Major General Enoch Crowder served as the Judge Advocate General of the United States Army from 1911 to 1923. In 1915, Crowder convinced Congress to increase the size of the Judge Advocate General's Officethe legal arm of the United States Armyfrom thirteen uniformed attorneys to more than four hundred. Crowder's recruitment of some of the nation's leading legal scholars, as well as former congressmen and state supreme court judges, helped legitimize President Woodrow Wilson's wartime military and legal policies. As the United States entered World War I in 1917, the army numbered about 120,000 soldiers. The Judge Advocate General's Office was instrumental in extending the military's reach into the everyday lives of citizens to enable the construction of an army of more than four million soldiers by the end of the war. Under Crowder's leadership, the office was responsible for the creation and administration of the Selective Service Act, under which thousands of men were drafted into military service, as well as enforcement of the Espionage Act and wartime prohibition.

Enoch Crowder and the Wilson presidency -- Staffing and directing the Judge Advocate General's Department : duties and discipline -- The conscripting and training of a disciplined force -- Judge advocates in the AEF -- International law and administrative duties in war and after the Armistice -- Political oversight of military discipline -- Courts-martial, concerns over subversion, and conscientious objection -- Courts-martial and discipline controversy : 1918-1920.