Militia
Militia names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Militia NAVAL, a body organized in a number of the United States
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
NAVAL, a body organized in a number of the United States, authority of an Act of Congress, forming a part of the State militia. duty of the naval militia in time of is to man the coast and harbor vessels, thus leaving free the force to carry on offensive operations In 1910 this militia was organized sea. in 20 States and in the District of lumbia. In February, 1914, an Act to for the Efficiency of the Naval was passed, and the Division of Militia Affairs took over the Office Naval Militia on April 14 of that A National Naval Militia Board of cers of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Lakes Divisions convenes at Washington when necessary. The first annual spection took place in the spring of when the board examined officers enlisted men. By Act passed in August 1916, creating National Naval teers, members of Naval Militia izations were authorized to volunteer any emergency, for any duty, the usual restrictions imposed on Militia as such. It followed that the United States entered the War practically all of the Naval volunteered for any naval service.
Militia mi-lish'a, troops enrolled by the several states
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
mi-lish'a, troops enrolled by the several states. The characteristic of state troops seems to be that they are composed of volunteer private citizens who do not give up their own business, except during a few days of each year when they meet for drill and camp discipline. The governor is commander-in-chief of the militia of each state. He usually appoints the officers. Many states appropriate money for the erection of barracks and armories. The militia are supposed to be willing and eager to respond to the call of the governor in case of an emergency, as of a riot. The president may call upon the governor of a state to send his militia to the aid of the general government. In such a case the militia pass under the control of the president and his officers. There are in the United States not far from 9,000,000 men capable of bearing arms. Of these about 115,000 are enrolled in regular militia organizations at a total expense to the various states of about $3,000,000 a year, not counting liberal aid from the general government. See Army
Militia STATE. The following shows the authorized strength of regularly
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
STATE. The following shows the authorized strength of regularly organized militia, or National Guard, in the several States and tories, 1920: officers FISCAL YEAR 1920 Gen- Maine 1,563 Oklahoma .. 3,813 Every Minnesota 5,196 awards Oregon 2,152 and Rhode Island 1,086 subjects. ... Utah 713 Public .... Tennessee. 2,294 10, - Colorado 2,069 been Vermont 874 the Kansas 4,043 cir- ... Washington. 2,695 ref- Porto Rico 1,641 is Alabama 2,432 military .. Missouri 4,429 Virginia 2,365 Florida 1,563 OF New York 20,857 the Wyoming. .. 560 , di- New Jersey 4.084 Included Iowa 4,580 Niger, South Carolina 1,859 Niger Niger. Wisconsin 10,419 Hawaii See 3,020 District of Columbia. United 801 Idaho 389 Ohio 13,184 California 3,584 under Arizona 658 .. and Connecticut 1,360 The Georgia 2,877 Mississippi war 1,879 defense North Carolina 2,721 regular Maryland 3,044 at Michigan. 3,326 Pennsylvania 13,273 Co- Texas 15,896 .. Other States 31,621 Provide Total. Militia 178,920 Naval The actual strength was about 50,000. of See MILITARY ORGANIZATION, UNITED year. STATES. Offi- Great
What Has Changed in the Last Century
Aiton's in 1910 described a militia of about 115,000 part-time citizen soldiers answerable chiefly to their governors, and Collier's in 1921 counted an authorized state strength of 178,920 with an actual strength of only about 50,000. The National Defense Act of 1916 and its 1933 amendment turned that state force into the National Guard of the United States, a standing federal reserve that can be ordered into national service, and today the Army and Air National Guard together number roughly half a million; the Air National Guard was created as a separate branch in 1947, and women serve throughout. Guard units were mobilized wholesale for the Second World War and again after 2001 for Iraq and Afghanistan, so overseas combat tours, rather than the local riot duty Aiton's imagined, became routine alongside disaster and hurricane relief. The naval militia Collier's described faded after the federal Naval Reserve took over its work; only a handful of states, such as New York, still maintain one.
Written for this edition, 2026.