Name: Field Service Regulations, United States Army (1914; corrected to April 15, 1917)
Author: United States War Department, General Staff

Front Cover, Field Service Regulations United States Army, 1914 With War Department Changes 1917.

Front Cover, Field Service Regulations United States Army, 1914 With War Department Changes 1917. | GGA Image ID # 1820d00ff7

📖 Review and Summary

The Field Service Regulations, United States Army (1914, corrected to 1917) was the official handbook guiding U.S. Army officers and enlisted men as America prepared for entry into World War I. Issued as War Department Document No. 475 and revised by the General Staff, this 243-page manual covered the organization, operations, and administration of land forces — with additional corrections bound in as late as August 1917.

Unlike abstract theory, this manual served as a practical field guide, with detailed diagrams of camp layouts, supply systems, and battle formations. It aimed to prepare soldiers for the complex realities of modern war, where infantry, cavalry, artillery, engineers, and support units had to coordinate seamlessly.

Explore the U.S. Army’s Field Service Regulations (1914, corrected 1917). This WWI manual details organization, combat tactics, marches, logistics, and camp layouts, with diagrams and color plates. A vital public domain resource for students, genealogists, and historians.

⭐ Engaging Content

Organization of U.S. Land Forces – Clear outlines of divisions, regiments, coast defense units, and overseas departments, illustrating how the Army was structured on the eve of WWI.

Combat Principles – Sections on offensive, defensive, and night combat, emphasizing combined arms tactics and the importance of fire superiority.

Security and Reconnaissance – Guidance on advance guards, flank guards, rear guards, and outposts — essential in the mobile campaigns of 1917–18.

Marches and Convoys – Practical instructions on troop movement, supply trains, and even the handling of prisoners and convoys by water.

Shelter and Care of Troops – A vital chapter stressing health, hygiene, and troop welfare in both interior and battlefield conditions.

Administration – Details on logistics, mobilization, field post offices, censorship, and military police.

Appendices – Rich reference material, including war strength tables, forms for field orders, abbreviations, codes, distinguishing flags and lanterns (in color), and extracts from international conventions.

📸 Noteworthy Visuals

Line Drawings of Camps – Layouts for infantry, cavalry, artillery, trains, and divisions at war strength.

Logistical Diagrams – Charts showing supply, sanitary, and ammunition services in the theater of operations.

Color Plates – Distinguishing flags and lanterns used for signaling and identification.

📰 Reviews & Reception

Upon its release in 1914, the Field Service Regulations was praised by professional officers as a long-awaited synthesis of U.S. Army doctrine. Military journals such as the Army and Navy Journal noted its clear emphasis on combined arms cooperation and initiative at every rank, reflecting lessons drawn from the Russo-Japanese War and European military thought.

By 1917, as the United States entered World War I, the manual was regarded as an essential training text. Officers valued its practical diagrams of camps, supply lines, and combat formations, while critiques often centered on whether its emphasis on mobility and maneuver could withstand the grim realities of trench warfare.

Overall, it was viewed as a cornerstone of preparedness, giving America’s rapidly expanding Army a framework for organization, marches, security, and battlefield conduct at the moment it was most urgently needed.

World War I manual titled "Field Service Regulations United States Army" First compiled in 1914. This edition corrected to April 15, 1917. 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" hardcover book. 243 pages. Published by the Government Printing Office in 1917. War Department Document No. 475.

There were also more corrections after the book had been finalized. There are several pieces of paper with corrections to August 1917. These were added to the book by just binding them in with the existing pages.

Contents divided into sections headed Organization, Operations, Administration and Appendices. Full of info on all aspects of military field operations and combat.

There are line drawing illustrations showing the layouts of the Camp of a Regiment of Infantry - War Strength, the Camp of a Regiment of Calvary-War Strength, Camp of Artillery, Camp of Trains, Camp of Infantry Division all War Strength, Supply Service Division, Overseas Operations Showing Limitations of Control, Outline of the System of Administration Showing Limitations of Control. Service of Defense L of C, Sanitary Service- Division, Ammunition Service - Division.

There are 2 pages with color illustrations of distinguishing flags and lanterns.

Introduction

War Department,
Office of the Chief of Staff,
Washington, March 19,1914.

The following Field Service Regulations, revised by the General Staff of the Army, are approved and published for the information and government of the Regular Army and the Organized Militia, and in time of war, the Volunteer forces.

Success in war can be achieved only by all branches and arms of the service mutually helping and supporting one another in the common effort to attain the desired end.

The basic principles of the combat tactics of the different arms are set forth in the drill regulations of those arms for units as high as brigades. It is the function of higher troop leading to so combine and coordinate the combat tactics of all the arms as to develop in the combined forces the teamwork essential to success.

While the fundamental principles of war are neither very numerous nor complex, their application may be difficult and must not be limited by set ¡rules. Departure from prescribed methods is at times necessary.

A thorough knowledge of the principles of war and their application enables the leader to decide when such departure should be made and to determine what methods should bring success.

Officers and men of all ranks and grades are given a certain independence in the execution of the tasks to which they are assigned and are expected to show initiative in meeting the different situations as they arise.

Every individual, from the highest commander to the lowest private, must always remember that inaction and neglect of opportunities will warrant more severe censure than an error in the choice of the means.

By order of the Secretary of War:

Leonard Wood,
Major General, Chief of Staff.

APPENDICES

USEFUL INFORMATION.

