Statistics, medical and anthropological, of the provost-marshal-general's bureau derived from records of the examination for military service in the armies of the United States during the late war of the rebellion of over a million recruits, drafted men, substitutes, and enrolled men. Compiled under the direction of the secretary of war. Vol. I / by J. H. Baxter.

  • Baxter, J. H.
Date:
1875
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Statistics, medical and anthropological, of the provost-marshal-general's bureau derived from records of the examination for military service in the armies of the United States during the late war of the rebellion of over a million recruits, drafted men, substitutes, and enrolled men. Compiled under the direction of the secretary of war. Vol. I / by J. H. Baxter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

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    tlie Norfh-Germyn Empire, Ijelgiiim, Italy, and Switzerland, for their latest regnlations npon the subject. Among the ancient Romans the physical qualifications to be required of a recruit have been described by Vegetins in his summary of the art of war. He says, “ The young soldier ought to have a lively eye, should can-} his head erect, Ifis chest should be broad, his shoulders muscular and brawny, his fingers long, his arms strong, his waist small, his shape easy, his legs and feet rather nervous than fleshy. When all these marks are found in a recruit, a little height may be dispensed with, as it is of much more importance that a soldier shoidd be strong than that he should be tall.”^ The regnlation height of the Roman soldier appears to have varied, as it has among modern nations, ddie lowest stature mentioned is equivalent to about 5 feet 3 inches of our measure.' The emperor Valentinian established 5 feet 7 inches as the most (lesiral)le height for the soldier, which would be 5 feet 5.o5 inches English. The mernlicrs of the Eirst Legionary Cohort were required to have a stature of G feet, (5 feet 10.3 inches English.) ddie regulation as to age in the Roman army required a. recruit to have attained his seventeenth year upon entering the service. Under ordinary circumstances, the soldier’s tenn of duty ended with his forty-fifth year; but if the need of troops were urgent and (aintinual, he could be retained until he was sixty }’ears of age. When the existence of the rejiublic was in ])cril, men of all ages, from sex enteen to lii’ty years, were inqiressed for duty. Alter the tyro was accepted, he Avas subjected to close observation during a ]u-o- bationary jieriod of foin- months, at the end of Avhich time he Avas, if found qualified, filially enrolled by the impress of the “military mark” upon ihe hand. It is indis- jmtable that this extreme care in the selection of its material Avas one of the causes of the early invincibility of the Roman armies, ddic Avriter already (pioted says, “An army raise<l Avithout due regard to choice of recruits Avas ncA'cr 3*et made a good army by any length of service.”''’ ERANCE. d'hc limit of stature of the Erench foot-soldier has undergone numerous changes. In 1701, an ordonmvicc of Louis XIV fi.xcd the limit at b feet, (Erench,) eipuA-alent to l.tJ:21 metres, (G3.!)3(S inches English.) Erom 17T) to 1803, the limit Avas lowered to l.bOS metres, (G2.014 inches English,) and again, in 1804, to l.r)44 metres, and this last measure remained the standard until after the doAvnfall of Napoleon. Ry the hiAv of March 10, 1818, the minimum Avas established at 1.57 metres, ((J 1.812 inches Eng- lish,) but Avas reduced, by the laxv of December 1 1, 1830, to the loAvcst ])oint yet attained, viz, 1.54. metres, (G0.G31 inches English ) The law of March 11, 1832, raised it to 1.5(i metres, (GI.418 inches English;) in Eebruary, 18G8, it Avas reduced to 1.55 nuitres, (Gl.025 inches English;) and, lasth’, by the law of duly 27, 1872, it Avas again reduceil to 1.54 metres, ((iO.tiOl inches English.) l>efoi'(; th(! re-organization of the Erench army in 1872, llie family of a conscript was alloAV(Ml to fui'iiish a, substitute, {rewphirauf,) or to pax' a. slij'idated sum of monev lor his rch'ase; the latter process being tiu'iiied cxouamiiou. After the overAvlielming reA^crscs tolloAving the Avar with the North-( Jennan Empire the doctrine ot obligatory j)ersonal service Avas adopted bv the fVcvich l\e[)ul>lic, and sulistitution Avas abolished. ' Vkui'.tm'.s KK.\,\TCf?, />r> yr milUari, ]i1>. i, cjiii. (1. UVoerdin;' In il’Aiivilln'.s Hlimilnnl. 3A i ci'Tn's. o;>. cit., ]Mi. i, c.ip. 7. JI’