spain, a law allowed the president to ask states to organize militia forces, including volunteers. Problems with Great Britain led to more laws in 1807 and 1808, which again gave the president power to ask states to organize militia and volunteer forces.

Volunteers in the War of 1812

Further information: United States Rangers in the War of 1812

In 1812, a law allowed the President to create up to six companies of "rangers." These rangers could be volunteers or people who enlisted for one year. Their job was to protect against attacks from Native American tribes. More ranger companies were added later.

On February 6, 1812, Congress passed the Volunteer Military Corps Act. This important law aimed to raise a large force of up to 50,000 soldiers for 12 months. This force was directly controlled by the federal government, not by individual states or their militias.

The law said the president could accept volunteer groups of infantry (foot soldiers), cavalry (soldiers on horseback), and artillery (soldiers who use cannons). Volunteers had to buy their own clothes, but the government would give them weapons and equipment when they were called to serve. Cavalry soldiers also had to provide their own horses.

Officers for these volunteer units were chosen according to state laws. Once called into service, volunteers would follow the same rules and receive the same pay as the Regular Army. Non-commissioned officers and enlisted men also got money to cover their clothing costs. If their horses or equipment were lost, they would be paid back. The president could organize these volunteers into larger units like battalions and regiments.

Later, in July 1812, the president was given the power to choose the officers for the volunteers, with the Senate's approval.

It's hard to know the exact number of volunteers who served under this act. Most estimates say about 3,049 volunteer rangers and 10,110 other federal volunteers. The law wasn't completely successful because officers weren't appointed until enough companies formed regiments. Also, volunteer companies from different states often didn't train together before fighting.

First Seminole War Volunteers

In 1818, during the First Seminole War, General Edmund P. Gaines allowed Colonel David Brearley to recruit Native Americans from the Creek Nation to help the U.S. Army. Colonel Brearley met with the Creek Nation and found many were willing to serve.

He organized them into a regiment with 18 companies, later growing to 28. The main war chief, William McIntosh, became a full colonel. Other chiefs became majors. On February 24, 1818, 1,547 Creek warriors joined the U.S. service and fought until May of that year. Including another group, the total Creek volunteer force was 1,613 men.

William McIntosh was promoted to brigadier general. Other chiefs also received higher ranks. These officers were chosen by the Creek Nation but approved by the commanding general.

General Andrew Jackson also allowed volunteers to be raised from Tennessee and Kentucky. About 1,286 men joined and were organized into two mounted rifle regiments. These troops served from January 31 to June 25, 1818.

Two companies of volunteer rangers, totaling 145 men, also joined under General Jackson's orders. They were used for patrols between the Mobile and Appalachicola rivers.

Black Hawk War Volunteers

Further information: United States Mounted Rangers

During the Black Hawk War, the United States Army didn't have many cavalry units because the army had been made smaller after the War of 1812. When the Santa Fe Trail opened, there was a need for military escorts to protect traders from Native American groups like the Comanches. Foot soldiers were not effective against mounted warriors.

In 1831, Senator Thomas Hart Benton from Missouri suggested a law to let President Jackson organize a mounted ranger unit of volunteers to defend the frontier. When the Black Hawk War started, Congress quickly passed this law. It allowed 600 mounted rangers to be enlisted for one year.

Congress chose to create a volunteer battalion instead of a regular cavalry regiment. This was because the ruling Democratic Party at the time preferred "citizen soldiers" from the militia over the professional Regular Army, which they saw as too aristocratic.

Second Seminole War Volunteers

At the start of the Second Seminole War in Florida, Congress allowed the President to accept 10,000 volunteers in 1836. The militias from Florida and nearby states had already been called up.

Congress decided that volunteers could serve as either infantry or cavalry for six or twelve months. They had to provide their own clothes and, if in the cavalry, their own horses. The government would provide weapons and equipment. Officers were chosen according to the laws of the states or territories where the units were formed. If an already organized military unit volunteered, it could keep its existing officers.

Volunteers in federal service received the same monthly pay, food, clothing (or money for clothing), horse feed, and travel money as soldiers in the Regular Army. They also received the same camp gear, like knapsacks. Cavalry officers and men received 40 cents per day for using their private horses. The government also paid for horses that died due to lack of food.

When volunteer units became too small, new ones were raised to replace them. Many volunteer units served for such short periods that their service was not very effective and was expensive. The 40 cents per day for horses made cavalry very costly. About half of the volunteers in Florida were cavalry. In total, about 10,000 regular soldiers and up to 30,000 short-term volunteers served in the Second Seminole War.

Mexican–American War Volunteers

The Mexican War brought a big change in how the U.S. military was organized. The volunteer system began to replace the militia system as the main way to defend the country. In the War of 1812, most soldiers were from the militia. For the Mexican War, the U.S. called up 116,000 soldiers. Of these, 42,000 were in the Regular Army, 13,000 were militia, and 61,000 were volunteers. Only about 30,000 volunteers actually served in Mexico.

After the declaration of war with Mexico on May 13, 1846, Congress approved a lot of money for the military. The Regular Army was increased, and the President was allowed to raise 50,000 volunteers for one year or for the length of the war.

These volunteers could serve as cavalry, artillery, infantry, or riflemen. They had to provide their own clothes and, for cavalry, their own horses and horse equipment. But the government would arm them. They would follow military rules and receive the same pay as the Regular Army, except for clothing, for which they received money. Cavalry soldiers also got 40 cents per day for the risk to their horses.