A. War strength in round numbers, road spaces, and dimensions of camps

B. Semi-permanent camp
Types of field internments
Forms of field orders
Field maps and sketches
Distinguishing flags and lanterns
Extracts from international conventions and conferences
Miscellaneous data
Signals and codes
List of abbreviations

✨ Why This Manual Matters

This manual reflects the U.S. Army’s rapid professionalization just before entering WWI. It reveals how doctrine evolved from small peacetime forces to the large, combined arms operations required in Europe. For teachers and students, it provides vivid primary material for essays on military preparedness and tactics. For genealogists and historians, it helps interpret the experiences of soldiers and officers trained under these regulations.

💡 Students: Use direct quotes from this manual in essays to illustrate how American troops were expected to fight, march, and organize in 1917.

🎓 Essay Prompts for Field Service Regulations, U.S. Army (1914, Corrected 1917)

🪖 Military Training & Doctrine

1. “Combining the Arms: How Did the U.S. Army Teach Teamwork in 1917?”

Analyze how the manual emphasized coordination between infantry, cavalry, artillery, and support units. Why was this concept of “combined arms” so critical to WWI?

2. “Marches, Convoys, and Supply Lines: The Forgotten Side of War”

Examine the sections on troop movements and logistics. How did these reflect the challenges of supplying a modern army in Europe?

3. “Shelter and Care of Troops in the Field”

Discuss the Army’s attention to sanitation, camp layouts, and troop welfare. What does this reveal about lessons learned from earlier conflicts (like the Spanish-American War)?

⚔️ Combat & Strategy

4. “Offensive vs. Defensive Combat in the Field Service Regulations”

Compare the manual’s guidance on attack and defense. How well did these doctrines match the realities of trench warfare?

5. “Night Combat: Boldness or Desperation?”

Evaluate the manual’s section on night operations. Did this reflect innovation, or did it expose the limits of U.S. Army training before entering WWI?

6. “Fire Superiority: The Key to Victory?”

The manual emphasized achieving fire superiority. How did this tactical focus connect to the rise of machine guns and artillery in the Great War?

📡 Communication & Organization

7. “Flags, Lanterns, and Codes: Battlefield Communication in 1917”

Discuss the importance of signals, codes, and visual identifiers. How did communication technology shape command and control during WWI?

8. “War Diaries and Reports: Preserving the Soldier’s Story”

The manual instructed officers to maintain war diaries. How do these records enrich historians’ and genealogists’ understanding of the war?

🌍 Cultural & Historical Context

9. “Field Regulations and the American Way of War”

Consider how the manual’s tone and principles reflect American military culture in 1917. How do discipline, initiative, and independence appear in its guidance?

10. “From 1914 Neutrality to 1917 War: How Did the U.S. Adapt?”

This manual was first compiled in 1914 and corrected in 1917. How do the revisions reflect America’s transition from peace to mobilization for global war?

🧬 Genealogy & Personal Connection

11. “My Ancestor and the Field Regulations”

For students with family military records: How could this manual help you understand your ancestor’s daily duties, decisions, or battlefield experiences?

💡 Higher-Level / Comparative

12. “Field Service Regulations Across Eras”

Compare the 1917 manual with a modern U.S. Army field manual. What has changed in doctrine, and what principles remain constant?

13. “Preparedness vs. Reality”

Using this manual and WWI veterans’ memoirs, evaluate whether Army training manuals prepared soldiers for the actual conditions of trench warfare.

✨ These prompts are built to encourage:

Close reading (students quoting directly from the manual).

Contextual analysis (tying doctrine to WWI history).

Personal/genealogical use (making family history research part of assignments).

📘 Availability & Public Domain Status

Publisher: Government Printing Office, 1917

Pages: 243, plus bound-in correction sheets (to August 1917)

Series: War Department Document No. 475

Library of Congress Call Number: U173 .A5 1917

LCCN: war17000098

Public Domain: Yes (U.S. government publication, no copyright restrictions)

Digital Access: Copies are available via HathiTrust, Internet Archive, and select university libraries.

Because it was a standard Army issue manual, surviving copies are relatively common in military collections, though complete editions with correction sheets and colored flag plates are more collectible.

🎯 Related Materials

Infantry Drill Regulations, U.S. Army (1911, corrected 1917)

Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry (1917)

WWI Training Camps

Pictorial Histories of WWI

Library of Congress Catalog Listing

Corporate name: United States. War Department. General Staff.
Main title: Field service regulations, United States Army. 1914, corrected to April 15, 1917 (changes nos. 1-6)
Published/Created: Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1917.
Description: 244 p. illus. (part col.) 14 cm.
LC classification: U173 .A5 1917
Related names: George Fabyan Collection (Library of Congress)
LC Subjects: United States. Army--Field service--Regulations.
Series: War Dept. doc. no. 475
LCCN: war17000098
Other system no.: (OCoLC)959098
Type of material: Book

🪖 Field Service Regulations, United States Army – 1914 (Corrected 1917, World War I Edition)

📖 Review and Summary

⭐ Engaging Content

📸 Noteworthy Visuals

📰 Reviews & Reception

Introduction

Table of Contents

Part I. Organization.

Article I.

Part II. Operations.

Article I. Information:

Article II. Security:

Article III. Orders:

Article IV. Marches and Convoys:

Article V. Combat:

Article VI. Shelter:

Part III. Administration.

Article I. General

Article II. The Service of the Interior:

Article III. The Service of the Theater of Operations:

Article IV. The Zone of the Advance:

Article V. The Zone of the Line of Communications:

Article VI. Transportation by Rail:

Article VII. Military Police

Article VIII. Censorship

Article IX. Field Post Office