The History of the Non-Commissioned Officer

OverviewThe origin of the non fit clear upicer (NCO) developed early in the countrys tarradiddle, actually before the country was a country. In the late 1700s the mean worried about their rights of liberty and property at the hands of the side monarchy. These advocates of the citizen-soldier called on free, adult men of property to respond to their sense of duty, to their sense of political obligation, by service for a period of cadence in the militia of their community. Thus military service, indeed, compulsory service in militias, was deemed appropriate under what has come to be cognise as the consent theory of government (Karsten, 2001).Fisher points to a difficulty in distinguishing between commissi hotshotd policemans and non commissi one(a)d officers. He claims that it wasnt until the early 1700s that a note of hand could be do. He argues that by the Revolutionary War period, great confidence was place on the position of the non-commissioned officer, including the pr omise of some financial rewards (as high as $80) to those who made it through each designated segment of service. However, in that respect was still an undertone of lower status of the NCO at this particular time in American history (Fisher, 2001).Unfortunately, not everyone felt the collect to serve his country in the face of all enemies. Many initiation essayists felt as if abandoning work to join in the military was an ir obligated action for husbands and sons alike. Even though the American Army had the money to pay 75,000 men in 1776, it never got a lot than than 37,500 to sign up at any one time (Karsten, 2001). Thus, the picture of the non-commissioned officer was less of a c oncerned and responsible citizen solder and more of a lazy, unfoc consumptiond, displaced laborer.Between 1820 and 1850 the organization and training of these men was loose and unorganized. The enrolled men met only once or twice a year for militia muster and drill as the law dictated. If one had t he common defense of the nation in mind when he came to view such musters, it was quickly dispelled as the day turned from muster to picnic to drunken brawl in rather too quick succession (Karsten, 2001).In addition to these men, the army also had a fair number of women. Like most armies, the Continental Army included women and even their children who followed the troops throughout the war, performing tasks that contri thated to the soldiers welfare (Rees, 1995). In 1777, Valley run had 400 women enlisted in its army. The number continued to rise and some units from areas closer to the coast had far more than average numbers of women (Rees, 1995).Training and DisciplineBlack describes training as learning war through war (Black, 2002). Training was principally poor or non-existent because it was very difficult to amass large numbers of people in one spot, and if they were amassed, they were close impossible to outfit with supplies and weapons due to the tack of transportation an d supporting infrastructure. The lack of training decreased the confidence of the men to fight in certain situations, especially in the open, so they often broke ranks and ran (Black, 2002)Others disagree Sheps and Pitcavage (1995) argue that the organization was as good as it could have possible been at that time in American history. These state organizations had extensive codes which regulated personnel selection, training, etc. These state organizations were hierarchical and geographical, sometimes electing officers and other times appointing them. Further subdivisions included brigades, regiments and companies. In some states officers were elected in others, they were appointed by the state. The entire state was usually organized into geographical divisions which then corresponded with a military division (Sheps and Pitcavage, 1995).In 1792, Anthony Wayne was one of the first great training generals for combat. Training and discipline gradually improved through the early 1800s . jumbo regiments increased confidence and better training led to more disciplined ranks. However, this training fell off in the years preceding the Civil War, and the problems recurred for both the North and the South during the war (Black, 2002).Drills and operations soft revived. At the beginning of the Civil War two manuals describing the duties of the NCO had been published. They were called Infantry Tactics by General Winfield Scott and denudate and Light Infantry Tactics by Colonel William J. Hardee. According to these manuals, the NCO was to keep military cadence and direction, act as general guides and to instruct new recruits. In addition, they were to learn to give commands (Fisher, 2001)Even extremely specific instructions began to be printed. IN addition to his two part explications on the care and cleaning of the musket, Alan Bowling wrote the following in his report on military drills around the time of the Civil WarThis is not meant as a criticism of anyone but as a way of standardizing our drill practices and helping the 5th look knifelike at drill as from accounts I have read the original members of the Missouri Brigade were known for their sharp drill. At our recent Spring Drill I noticed there was some cloudiness on conducting the inspection of arms, particularly the proper way for a soldier to give and take his musket to and from the inspecting officer or NCO. (2006).Indeed other duties of the NCO were to make sure that all supplies, including helmets and weapons, were kept clean (Fisher, 2001).WeaponsEarly skirmishes saw the use of virtually anything as a weapon. One example is the use of the pitchfork during Shays riot in 1787. However, as more organized fighting progressed, aim and use of cover were more cardinal than the weapons used. The musket had only one real advantage over the bow and arrow, that being that the bow and arrow was more likely to be deflected by vegetation. The musket was hard to repair due to a lack of equipm ent, skill and experience, and nearly all of the ammunition had to be brought from Europe (Black, 2002).The introduction of the mass produced percussion cap of the early 1800s made the rifle a little more dependable because of the reduction of misfires. James H. Burton made an important overture to the bullets used by theses NCOs by giving it a hollow base. This bullet was less expensive, could be topically produced and was far more accurate than earlier bullets (Black, 2002).Developments in guns included the Union Repeating Rifle which eliminated the need to reload as often as they had to with the musket and early rifles. The Gatling gun was one of the first machine guns, but it wasnt utilized much prior to the Civil War because it ate up too much ammunition and was difficult to transport across the terrain (Black, 2002).FormationsThe early NCOs were to maintain formations that seemed more like Napoleonic warfare. The leadership were more interested in establishing positions and destruction of the opposing army no matter where they were located. They would often swerve to use the bayonets and choose instead to fall back and fire from their muskets, which, as previously noted, were not at all accurate and forced the men to shoot, stop and reload over and over again. Even afterwards the Repeating Rifle (AKA the Ager gun) appeared, the generals were reluctant to change their conservative ways and use them (Black, 2002).ConclusionThe NCO is considered the backbone of the US host with two responsibilities accomplishment of the mission and the welfare of the soldiers (NCO CREED). From its history in voluntary service in the basal war to its intermediary services now, the NCO has always had a vital role in American historyReferencesBowling, Allen. (2006). connection Drill. Reprinted in 5th Missouri Infantry Newsletter ArticlesAvailable from http//fifthmo.tripod.com/id7.htmlBlack, Jeremy, (2002). America as a Military Power, 1775-1865. computerized tomography Praeger.Fisher, Ernest. (2001). Guardians of the Republic A archives of the Non-Commissioned OfficerCorps. of the US Army. Pennsylvania Stackpole Publishing.Karsten, Peter. (2001). The US Citizen-Soldiers Past, Present, and Likely Future. Parameters,Summer 2001, pp. 61-73.NCO Creed. (2006). Available from https//www.army.mil/leaders/leaders/sma/ncocreed.htmlRees, John U. (1995). The proportion of Women which ought to be allowed An Overview ofContinental Army Female Camp Followers. The Continental Soldier (Journal of theContinental Line) VIII (3), Spring, pp. 51-58.Sheps and Pitcavage. (1995). The History of Militia in America. Available fromhttp//archive.adl.org/mwd/faq3.asp