Considering a Cadre Augmented Army - RAND Corporation

-295- A Historical Analysis of Cadre
would expand to 9,100 officers and men in wartime (2.7 times its peacetime size). In Upton’s
plan, infantry were the most “expansible” followed by artillery and then cavalry.
Upton’s proposed force would maintain the same structure in both peacetime and
wartime: twenty infantry regiments, ten cavalry regiments and five artillery regiments. The
size of these regiments would be at one of four levels: peacetime, first basis (two-battalion),
second basis (three-battalion), or third basis (four-battalion) depending on the requirement
for forces. Table 2.1 shows the size of each branch of the army at each level of expansion.
Table 2.1—Size of Upton’s Expansible Army 83
Peacetime First Basis Second Basis Third Basis
Infantry 12,500 51,900 76,850 101,800
Cavalry 6,990 13,250 13,250 19,490
Artillery 3,335 8,708 15,318 18,340
Total 22,825 74,250 105,418 139,630
Upton’s army could expand from a peacetime size of 22,825 officers and men to as large as
139,630 officers and men in wartime.
Upton provides little justification for his cadre army proposal except references to
the successes of the German Army. Ambrose argues that one of Upton’s major problems in
arguing for this force was “the lack of any obvious danger which could justify a major and
expensive reform.” 84 Upton desired to attach a historical analysis of American military policy
to The Armies of Asia and Europe to point out its faults. However, he was advised not to by
General-in-chief William Tecumseh Sherman so as not to offend those in Congress who
could legislate changes. When Upton’s recommendations in The Armies of Asia and Europe
were disregarded by most people outside of the army, he began writing a new book to “show
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83 Upton (1878), p. 350-351
84 Ambrose (1964), p. 105