tep was
the formation of a General Staff and I gave this my early attention.

A well organized General Staff to put into effect the plans of the
Commander in Chief is essential to a successful modern army. However
capable divisions, battalions, and companies may be as units, success
would be impossible unless they worked together. A well organized
General Staff trained for war has not hitherto existed in our army.
Under the Commander in Chief this staff must carry out the policy of the
army as a whole and direct all the details of its preparation, support,
and operation. As models to aid us, we had the veteran French General
Staff and the experience of the British who had formed a staff to meet
the demands of a great army. By selecting from each the features that
best met our needs and helped by our own early experience in the war, our
great General Staff system was completed.

The General Staff is divided into five groups, each with its chief. G. 1
is in charge of the organization and equipment of troops, replacements,
overseas shipment, and welfare associations; G. 2 has censorship,
gathering and disseminating information, particularly concerning the
enemy, preparation of maps, and all similar subjects; G. 3 is charged
with all strategic studies and plans and the supervision of the movement
of troops and of fighting; G. 4 co-ordinates questions of army supply,
necessary construction, transport for troops going into battle, of
hospitals and the movement of the sick and wounded; G. 5 supervises the
various schools and has general direction of education and training.

It was decided that our combat divisions should consist of four regiments
of infantry of 3,000 men each with three battalions to a regiment, and
four companies of 250 men each to a battalion, and of an artillery
brigade of three regiments, a machine gun battalion, an engineer
regiment, a trench-mortar battery; a signal battalion, wagon trains, and
the headquarters staffs and military police. These with medical and
other units, made a total of over 28,000 men, or about double the size of
a French or German division. Each corps consisted of six divisions--four
combat and one depot and one replacement division--and also two regiments
of cavalry. Each army consisted of from three to five corps. With four
divisions fully trained, a corps could take over an American sector with
two divisions in line and two in reserve, with the depot and replacement
di