Since colonial times Americans have used the militia to maintain order
during both war and peacetime. Barry M. Stentiford tells the story of these
militia units—variously called home guards, State Guard, National Guard
Reserve, and State Defense Forces.

    Stentiford traces the evolution of the militia over the past century,
demonstrating its transformation from an amalgamation of state units into
the National Guard. Ironically, the National Guard made the creation of
other militia forces necessary during periods of war, as the home guards
were organized to fill the vacuum left when the National Guard was called
up.

    Stentiford analyzes the challenges faced by State Guards as they built
their new militia with leftover men and material. He also examines the role
of the State Guard: providing relief during disasters, providing military
training for future draftees, and broadening participation in military units
during wartime by giving a role to men who, because of their age or
occupation, could not join the federal forces.

    Today modern state militias must define a role for themselves in a society
that increasingly views them as anachronistic. They must also compete with
so-called unorganized militias for the title of true heir to the American militia
tradition.

_________________________________________________________

BARRY M. STENTIFORD, an assistant professor at Grambling State
University, resides in Dubach, Louisiana. He spent nine years as an armor
officer in the Army National Guard.


Number Seventy-eight: Texas A&M University Military History Series



What people are saying about this book


". . . the best account ever of state and local forces mobilized in times of
crisis to maintain domestic order . . . "—Michael D. Doubler, author, I Am
the Guard: A History of the Army National Guard, 1636–2000