After the war, the Continental Army was quickly given land certificates and disbanded in a reflection of the
republican distrust of standing armies.
State militias became the new nation's sole ground army, except
a regiment to guard the
Western Frontier and one battery of
artillery guarding
West Point's arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with
Native Americans, it was soon considered necessary to field a trained standing army. The
Regular Army was at first very small and after General
St. Clair's defeat at the Battle of the Wabash,
[28] where more than 800 soldiers were killed, the Regular Army was reorganized as the
Legion of the United States, established in 1791 and renamed the United States Army in 1796.
In 1798, during the
Quasi-War with France, the
U.S. Congress established a three-year "
Provisional Army" of 10,000 men, consisting of twelve
regiments of
infantry and six troops of light
dragoons. In March 1799, Congress created an "Eventual Army" of 30,000 men, including three regiments of
cavalry. Both "armies" existed only on paper, but equipment for 3,000 men and horses was procured and stored.
[29]
