Evolution of the Office of the Provost Marshal General

Military Police, April, 2004 by Ronald Craig

On 26 September 2003, the Office of the Provost Marshal General (OPMG) was reestablished. It had been 29 years since the office was deactivated. Major General Donald J. Ryder, former commandant of the U.S. Army Military Police School and commander of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC), was appointed to the post. The OPMG had never remained in continuous service, having been dissolved and eliminated at various times in history, yet performed critical functions and served the military and nation in the most critical times.

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In the Beginning

The first American provost marshal, William Marony, was appointed by General George Washington on 10 January 1776. Captain Marony was assigned detachments to serve as provost guard on a temporary basis. His primary duties were maintaining jails and supervising executions. Nine men served as provost marshal during the Revolutionary War, supervising at least 40 executions. In the summer of 1778, many provost marshal duties were transferred to the Marechausse Corps, a troop of light dragoons, referred to by General Washington as a grand provost marshalcy. Yet provost marshals still existed until the end of the war.

When the Revolutionary War ended, so did the provost marshal post. Until the beginning of the Civil War, provost marshals were appointed when needed and only on temporary terms.

Beginning in 1861, regimental provost marshals were formed in the Army of the Potomac. The organization was later expanded to division, corps, and army levels, with each Federal Army having a Provost Marshal General. By the fall of 1862, provost marshals were operating in all northern states, with primary duties of capturing deserters. A similar system existed in the Confederate Army; provost marshals were appointed to enforce conscription and other laws.

On 3 March 1863, Congress established the post of U.S. Provost Marshal General. Colonel James Fry, later a brigadier general, was appointed to the post. He operated with deputy provost marshals in each congressional district. The Provost Marshal General Bureau, which Brigadier General Fry organized, dealt mainly with recruitment and desertion issues, enforcement of the Conscription Act of 1863, and supervision of the Invalid Corps, which contained disabled soldiers performing garrison duties. The Provost Marshal General Bureau was abolished in 1866, but regional provost marshals continued to perform their duties during the reconstruction of the southern states.

After the invasion of the Philippine Islands in 1898 and the defeat of the Spanish, the U.S. Army assumed an occupation position. In July 1901, Brigadier General Arthur McArthur was appointed Provost Marshal General of Manila, in addition to his duties as military governor. He established a provost guard brigade for law enforcement in the city and a constabulary in the provinces. But this provost marshal position, like all others, was temporary and was soon replaced with civil authority.

Within 3 months of entering the European conflict in April 1917, Major General Enoch Crowder--who was also the Judge Advocate General--was appointed Provost Marshal General. His primary duties--similar to the duties of Brigadier General Fry during the Civil War--were related to the management of the Selective Service System.

On 7 July 1917, the OPMG of the American Expeditionary Force was established in Paris, France. Colonel Hanson E. Ely was the first to hold this position. But the duties were more complicated than those of previous periods. In addition to being commander of the military police, Colonel Ely was tasked with the protection of friendly inhabitants, maintenance of order, control of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, apprehension of deserters and stragglers, management of vendors with the Army, custody of prisoners of war, and control of troop behavior. After only a month in the office, Colonel Ely was replaced by Colonel William H. Allaire, who was also commander of U.S. troops in Paris. Colonel Allaire was promoted to brigadier general, and Colonel Kirby Walker was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal General. Colonel Walker was tasked with the supervision of all military police not with combat units. In July 1918, Brigadier General Allaire was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel John C. Groome, who served until September 1918, when Brigadier General Harry H. Bandholtz was appointed to the position.

At the time, the American Expeditionary Force Provost Marshal Department consisted of four divisions: military police, prisoner of war, criminal investigation, and circulation. Each corps--in addition to the District of Paris, the advance and intermediate sections, and some base sections--had a provost marshal with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and each tactical division had a provost marshal with the rank of major.

By 1919, there were provost marshals and military police stationed in 476 cities and towns in France, England, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. In supervising this complex organization, Brigadier General Bandholtz managed an office of 47 officers, l0 clerks, and 31 enlisted men.