Volunteer units were organized into companies, battalions, or regiments before they volunteered. Their officers were chosen according to state laws. The President could organize these volunteers into larger brigades and divisions and appoint their main officers.

States closest to Mexico were asked to provide 20,000 one-year volunteers right away. Other states were asked to have 25,000 ready later. About one-third of the volunteer units were cavalry. States easily met their volunteer quotas. It was much easier to fill volunteer units than to increase the Regular Army. Volunteers were popular because they served for shorter times and had less strict rules than the Regular Army, which required five-year enlistments and strict discipline.

Thirty regiments of one-year volunteers were formed. However, by November 1846, it was clear their service would end before the war did. The President then asked for volunteers to serve for the entire war. By the end of 1847, 22 regiments and 5 battalions of infantry, 1 regiment and 5 battalions of mounted troops, and 3 artillery companies had been organized. More regiments were formed later, making a total of 32 "for the duration" regiments.

By May 1847, when the American army under Winfield Scott reached Puebla, Mexico, the one-year volunteers' enlistments ended. Seven volunteer regiments, with 3,700 soldiers, went home. The army had to stop for two months and wait for new troops from the states.

During the war, regular soldiers and volunteers often disliked each other. Regular officers did not serve in volunteer units. While volunteers had excellent main officers, they had very few good company officers. Most junior officers had little or no military experience. They were often chosen by state governors for political reasons or elected by the soldiers in their company. In contrast, many Regular Army officers were older or sick. At Matamoros in 1846, about two thousand "gentlemen" who had joined as private volunteers refused to carry water or chop wood, expecting the Regular Army to do it for them.

American Civil War Volunteers

During the American Civil War, the U.S. government called for a large "Volunteer Force" to help enforce laws and stop the rebellion. This force was planned to have between 34,506 and 42,034 officers and enlisted men, organized into 39 infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment.

Each state was given a number of "volunteer regiments" to raise. These volunteers would serve for three months to three years. The number of soldiers each state had to provide was based on its population.

War with Spain Volunteers

A law passed on April 22, 1898, allowed the President to call for two-year volunteers during the Spanish–American War. States were given quotas based on their population. Militia units that volunteered together as a group had to be accepted into the Volunteer Army.

Soon after the declaration of war, the President called for 125,000 volunteers, and they quickly joined. Another call for 75,000 volunteers was also quickly filled. The Volunteer Army was formed by mobilizing existing state militias.

However, the Constitution only allows the militia to be called up for specific reasons, like stopping invasions or enforcing laws. So, each militiaman had to volunteer individually. Many militiamen didn't want to volunteer and were released. About a quarter of those who wanted to join failed the physical exam. This meant that, on average, only about 30 men in each company were both willing and fit. Since the federal government required 77 active soldiers per company, another 47 men, on average, had to be recruited from people who were not part of the organized militia.

The governors of the states where the regiments were raised chose all the regimental and company officers. However, the President could raise a special force of 3,000 men with unique skills and appoint their officers. Later, the President was also allowed to organize a volunteer brigade of engineers and a force of 10,000 soldiers who were immune to tropical diseases. All officers for these special units were appointed with the Senate's approval.

The states raised 2 regiments, 2 squadrons, and 9 troops of volunteer cavalry; 1 regiment and 17 batteries of volunteer artillery; and 119 regiments and 13 battalions of volunteer infantry. The federal government also raised 3 regiments of U.S. volunteer engineers, 3 regiments of U.S. volunteer cavalry (including the famous Rough Riders), and 10 regiments of U.S. volunteer infantry made up of men immune to tropical diseases.

The law stated that the active land forces of the United States would consist of the Army of the United States and the state militias when called into federal service. During wartime, this army had two parts: the Regular Army and the Volunteer Army of the United States. In August 1898, the Regular Army had 56,362 men, and the Volunteer Army had 216,256 men.

Philippine–American War Volunteers

The laws that allowed the volunteer army for the War with Spain ended when that war finished. So, the volunteer army had to be disbanded. By November 1899, all volunteers were released.

The Adjutant General wanted a Regular Army large enough for all overseas operations, but Congress only approved a regular army of 65,000 soldiers. For the Philippine–American War, the Regular Army was to be supported by 35,000 volunteers. These volunteers were recruited directly by the federal government.

Recruitment centers for this new federal volunteer force were set up in all the camps where the Spanish-American War volunteers were being released. By September 1899, twelve volunteer infantry regiments and one volunteer cavalry regiment were formed in the Philippines from soldiers who had just been released from the previous volunteer army. Twelve more volunteer regiments, including two made up of African American soldiers, were raised in the United States.

The main officers of these new volunteer regiments were Regular Army officers. However, the rest of the officers came from the volunteers themselves and were chosen from different states based on population. The West Point class of 1899 graduated four months early, and many of these new graduates filled volunteer officer positions. Later, other volunteer officer positions were filled by promoting non-commissioned officers. In the two African American regiments, black volunteer officers filled company-level positions, but the higher-ranking officers were white. In the Regular Army, African American regiments did not have any black officers.

Over 120,000 regular and volunteer soldiers served in the Philippines during the war. Fewer than 1,000 soldiers were killed in action or died of wounds. Another 3,000 soldiers died from diseases, and 3,000 were wounded but survived.