standing army

Examples of standing army in the following topics:

• The Acts of Parliament

  • Since the time of James II, who ruled from 1685 to 1688, many British subjects had mistrusted the presence of a standing army during peacetime, and having to pay for the soldiers’ lodging and food was especially burdensome.
  • The colonies disputed the legality of this act since it seemed to violate the Bill of Rights of 1689, which forbade taxation without representation and the raising and/or keeping of a standing army without the consent of Parliament.
  • No standing army had been kept in the colonies before the French and Indian War, and the colonies questioned why a standing army was needed after the French had been defeated.

• The American Military Forces

  • Though the war against the British required the discipline and organization of a modern military, many Patriots objected to maintaining a standing army.
  • The financial responsibility for providing pay, food, shelter, clothing, arms, and other equipment to army units was given to the 13 states by Congress.
  • Congress’ hesitance to establish a standing army resulted in short, one-year enlistment periods in the beginning of the war.
  • Identify the challenges that the Continental Congress faced in establishing an army.

• Colonial Armed Forces

  • At the start of the Revolutionary War, the 13 colonies lacked a professional army, relying on locally sponsored militias.
  • When the Revolutionary War began, the 13 colonies lacked a professional army or navy.
  • Typically, enlistment periods were shorter during the beginning of the Revolutionary War due to the Continental Congress’ fear of the Continental Army evolving into a permanent standing army.
  • However, the minuteman model for militia mobilization, married with a very professional, small standing army, was the primary model for the land forces of the United States up until 1916 when the National Guard was established.
  • Through its many trials and errors, army leadership was crucial to preserving unity and discipline throughout the war.

• Centralization in the Maurya Empire

  • These were ruled by powerful regional chieftains with small armies that engaged in internecine warfare.
  • The Mauryan Army eliminated regional chieftains, private armies, and even gangs of bandits, who sought to impose their own supremacy in small areas.
  • The Mauryan Army, the largest standing military force of its time, supported the expansion and defense of the empire.
  • Although Emperor Ashoka renounced offensive warfare and expansionism, he maintained this standing army to protect the empire from external threats and maintain stability and peace across Western and Southern Asia.

• The Mongols in Eastern Europe

  • The Mongols continued to invade Central Europe with three armies.
  • One army defeated the fragmented Poland at the Battle of Legnica in 1241.
  • Two days later the armies regrouped and crushed the Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohi, killing up to a quarter of the population and destroying as much as half of the habitable dwellings.
  • This decisive victory was partially due to the fact that Hungary was unprepared for an invasion and did not having a standing army ready to fight.
  • This particular city defeated the Mongol army in 1242.

• The Confederacy's Defeat

  • At the beginning of 1864, Lincoln made Grant commander of all Union armies.
  • William Tecumseh Sherman in command of most of the western armies.
  • Lee's army fought a series of battles in the Appomattox Campaign against Grant that ultimately stretched thin his lines of defense.
  • Johnston and his various armies surrendered on April 26; the Confederate departments of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana surrendered on May 4; and the Confederate District of the Gulf, commanded by Major General Dabney Herndon Maury, surrendered on May 5.
  • The Confederate allied Cherokee Brigadier General Stand Watie and his soldiers were the last significant Confederate active force to surrender on June 23.

• The Inspirational Speech

  • Inspirational speeches are ones that are memorable, truly inspiring, and ones that can stand the test of time.
  • And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny.
  • And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny.
  • The successful inspirational speech is one that is memorable, truly inspiring, and one that can stand the test of time.

• The Allied Drive Toward Berlin

  • Following the Ruhr Pocket battle, the Ninth and First American armies turned east and pushed to the Elbe river by mid-April.
  • The First and Ninth Armies stopped along the Elbe and Mulde rivers, making contact with Soviet forces near the Elbe in late April.
  • By V-E Day, the US 12th Army Group was a force of four armies (First, Third, Ninth and Fifteenth) that numbered over 1.3 million men.
  • Army Group's right flank and eliminating any German attempt to make a last stand in the Alps of southern Germany and western Austria.
  • Determined stands were made in April by German forces at Heilbronn, Nuremberg, and Munich but were overcome after several days. 

• Victory Columns under the Nervan-Antonines

  • Trajan was born in Spain and rose to prominence in the Roman army during the reign of Domitian.
  • Standing between the libraries of the Forum of Trajan is a 128 foot tall victory column, known as the Column of Trajan.
  • It stands on top of a large pedestal carved with a relief of the spoils of war.
  • The scenes show the Roman army preparing for and war, including scenes of moving the army, building fortifications, Emperor Trajan addressing the troops, battles, and the eventual surrender by the Dacians.
  • Trajan himself appears 59 times, leading his troops as the head of the army and the empire.

• The Battle of Chancellorsville

  • Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" due to his risky decision to divide his army in the presence of a much larger enemy force, which resulted in a significant Confederate victory.
  • He decided to violate one of the generally accepted principles of war and divided his force in the face of a superior enemy, hoping that aggressive action would allow him to attack and defeat a portion of Hooker's army before it fully could be concentrated against him.
  • His actions may have demonstrated his lack of confidence in handling the complex actions of such a large organization for the first time, but he also had decided before beginning the campaign that he would fight the battle defensively, forcing Lee, with his small army, to attack Hooker's larger one.
  • Wilderness Church at Chancellorsville was the center of a stand made by Union General Schurz's division after Confederates under Stonewall Jackson made a surprise flank attack.
  • The stand was brief, as the Confederates smashed through and continued to roll up the Eleventh Corps (under the command of General Oliver O.