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11 Army Hist. 1 (1987)

handle is hein.milandgov/aryhsy0011 and id is 1 raw text is: The ARMY HISTORIAN THE PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN FOR ARMY HISTORIANS PH-20-87-1 (Test) Washington, D.C. The Bicentennial at the Center MshndO Padrus and M!~ r [ MMGr;gOr As regular readers of the Army Historwn are aware, Secretary of the Army John 0 Marsh, Jr., is an ardent apostle of the idea that knowledge of our past can enrich or understanding of the present and arm us, as a people and a nation, for future challenges. He I, particularly eager to use natonal celebra- tions to focus attention on our history and this generation's ongoing role in preserving h n btngs of liberty. As a very junior cant re man, Jack Marsh introduced a bill providing for federal sponsorship of the cele- bration of the bicenennial of the Declaration of Independence. As a new secretary of the Army in 1981, he convened his top leadership to discuss celebration of the bicentennial of Yorktown as a means of highlighting the idea that the Revolutionary Army formed a na- tional bridge between the Declaration of Inde- pendence and the new nation that was to follow, Given the secretary's commitment to cele brating our history, it is not surprising to find him at the heart of planning for the bicenten nial of the Constitution, which is to occur on 17 September 1987. Under his direction the Army has been designated executive agent to plan and conduct the Department of Defense's bicentennial activities. He made clear the aim of these ativities; the role of the military to 'Provide for the Common Defense, a heightened awareness and deeper understanding of the Constitution, the free- doms it guarantees, and the civic responsibili- ties necessary to it, pre e vatiot and vitality. In effect, the secretary h rew down a whal lenge to Army leader.hip. He an e soldier reminded of the e tw- century-old principles and to be made aware of how the isues surrounding the questions of personal freedom and more perfect union were reOdled by our Founding fathers, how they have endured the test of time, and how the Army played a role in the process while remaining steadfastly subordinate to civilian authority. Mr. Marsh has sparked an intensive effort in the Army Staff and major commands to plan for a fitting celebration of the 1987 anniversary, and nowhere has that activity been more intense than in the Center of Military Hitory. Its particitlion ac ually began back in late 1984 when Mr M-arsh asked n to formulate a bilentennial project that would highlight the relationship between the Army and the signers Because colonial law placed a legal oblgation to serve in the miiria on most male cit' ns, virtually every member of the Convention belonged to the mahtary at som nt in his life. The Center rook the position that military service should be construed more narrowly it it was to have significance. We beheved that only those men who had taken the field during the Revolution should be considered. A thorough investiga- tion identified 23 men (22 delegates plus William Jackson, the Convention's secretary, whose signature on the Constitution attested to the document's authentacity) from among the 40 signers who met this more rigorous military requirement. Eleven had served in the Continental Army; the rest had been mobt bred as miltiamen or state troops This turned out to be our first discovery - that our current concept of a otal Army really had old roots, and that many of the Fouuding Fathers were citizen-soldiers. The continentals included Washington iwhose official rank was General and Commander in Chief) I ma jor general. I colon l. 2 lieutenant col nels, 2 majors. 2 captains, I nhaplain, and I payma mer. The militiame'n incbided 3 brigadir gener- ah 2 colonels, I major, 2 captains, I lieuten ant, 2 staff officers, and I volunteer without rank. In all, a broad cross-section of the military leadership of the Revolution. These 23 signatories provided leadership for Issue 11

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