How Was Assignment of Regiments Determine?

[rebracer]

Something I have always struggled to find an answer on is a very simple concept that to me has never been discussed in detail. What decided where a specific regiment was sent. As in what determined to what Army or Theater a regiment was sent after they had raised enough men to form a new regiment. Was this done simply as a "who was ready at the time" by the War Department and the regiments were assigned at random or was there some other factor that decided this. I am asking specifically about CS regiments, but this would apply to the US as well.

I have noted that some state regiments with sequential numbers are assigned to completely different theaters of the war (AOT vs ANV). It also appears that for the most part the regiments remained in their original Army or Theater. This subject interests me because all of my Ancestors fought in the west despite being from multiple states and areas.

I know necessity decided placement, but was this assignment simply arbitrary based on timing? This may be an amateur question with a simple answer, but I have never seen it!

 

[NedBaldwin]

Interesting question
I think timing relative to need played a big part.

For example...
In the spring of 1862 when Davis/Lee decided help was needed in Virginia and knew that there were regiments in Georgia that not actively doing anything, so they called for them to be sent - and Lawton brought a brigade of Georgia regiments to Virginia;
but in the spring of 1863 Davis/Lee decided help was needed in Mississippi and knew that there were regiments in Georgia that not actively doing anything, so they called for them to be sent - and Wilson brought a brigade of Georgia regiments to Mississippi ;

 

[Coonewah Creek]

Here are three graphics that represent the composition of the Army of Northern Virginia circa May-June 1864 and the Army of Tennessee same time period showing the distribution of regiments (and a few battalions) by date of completion of organization (infantry only). Hopefully it will help answer your question (at least for that time period). I should mention that "CON" represents those units designated "Confederate" regiments or battalions, usually only because they contained troops from more than one state, not because they were truly Confederate "Regulars".

The first chart shows the where the infantry regiments were sent...either the Army of Northern Virginia or the Army of Tennessee and the advantage in months of completed organization of those going to the ANV. The second two charts show the dates of completed organization of each regiment and to which army (aot or anv) it belonged in May-June 1864. It clearly shows that the earliest formed units were sent, probably logically, to the Army of Northern Virginia. The regiments that were organized later were sent to the Army of Tennessee. Richard M. McMurry's book Two Great Rebel Armies: An Essay in Confederate Military History, discusses this aspect of the armies' organization in his narrative. The below graphics were developed by my own analysis, so any errors are strictly my own...

 

[Coonewah Creek]

For completeness I should have included the two charts below, showing the makeup by state of the infantry units in the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of Tennessee, circa May-June 1864. Here are the missing charts...

 

[UCVRelics]

All I can add is that when the CW started, the Southern states were pressed to provide 10,000 troops from each state. Alabama sent the AVC Alabama Volunteer Corp. Mississippi sen the Army of 10,000 which was a Biblical reference and all other original CS states sent troops as well and the ALL went to the ANV to fight the yankee hoard. After that it was first come first deployed.

 

[rebracer]

Excellent information and I believe this does answer the question. The comparison charts indicating formation (organization) dates really sheds some light on this.