Companies within Regiments

[Caswellcurious]

Lord I don't know what I'm doing. I hope this is directed at the group that can help me. My first time I think I posted wrong so any advice is appreciated.

My question, however, is this. Did all the companies travel with the regiment to which they were assigned? I am using William Patterson's Jasper County Yankee, a diary of company K 38th Ill infantry, to help me with the transcription of a diary from a soldier of company E of same regiment. Sometimes the locations are the same, but the dates are different. For the most part they follow the same path just difference in days. I have to rely on other diaries of regiments I know were with the 38th to help me through this, but I don't want to make assumptions.

 

[captaindrew]

Most of the time but not always. Sometimes a particular company may be assigned to a detached duty such as guarding supplies, burial detail, things like that that may separate a company from the rest of the regiment temporarily.

 

[Dan Kohli]

To add to that, artillery companies/batteries usually separated from their regiments. If they were organized as such.

 

[Red Raider]

A lot of times, as @Dan Kohli and @captaindrew mentioned, individual companies would be reassigned for specific details. For the AoP during the first part of the war, Cavalry Troops would be assigned as escorts for the Commanding General, Provost, and Adjutant General. They would also conduct escorts of high-priority resupplies and even protect the President. It was not uncommon for an Artillery Battery to be assigned to a specific Brigade or Division depending on the needs of the Army and their current operations.

You pose an excellent question that is not talked about enough. I am sure that some of our Regimental Historians would be glad to chime in on this subject and offer their insight as well.

- Red

 

[General Casey]

And then to make things even more complicated, individual soldiers could be detached to serve elsewhere. Soldiers could be detached as messengers, guards, clerks, wagon teamsters, hospital staff, or other duties and could be away from their company and regiment for weeks or even months.

 

[Sheltowee]

As these guys say- certainly happened.

Reading an account of Pegram's raid into Kentucky. The order of battle lists the 16th Battalion Tennessee Cavalry ( "less two companies left behind in Tennessee").

No further explanation, but two companies were detached- for some reason.

 

[Caswellcurious]

Thank all of you for your information (and for replying!). I thought my diary plan was going to be a simple thing because he actually says very little--no description of battles, just that he was there, for example. But I want to flesh it out, but I also want any added information or speculation to be factual. I am learning a lot, and the deeper I go, the more interesting all of it becomes. I welcome all the information you are willing to share. Anybody have any idea what he might mean by "biffle"? I have puzzled over this for so long, and still have nothing that satisfies me. I've attached the part of the diary that includes the word, or at least what I think is the word. I transcribed this as, "marched out on the lines in the morning in the evening to the Biffle (no idea of word) Lay all night." This was May. The regiment is just outside Corinth. Is there a forum that features transcribing?

 

[Sheltowee]

Sorry- got me baffled (or biffled), as well. Frustrating….

 

[DixieRifles]

While preparing for the CWT Muster at Antietam, I printed up some maps. I was focusing on my ancestor's regiments: 17th Mississippi Regt and the 3d Arkansas Regt.
The 3d Arkansas Regt was in Manning's Brigade. Late in the morning, Manning's Brigade moved to the front and passed the Dunker Church. (The Park ranger pulled up their files and said they were right HERE—meaning the location of the current temporary Interpretive Center we were standing in).
However as they moved forward toward the North, the Union line had taken the Sunken Road. The 3d Arkansas and I think another regiment were sent to the East to attack the Sunken Road under the command of an officer named Cooke(I forget his rank and full name). Many maps do not show this Cooke "brigade".

 

[Old Soldier]

I read it as: "Marcht out ov the lines in the morning in the evening to the Biffle (or Riffle?) Pitts*. Lay all night." *rifle pits? 'Lines' were the camping/living area, so this may describe a long march to a combat/defence area. It would be of help if the whole page could be seen so we can have some idea of how he wrote and spelled and the context of this entry.

 

[Caswellcurious]

I read it as: "Marcht out ov the lines in the morning in the evening to the Biffle (or Riffle?) Pitts*. Lay all night." *rifle pits? 'Lines' were the camping/living area, so this may describe a long march to a combat/defence area. It would be of help if the whole page could be seen so we can have some idea of how he wrote and spelled and the context of this entry.

Thank you, Old Soldier!!! That is it! I went back to Patterson's diary, which is been a tremendous help, after your message and on the 28th he writes they "started for the lines and took our positions in rifle pits on the extreme left." I'll take your advice on attaching the entire page next time--and there will be a next time. I am just now at the end of May and he is not killed till December.

 

[Old Soldier]

You're welcome.

 

[Caswellcurious]

Another question. What does "skirmishing on the advance" mean? I have looked at a lot of information on skirmishes, which were more serious than the word suggests in present language, but can't find the advance part. I have attached the page of the diary (per advice of Old Soldier) where this is found. Since he does not write past the 19th of December and is killed on the 31st (Stones River), I would like to have more of a sense of what things were like. I have finished the transcribing, and I have to say when I got to his last entry on the 19th of December, knowing what was ahead of him, I was very sad. I hope that's a natural reaction and not too much wine!! Thanks again for your help.

 

[Red Raider]

Skirmishing on the advance is a term that I am not familiar with. However, I believe that based on the context, I would surmise that his company was detailed to skirmisher duties for the Regiment's movement to their next camp. There is no mention of being engaged so we can conclude that it is not battle related.

V/r

Red

 

[Caswellcurious]

You're right, there were no battles. Patterson wrote in his diary that the the days in camp were routine but because Bragg in Murfreesborough had outposts around them there was almost daily skirmishing between the two armies' cavalry, foraging parties and pickets. Hate to sound stupid--I'm learning as much as I can--does "skirmisher duties" mean that one company or part of would be assigned to ---???

 

[Red Raider]

I'm learning as much as I can--does "skirmisher duties" mean that one company or part of would be assigned to ---???

Skirmishers were basically an early warning system for their companies and regiments. Not only were they early warning, but they would harass enemy lines, attempt to draw out reserve companies, and even screen the movement of troops behind them as they moved into position. In the case of your diary entry, they were used to be the first troops to get engaged by the enemy so the entire force didn't walk into an ambush.

 

[Caswellcurious]

That is a great explanation. Thanks so much!

 

[Red Raider]

You're welcome.

 

[Caswellcurious]

I know you guys are going to be glad when I finish this diary, BUT...I have just discovered that Caswell and his youngest brother were in camp at Jacinto much of the same time. I'm still having trouble visualizing the sizes of regiments and companies and brigades. Caswell was 2nd Brigade 4th Division of the Army of the Mississippi, and his brother was 1st Brigade 4th Division of the Army of the Mississippi. There is nothing in his diary except campt, campt, campt occasional picket, and working on bridge--nothing about his brother. In my cinema version of the war, I'm having trouble with this. Can somebody explain to me please why it was unlikely that they would have known that the other was there?

 

[Caswellcurious]

Also, am I submitting these questions about regiments correctly rather than putting them out to a new post?