United States Department of War

• 1. Founding And Early Structure

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  On the 7th of August 1789, Congress reestablished the War Department as a civilian agency to administer the field army under President George Washington. Retired senior General Henry Knox served as the first United States secretary of war while still in civilian life. The department began with only five positions: the secretary at war, an assistant, a secretary, and two clerks. Congress created several additional offices over the course of the 1790s including the major general, brigadier general, quartermaster general, chaplain, surgeon general, adjutant general, superintendent of military stores, paymaster general, judge advocate, inspector general, physician general, apothecary general, purveyor, and accountant. Forming and organizing the department and the army fell to Secretary Knox, while direct field command of the small Regular Army fell to President Washington. In 1798, Congress authorized President John Adams to create a second provisional army under the command of former president Washington in anticipation of the Quasi-War, but this army was never utilized. On the 8th of November 1800, the War Department building with its records and files was consumed by fire.

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• 2. Civil War Expansion And Bureau Creation

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  During the American Civil War, the War Department responsibilities expanded to handle recruiting, training, supply, medical care, transportation and pay for two million soldiers. A separate command structure took charge of military operations during the conflict. In the late stages of the war, the department took charge of refugees and freedmen through the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands. This bureau played a major role in supporting new Republican governments in southern states during Reconstruction. When military Reconstruction ended in 1877, the U.S. Army removed the last troops from military occupation of the American South. The Army comprised hundreds of small detachments in forts around the West dealing with Indians, and coastal artillery units in port cities dealing with naval attack threats. Secretary of War John C. Calhoun created the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1824 which served as main agency within the War Department until 1849 when Congress transferred it to newly founded Department of Interior. The United States Military Academy at West Point and Army Corps of Engineers were established in 1802.

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• 3. Root Reforms And Modernization

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  Secretary of War Elihu Root served from 1899 to 1904 seeking to appoint chief of staff as general manager and European-type general staff for planning. The United States Army had only 39,000 men in 1890 making it smallest and least powerful army of any major power in late 19th century while France had an army of 542,000. Temporary volunteers and state militia units mostly fought Spanish-American War of 1898 demonstrating need for more effective control over department and its bureaus. Root enlarged United States Military Academy at West Point New York and established United States Army War College and General Staff. He changed procedures for promotions and organized schools for special branches of service. Root devised principle of rotating officers from staff to line. His successor William Howard Taft returned to traditional secretary-bureau chief alliance subordinating chief of staff to adjutant general. In 1911 Secretary Henry L. Stimson and Major General Leonard Wood revived Root reforms. The general staff assisted them efforts to rationalize organization of army along modern lines and supervise bureaus.

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• 4. World War Mobilization Strategies

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  America entered World War I on the 6th of April 1917 after Congress reversed changes supporting bureaus and reduced size functions of general staff to few members. President Woodrow Wilson supported Secretary of War Newton D. Baker who opposed efforts to control bureaus until competition for limited supplies almost paralyzed industry and transportation especially in North. Secretary Baker placed Benedict Crowell in charge of munitions making Major General George W. Goethals acting quartermaster general and General Peyton C. March chief of staff. Assisted by industrial advisers they reorganized supply system of army wiping out bureaus as quasi-independent agencies. During World War II General Marshall principally advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt on military strategy expending little effort acting as general manager of Department of War. Many agencies still fragmented authority burdening chief of staff with too many details making whole Department poorly geared toward directing army in global war. President Roosevelt brought in Henry L. Stimson as Secretary of War after Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Stimson supported Marshall reorganizing army under War Powers Act of 1941 dividing Army of United States into three autonomous components conducting operations: Army Ground Forces trained land troops, U.S. Army Air Forces developed independent air arm, Services of Supply directed administrative and logistical operations.

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• 5. Postwar Restructuring And Dissolution

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  After World War II Department abandoned Marshall organization for fragmented prewar pattern while independent services continually parried efforts to reestablish firm executive control over their operations. The National Security Act of 1947 split War Department into Department of Army and Department of Air Force. Secretary of Army and secretary of Air Force served as operating managers for new secretary of defense. On same day act was signed Executive Order 9877 assigned primary military functions responsibilities with former War Department split between Department of Army and Department of Air Force. In aftermath of World War II American government decided to abandon word War when referring to civilian leadership of their military. One vestige of former nomenclature is names of service war colleges: Army War College Naval War College and Air War College which still train U.S. military officers in tactics operations strategies. The War Department existed for 158 years from the 7th of August 1789 to the 18th of September 1947 when under National Security Act it split into separate entities forming National Military Establishment later renamed Department of Defense in 1949.

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• 6. Headquarters Evolution And Architecture

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  In early years between 1797 and 1800 Department of War headquartered in Philadelphia before moving with other federal agencies to new national capital at Washington D.C. in 1800. In 1820 headquarters moved into building at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW adjacent to Executive Mansion part of complex four matching brick Georgian Federal style buildings for Cabinet departments. Original 1820 structures replaced in 1888 by construction new building French Empire design mansard roofs State War Navy Building now Old Executive Office Building later named honor General President Dwight D. Eisenhower. By 1930s Department State squeezed War Department from office space White House also desired additional office space. In August 1939 Secretary Harry H. Woodring Acting Chief of Staff George C. Marshall moved offices Munitions Building temporary structure built on National Mall during World War I. On the 28th of July 1941 Congress authorized funding new Department War building Arlington Virginia housing entire department under one roof. When construction Pentagon completed 1943 secretary war vacated Munitions Building department began moving into Pentagon.

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