Winter 2020 Edition

January 2020

In the Winter 2020 issue of Army History we are pleased to present an interesting article on Native Americans in the Army in the American West, a report on the Center of Military History’s (CMH) and the Army’s World War I commemorative activities, a look at the Wright Flyer exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA), the presentation of a unique Army artifact, an excellent crop o1f book reviews, and words from the Center’s executive director and chief historian.

This issue’s article, by David McCormick, examines efforts to enlist Native Americans in the Regular Army in the 1890s. Many people are familiar with the Army’s “Indian” Scouts of the late nineteenth century, but fewer know about the Army’s attempt to establish and fill the ranks of regular infantry and cavalry units with Native Americans. The experiment was plagued from the beginning with numerous problems, many originating with the inherent racism that existed both within and outside of the Army. Though the program had many detractors, it did have its share of supporters from the heights of military and political leadership to the officers commanding these Indian units.

The second featured piece is a report on CMH’s World War I commemorations. This after-action review includes thorough notes on the Army’s activities in France celebrating the war’s centennial, as well as remarks from the various Army field museums on their commemorative activities and exhibits. This piece delves into the many aspects of planning and executing a commemoration of this size, including governance and resourcing, outreach and education, unit commemorations, allied and international commemorations, strategic communications, and social media activity. It is hoped that the lessons learned from this commemoration, detailed in this report, will inform future Army and Department of Defense commemorative efforts.

This issue’s artifact spotlight and NMUSA feature examine two pieces of important Army material culture. We also include eight book reviews covering topics from the Revolutionary War during the 2020 1779 and the siege of Atlanta during the Civil War to American tanks during the First World War and Darby’s Rangers during World War II.

In his Chief’s Corner, the Center’s executive director discusses the CMH transition to the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command as well as the recently concluded Conference of Army Historians. In addition, the chief historian uses his Footnote to elaborate on the future of workforce diversity within CMH and throughout the Army History Program.

As always, I welcome your submissions and constructive comments about this publication.

Bryan J. Hockensmith
Managing Editor