A "battalion" as a miliary TERM is but a collection of companies into a single unit under a field officer for maneuver. A Regiment of infantry might be composed of one or more battalions. During the 1860s
most regiments on both sides comprised a single battalion of 10 companies of about 100 men each.
Each "battalion" had a color carried in the center of its line, for its companies to dress upon in line of battle.
So you see the Regiment in line of battle, forms a single "battalion." But in no case does a battalion consist of more than 10 companies in line of battle.
As an aside, besides the 10-company regiments, The Confederate army allowed the formation of battalions of 5 or 6 companies, and since they were not of regimental strength, were officially designated "battalions," like the "2nd Florida Infantry Battalion" which was separate from the "2nd Florida Infantry Regiment." In such cases the unit DESIGNATION as
battalion, merely meant it was not of regimental strength.
The common drill books of the armies universally refer, as noted previously, to the battalion as TERMINOLOGY, as in "battalion drill" for any battalion of two or more companies. So the command of a regimental commander to his regiment (which consists of but a single battalion) would be "attention,
Battalion..."; "
Battalion, forward, march..." etc.
For tactical/combat purposes, besides the several companies in line, each battalion's line of battle is divided into two wings (left and right) on either side of the colors.
two or more
battalions combined formed a "brigade." Since most of those battalions in the 1860s formed a full single-battalion regiment, it was customary just to call them "regiments."
Within an 1860s regiment, when or if it was so reduced in number that its companies could not function as such in either the "company" or "battalion drill" it was customary to temporarily "consolidate" them in the field to form as many functional companies as possible.
Example, the 16th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry regiment, CSA, in late 1864:
At Gettysburg, the 59th New York Infantry Regiment was so reduced, that its ten companies were organized in line as four companies. This did not change the words of command for maneuvers, just the internal composition of its "battalion" formation, which now maneuvered with four instead of ten companies, viz.:
So long as the weakest regiment might form in line two consolidated companies, the regiment could yet maneuver as a
battalion in line of battle.
However, when regiments were so reduced they could hardly form a single company in line, in the CS service, it was customary to "consolidate" multiple regiments so they could form a single functional battalion in line of battle. An example is the 1st Florida Cavalry Regiment (dismounted) and the 4th Florida Infantry Regiment, who lost most of their manpower at Missionary Ridge. Both were consolidated into the "1st Cavalry/4th Florida Infantry Regiments (consolidated)" to form a single (very small) "battalion" in line of battle.
An exception to the single-battalion regiment of the period was the Regular Army infantry of the US Army, in which each regiment included
three battalions of 8 companies each.
However, these regiments too were frequently imperfectly organized or manned, as most Union soldiers preferred to join volunteer units. For example, the new 19th US Infantry Regiment, had not entirely recruited even its first of three authorized battalions by the Battle of Shiloh, and the "battalion" formed by the 1st Battalion/19th Infantry there consisted of only four instead of its authorized eight companies.
At Gettysburg, the regular army infantry brigades of Colonels Day and Burbank, also had incomplete or consolidated units comprising their battalions. For example the 17th US Infantry under Lt. Col. Greene, acted as a single battalion comprised of Companies A,C,D,G,H, 1st Battalion, 17th US Inf., and Companies A, B, 2nd Battalion, 17th US Infantry.
In 1866 the US Regular Army did away with the multi-battalion regular army infantry regiment, making them all a single battalion like those of volunteer units, etc.
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