In the War of 1812, besides 459.463 militia, there were 10,110 volunteers, and 3049 mounted rangers (q.v.). About 73,500 volunteers were en listed for the Mexican War, the State militia not being called upon. owing to doubts as to the le gality of their employment in a foreign country. The Civil War was practically fought by vol unteers, the regulars engaged numbering only ahont 67.000. Periods of enlistment were from three months to three years, or for the war. Colonel Dodge, in A Birds ye View of Our ('it'll 'Far 1 Boston nail New York, 1997), the actual enlistments at 2709.000 for the:Unties and navies: or. reduced to a three years' term. i.e. counting three one-year num as one three-year man, and estimating as a full man only one who enlisted for a term which could have lost him three full years (men who enlisted in January, 1965, for three years, could actually serve only foil!• months, and would count as one-ninth of one man each), there were furnished in the North about 1,700,000 men. In the South, counting in the same manner (a man enlisted for four years was a man and a third), there were furnished about 900,000 men. Over two-thirds of the .Northern volunteers were American born, and in the South practically all were such The Spanish-American War of 1898 was fought by regulars and volunteers, the President issuing the first call on April 23(1 of that year for vol unteers to the aggregate number of 125,000, ap portioned as far as proeticaffie among the States and Territories of the Union. The period of en listment was for two years, unless sooner dis charged; mid a Inarked feature (if the call was the individual enlistment of every volunteer, in dependent of any militia connection. Late in May a second call for 75,000 additional volunteers was made, the men being obtained by open enlistments instead of through the Na tional Guard, as had largely been the ease pre viously.
In Germany young men are allowed to serve as one-year volunteers they pass a scien tific examination, or produce a certificate of ma turity issued by one of the specially authorized educational institutions. Certificates of maturity certify the holder's qualification for one of the upper classes of a high-school or college. After enlistment he has the option of serving in any corps open to such volunteers, or. if he so desires, with the pharmacists of the sanitary corps. If the volunteer is a medical student desiring to enter the sanitary corps, he is required to serve six months under arms, and after graduation six additional months as a non-commissioned officer, or under-sergeant. Such volunteers are then elected military surgeons and pass into the re serve. Other volunteers, irrespective of their civil calling or profession, and so far as they are quali fied by general education and military efficiency, are trained and destined for commissioned officers of the reserve or Landwehr. At the expiration of their term of service they undergo examinations in subjects both theoretical and practical, and are posted to the reserve, as rcscrrc officers aspirants. and render active service in two exer cises of eight weeks each. To secure such an ap pointment aspirants must have a civilian occu pation Or profession, in no way derogatory to the rank of a commissioned officer. They must also be elected by their comrades. Although allow ance is made for a few volunteers to he supported at public expense, the great majority serve at their own charge, which is estimated as approxi mately 1500 marks in the infantry and 2000 in the mounted branches. See :MILITIA; ARMIES; section on Army under UNITED STATES.