Col. Moss & His Training Manual

Despite the importance of military instruction and training for the SATC, the War Department and the Committee on Education and Special Training (CEST) failed to designate a standard training manual or program. It is possible that the CEST was expecting the unit commanders to have a firm grasp on training methods, but not every college or university in Virginia had an experienced officer in charge. However, the War Department did give its approval to one training manual written by Colonel James Alfred Moss.

Colonel James Alfred Moss was born in 1872. After he graduated from West Point in 1894, he established the experimental 25th Bicycle Corps, and served in the Spanish American War.1 In the time between the Spanish-American War and World War I, Moss wrote a series of instructional and training manuals in topics ranging from how to fill out Army paperwork to tactics.

In 1918, Moss, with assistance from Captain George R. Guild, wrote and published Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions. In the author’s note, Moss writes, “This manual is arranged in a convenient form so as to make it easier for educational institutions to comply . . . in imparting theoretical military instruction.”2 The author’s note also states that this training manual “has the full approval of the War Department.”3 Of all of Moss’ publications, this is the only one with official approval by the War Department or any other official military organization.

Right: The title page of Moss’ manual4

The manual covers both practical matters and theoretical concepts for soldiers and junior officers. Practical matters include the manual of operations for the standard infantry rifles, loading and firing commands, first aid, and procedures for setting up camp. Theoretical concepts entail personal hygiene, map reading, camp sanitation, and understanding the hierarchy of the military.5

Left: Table of Contents for Moss’ manual6

Despite Moss’ manual being approved by the War Department, it is not clear how many SATC units adopted it. The University of Virginia Special Collections has an original copy, meaning that there is a good possibility that it was adopted by the school’s SATC unit. In addition to its haphazard adoption, there are several problems with Moss’ teachings, indicating a larger issue among the United States Army training methods.

19th Century Training for a 20th Century War

Notes:

  1. “COL. J.A. MOSS KILLED IN AUTO CRASH HERE,” The New York Times, April 24, 1941; “25th Infantry Bicycle Corps,” Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, accessed February 28, 2023, https://fortmissoulamuseum.org/exhibit/25th-infantry-bicycle-corps/.
  2. Col. James A. Moss and Cpt. George R. Guild, Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions (Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company, 1918), 3, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b293492&view=1up&seq=10.
  3. Col. James A. Moss and Cpt. George R. Guild, Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions (Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company, 1918), 3, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b293492&view=1up&seq=10.
  4. Col. James A. Moss and Cpt. George R. Guild, Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions (Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company, 1918), 1, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b293492&view=1up&seq=10.
  5. Col. James A. Moss and Cpt. George R. Guild, Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions (Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company, 1918), 6, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b293492&view=1up&seq=10.
  6. Col. James A. Moss and Cpt. George R. Guild, Military Students Text Book Volume I: For The Use Of R.O.T.C. And S.A.T.C. Units At Educational Institutions (Menasha, Wisconsin: George Banta Publishing Company, 1918), 6, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b293492&view=1up&seq=10.