When was the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps founded?

• A. 4 July 1776
• B. 14 May 1812
• C. 14 May 1912
• D. 1 January 1800

Answer: (B)

The date being tested is when the Army first centralized its weapon and ammunition management under a single organization. On 14 May 1812, Congress established the Ordnance Department within the War Department to oversee the procurement, storage, and supply of weapons, ammunition, and artillery for the Army. That formal act marks the founding moment of the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps in its traditional organizational sense.

The other dates don’t correspond to the establishment of the Ordnance organization: 4 July 1776 is the nation’s Independence Day and not an ordnance milestone; 1 January 1800 isn’t tied to a founding event for ordnance; 14 May 1912 is a later milestone and not the founding date of the Ordnance Corps.