Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 90, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1919 — HALF THE AMERICAN ARMY HAS BEEN DEMOBOLIZED [ARTICLE]

HALF THE AMERICAN ARMY HAS BEEN DEMOBOLIZED

Nearly half of the American army has been demobilized to date. Discharges to officers and men, as announced by Gen. March, number 1,701,469. Forty-six per cent of the jnen have have been demobilized and over half of the officers. The total number ordered for demobilization, including those already discharged, is 1,925,000. Demobilization is moving faster than it did it the civil war and in the Spanish-American war. In three months more men have been dischared than those discharged in a year after the civil war. After the Spanish-American war it required more than a year to discharge fewer men than in the first month after the European war endedEnlistments up to April 10 were 7,961, Gen. March stated. These were equally divided between one and three year enlistments. The strength of the army on April 8 was 1,980,506. Of this force 1,326,525 are in the A. E. F. Since the armistice was signed 686,114 soldiers and officers have sailed for the United States. Health conditions are remarkably goodGen. March stated influenza cases have reached their lowest number since the epidemic last fall. In connection with reports as to the casualty rate during the European War Gen. March pointed out that in the hardest battle, the Ar-gonne-Meuse, the casualty rate was 18.3 percent, against 20 percent at the battle of Gettysburg and ,24 percent at Shiloh.