The third part of the United States Army was to have been made up of the United States Volunteers, which meant that the term "Volunteer" covered no less than three different types of soldiers. In order to by pass the militia system and remove the soldiers from the control of the state government, the concept of United States Volunteers was conceived. Up to 30,000 United States Volunteers would be accepted for service. Commissions were offered to prominent local citizens (Democratic-Republicans) who would recruit volunteers for a period of one year. These volunteer formations would be organized and paid as similar US Regular Army formations.
This was quickly seen and denounced by Federalist and Democratic-Republicans alike as a raid on the militia system, and a deliberate attempt by Madison and his administration to subvert the natural order of things. For a party so concerned about keeping the military under political control, politicians opposed to the plan argued that this system would provide a military force under the Presidents direct control. Though some regiments were formed along the Canadian border and scattered companies and battalions came forward, the plan was never as successful as hoped, save in the western United States. For the most part. the concept of the US Volunteer just helped muddy the distinction between militia volunteers and volunteer militia.
As mentioned, the one exception to this was in the western section of the United States. Tennessee and Kentucky both raised sizable number of US Volunteers in excess of the militia that the states were called on to provide. In response to a request for help from New Orleans in late 1812, Tennessee raised a volunteer force of 2,070 men. Organized as two regiments of infantry and a regiment of mounted troops totaling 2,000 men, the force was placed under the command of a major general of Tennessee militia by the name of Andrew Jackson. Jackson brought his command into Natchez, Mississippi, in mid February, sending his infantry by boat up the ice packed Cumberland and Ohio River while his mounted troops went overland.
Far from being welcomed, Jackson's volunteers were ordered dismissed at Natchez and left to fend for themselves. Refusing to obey his orders, Jackson marched the men back to Tennessee at his own expense, earning the nickname "Old Hickory" during the trek. After arrival in Tennessee, Jackson furloughed his command and sent them home to await orders home, a detail that would be all important in the months to come.
In Kentucky, other Volunteer units were formed as well. The most famous of which were a series of Mounted Volunteer formations formed under the command of Congressman Richard Johnson. In 1812 he formed a six-company battalion for short-term service, and followed it up in early 1813 with a full regiment of ten companies, later expanded to fourteen companies, each of 100 men per the late war militia infantry company. Johnson's regiment was well trained in fighting both mounted and dismounted and ended up leading Harrison's Army into Canada in the fall of 1813. Johnson's Regiment, like Jackson's, showed what could have been done with the US Volunteers - but it proved the exception and not the rule.
The Organization of The American Army of the War of 1812
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© Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum
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