re: #51 Targetpractice

The War of 1812 first showed that the success of the state militias in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion had really been more of a fluke. The Civil War reinforced the idea that a professional standing army was a good one in light of the early failures of the war by the Union and the losses by the Confederates in the latter half. And the Spanish-American War basically sealed the deal by showing that relying upon the states to properly arm and train their own militia might save money in peace-time but it meant huge expenditures when war were declared.

The key to militia success in the Whiskey Rebellion is that there was damn little shooting.

Casualties and losses
3–4 killed About 12 died from illness or in accidents[2]
170 captured[1]
2 civilian casualties