From Library Journal
Although the American Civil War revealed the inadequacies of an army formed by state-raised regiments, the movement toward centralization and organization spurred by the conflict did not extend to the militia. Cooper (Univ. of Missouri, St. Louis), who has written extensively on the militia system in the United States (e.g., The Army and Civil Disorder, 1980), here explores the transformation of the state militias into the National Guard between Appomattox and World War I. State governments maintained militias during the Gilded Age, largely to preserve civil order; and at the turn of the century, the federal government took a more active interest in supervising the militia, culminating in the passage of the National Defense Act in 1916. U.S. entry into World War I the following year and the acceptance of conscription signaled the start of a new phase in the life of the National Guard. Cooper's absorbing study reveals much about the development of federal power and defense policy. Recommended for academic collections.?Brooks D. Simpson, Arizona State Univ., Tempe
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Energetically researched, careful, and fair-minded."—Labor History
(
Labor History )
"Cooper has written a very good book that deserves a very wide audience. His regional coverage of the guard, insights into who served, and inclusion of numerous statistical tables culled from a wide range of primary sources mark this a superior piece of scholarship."—Michael P. Gabriel, The Historian
(Michael P. Gabriel
The Historian )
"Cooper''s work has added immeasurably to the profession''s awareness of the National Guard''s formative years from the Civil War through World War I. . . . Cooper has compiled a useful tool for both military and Western historians in understanding the National Guard''s functions in civil disorders and wartime mobilization."—Journal of the West
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Journal of the West )
"Ambitious in its undertaking, The Rise of the National Guard is exhaustively researched, with material drawn from many primary sources, including state guard manuscripts and War Department reports that perhaps have not seen much use since their initial compilation. The narrative is very readable, and the book is lavishly illustrated with charts. It should serve as the standard reference work on the evolution of the National Guard for some time to come."—Richard Stenberg, North Dakota History
(Richard Stenberg
North Dakota History )
"The Rise of the National Guard provides a welcome overview of the evolution of the guard."—The Journal of Southern History
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The Journal of Southern History )
