The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898

by Edward M. Coffman

Book Overview

One of the most important works of military history published in the last decade, The Old Army is the only comprehensive study of the people who made up the "garrison world" in the peacetime intervals between the War for Independence and the Spanish-American War. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other primary documents, Edward M. Coffman vividly recreates the harsh, often lonely life of men, collected mostly from the streets of Northern cities, for...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195045556
• ISBN13: 9780195045550
• Release Date: December 1988
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

"In the Regular Army, O. . . ."

By definition, "the Old Army" is the Regular Army establishment that existed before the last war. The Regulars were always a small body, a result of American distrust of a standing army since the very beginning of our national history. The Regulars became the backbone of the greatly expanded military as civilians volunteered or were conscripted during an emergency, and they were those who were left after the emergency was over and the militia or the draftees went home again. This volume is the first of two in which Coffman, a highly regarded professor of military history, responded to a suggestion by Paul Prucha that he expand his previous study of the social history of the American military. The second volume (_The Regulars_) depended heavily on surveys and correspondence with surviving 20th century soldiers, but this first one, naturally, is taken entirely from published histories and memoirs and from official sources. Nor does Coffman consider the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, or the Indian Wars; this is strictly a study of the Regular Army in its continuing role as part of the background of American society. After a shaky beginning, in which the distinct possibility existed that the army of the Revolutionary era might even be entirely disbanded, career military men, both officers and enlisted, found their mission in the nation's accelerating westward expansion, from the Ohio country to the Canadian border, to the Southwest and the Plains. From Hancock Barracks in Maine to Ft. Pickens in the Florida panhandle, from Ft. Snelling, Minnesota, to Ft. Davis, Texas, and on to the Presidio in San Francisco and Ft. Vancouver on the Columbia River, the army was always stretched thin, under-supplied and under-appreciated, with promotions coming slower than the glaciers. American society generally had a low opinion of professional soldiers, seeing them as last-chancers who had failed at everything else. Drunkenness, gambling, and desertion were serious problems throughout the 19th century, along with disease and boredom in isolated posts. The author does a terrific job, paying attention to the underlying premises and psychological themes of the career soldier, and to the life of the military family, to the roles of religion and sports and education, and to the strange, not always hostile relationship between the Army and the Indians. His style is that of a storyteller which makes what he has to say especially easy to comprehend. I highly recommend this volume (and its sequel) to anyone with an interest in U.S. military history or in American social history generally.

How the west was really won

This was required reading for a graduate course in the history of American military affairs. Edward Coffman's The Old Army: A Portrait of the Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898 focuses on the nineteenth-century army's peacetime activities. His work is different from other works on the Army in the west because he emphasizes the notion of the nineteenth-century frontier as predominately peaceful. Coffman is one of the pioneers in this field, particularly because of his emphasis on the idea that the army did not cease to exist when frontier soldiers were not fighting Native Americans. In fact, Coffman maintains, "[T]he army does not cease to exist between the treaty ending one conflict and the opening guns of the next," and he highlights the actions of the frontier army during these "intervals of peace." Chapter four, entitled "`Wanderers in the Land:' Enlisted Men, 1815-1860," is dedicated to the mundane tasks enlisted men participated in to keep themselves occupied during such periods of peace. These activities included farming, attending church, interacting peacefully with Indians, training, and even recruiting new enlistees. Coffman's research provides the reader with several examples of enlisted soldiers who were totally dissatisfied with life on the western frontier. Recommended reading for anyone interested in military history, and American history.

Best Fusion of Social and Military History to Date

America's abhorrence of a large standing army in peacetime, and the officers, men, and camp followers who comprised the small constabulary Army of the nineteenth century, is the theme of Edward M. Coffman's excellent social history. Coffman's engaging chapters delve into the lives of "Officers," "Women and Children" and "Enlisted men." The book is arranged chronologically from 1784-1860 and 1865-1898 with those three themes revolving throughout. Since the focus here is the peacetime army, the author deliberately skips the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. The result is undoubtedly the best fusion of social and military history to date. Coffman points out, throughout its fledgling early history of administrative changes and budget cutbacks, living conditions within the institution remained deplorable. Supplies, uniforms and rations were inadequate. Likewise, living quarters and proper sanitation were always poor. The author cites a typical example where one bathtub was shared by 100 men. Predictively, drunkenness and desertion were a constant problem, however, Coffman shows that neither officers nor enlisted men were under paid for any significant length of time throughout the nineteenth century. The author injects facts, statistics, and demographics into an engaging and fast-paced narrative, that is difficult to put down. In his discussion of officers, Coffman covers many essential topics. These areas include: officer-rank & file relations, personal rivalries and career anxiety, as well as line-staff tensions and the emergence of professionalism within the officer corps. The role of West Point, education, and racism towards African-American soldiers are also adequately discussed. The most informative chapters are devoted to Women and children, and the vital role they played in the early peacetime army. The author describes the intricacies and significance of courtship and marriage, raising children in remote out-posts, and, the often forgotten role of other camp followers, such as laundresses and servants. Coffman also selectively incorporates the methods of comparative history, balancing the United States frontier army with its British and European counterparts. The author offers some insights into the correlation of pay scales, health standards, discipline, recruitment, and education. Accenting his plethora of sources arranged in copious notes, are the diaries and memoirs of several foreign observers who recorded their impressions of life within the scattered American Army. The author concludes that by the 1890's, however, living conditions across the board had improved, and the US Army was becoming a desirable career alternative just in time for its debut on the world stage. "Mac" Coffman destroys the notion that social historians make poor military historians and visa-versa. This classic is required reading for anyone seriously interested in American military history. Five-stars, Bravo!

Fills a gaping hole in American military history.

"The Old Army" is a successful attempt to explore the men, the officers, the families, the training and the way of life of the peacetime Army from America's inception to the Spanish-American War. Volumes have been written about the Army during various wars and how volunteer forces contributed to the victories. Here, Edward Coffman discusses the the so-called caretaker Army that manned the lonely frontier outposts, and how it progressed to the organized machine it is today. Although it's a natural progression, it's not easy to see it without the strength of Coffman's narrative and his ability to balance deeply personal views of soldiers in the field with the major policies issued by the powers-that-be. Much reviled, maligned, and distrusted by the American public, the peacetime Army is truely the grandfather of today's modern military. Although many people credit the temporary wartime armies with that distinction, Coffman traces the struggles that the civilian and military leaders had to endure in order to produce an effective military. This excellent work contains revealing excerpts from personal journals that provide a clear view into this forgotten way of life ranging from reasons why people joined, deserted, and came back again. Coffman devotes a great deal of time to minorities, in the military, and wives and children of the soldiers to give us a well-rounded view of what garrison life was like. Coffman also discusses the real, but overlooked work of the early army: the building of forts, buildings, and public roads. Long considered a haven for misfits and incompetents, the Old Army deserves a deeper scruitiny. Coffman provides the kind of indepth study that has long been lacking. Coffman's ability to focus on the larger history of the Army while still providing illuminating anecdotes makes this fascinating reading.