Regiments and Companies

[DLShake]

I am researching the 93rd OVI and am trying to get a feel for the size of the different levels. Theres a chart on wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry_in_the_American_Civil_War where the lowest level is a regiment. Is that the same as a Company? or is it made up of companies-if so how many?

 

[MajGenl.Meade]

http://www.civilwarhome.com/armyorganization.html

In ascending order of size, units were: company, regiment, brigade, division, corps. Theoretically, company strength was 100; regiment, 1,000; brigade, 4,000; and division, 12,000. Occasionally, more often in the Confederate army battalions of 2 to 10 companies were accepted into the ranks. In the Union army, the actual numbers, by the attrition of war, were only 40-50% of those figures by 1863; the percentage was higher in the Confederate army, thanks to its system of assigning recruits to existing regiments instead of creating new regiments.

In the Union armies the number of division in a corps varied from 2 to 4, though usually there were 3. In spring 1863, Maj. Gen. Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker ordered the army of the Potomac to wear Corps Badges, which led to designating divisions by badges and by flags in red, white, and blue, for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, divisions, respectively; the few 4th divisions had green badges and flags; 5th divisions, orange. Without uniform badges and flags, the Confederates used a less complicated system. Though they began by numbering their divisions, in a short time divisions, as well as other army units, come to be known by their commanders' name.

Union division were commanded by brigadier or major generals, and the frontage of an average 1863 Union division, drawn up in double-rank line of battle with no skirmishers deployed, would have been just short of a mile. The Confederates were more logical: with rare exceptions, brigadiers commanded brigades and major generals led division, and these units were usually numerically superior to their Union counterparts. An extreme example: at one time Confederate Maj. Gen. Ambrose P. Hill's famous Light Division had 7 brigades, giving it a strength of about 17,000.

Bear in mind that as the war progressed, numerical strength tended to decrease as soldiers were killed/wounded/captured.

 

[huskerblitz]

I am researching the 93rd OVI and am trying to get a feel for the size of the different levels. Theres a chart on wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry_in_the_American_Civil_War where the lowest level is a regiment. Is that the same as a Company? or is it made up of companies-if so how many?

The companies collectively made up the regiment. So companies A-K would collectively be the 93rd OVI regiment.

 

[MajGenl.Meade]

Not forgetting that there never was a Company J. Presumably "J" was left out because it could so easily be mistaken for "I" and vice versa.

 

[huskerblitz]

Not forgetting that there never was a Company J. Presumably "J" was left out because it could so easily be mistaken for "I" and vice versa.

Right, so the A-K gives you 10 companies of 100 men each, thus 1,000 or a regiment. And extending on that, I'm not sure any company/regiment was ever at full strength with illnesses, injuries, desertions, etc. I know some 'regiments' were down to roughly 300 men due to all of the above, including deaths once the war got going.

 

[Greg Taylor]

The Regiment was the basic unit of recruitment, administration and maneuver of the Union Army. Pursuant to regulations adopted July 22, 1861, federal infantry regiments were to consist of approximately 1,000 men. Each regiment consisted of ten companies. The total manpower of each company depended on how many men were privates. The officer staff was a prescribed number, but the number of privates ranged from 82 to 100 and the regiment from 858 to 1,036. This was the theoretical strength, but in actuality the numbers ranged wildly as the war progressed.

 

[E_just_E]

They varied in size, indeed. After Gettysburg both Union and Confederate Regiments averaged to about 300-350 men.

Few details: The 10 Companies in a Regiment rule, works only for USA Volunteer infantry Regiments. Artillery and Cavalry had a dozen Companies and/or Batteries) per Regiment. To make things even more interesting, the Regular USA Infantry Regiments had 3 Batallions each, which in turn comprised of 6 Companies (i.e. 18 Companies in 3 Battalions per Regiment.) Also, Battalions were ad hoc units usually utilized in special operations that contained a mix of Infantry, Cavarly and Artillery if necessary. To add to the complications, some Confederate Volunteer Infantry Regiments, also had battalion in a random manner...

 

[Tom Elmore]

An informal "mess" denoted a small group of men, perhaps four to six, who ate together and might share a large tent.

An infantry "platoon" was a rarely used term; two platoons comprised a company.

Ten companies were standard in an infantry regiment, but a few had nine, eleven or twelve companies (L and M added).

An infantry battalion was smaller than a regiment, typically with only four or six companies.

(Severe battle losses might compel the consolidation of companies or even regiments - a subsumed unit might lose its unique identity this way.)

Cavalry regiments often had 12 companies (a cavalry company was commonly referred to as a troop). Two or more cavalry companies (or troops) working together were referred to as a squadron.

An artillery battery (generally with either four or six cannon) was also referred to as a company. Two guns in a battery working jointly were known as a section. An artillery battalion comprised several artillery batteries.

A bit confusing, no?

 

[thomas aagaard]

They varied in size, indeed. After Gettysburg both Union and Confederate Regiments averaged to about 300-350 men.

Few details: The 10 Companies in a Regiment rule, works only for USA Volunteer infantry Regiments. Artillery and Cavalry had a dozen Companies and/or Batteries) per Regiment. To make things even more interesting, the Regular USA Infantry Regiments had 3 Batallions each, which in turn comprised of 6 Companies (i.e. 18 Companies in 3 Battalions per Regiment.)

At Gettysburg the average regimental strength of the union infantry was 375 men.

And you got some of that wrong.
The regular army regiments only had one 10 company battalion. (the mounted part of the army also had 10 companies)
They are also sometimes called the "old army" regiments.

With the war the regular army was enlarged.
The "New Army" infantry regiments used a 3 battalion structure, (like many European armies)
With 8 companies in each battalion for a total of 24 companies in a regiment.
None reached their full strength and most were pressed into service and never recruited their 3rd battalion.

 

[Greg Taylor]

My ancestor's regiment, the 2nd. Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery Regiment originally had 10 companies but expanded well beyond that. He enlisted as a member of "Schooley's Independent Battery." That unit was soon attached to the 2nd. PA/HA as "Company M." Unlike the infantry regiments that were decimated over time, the Heavy Artillery regiments ballooned in size. Eventually the 2nd. PA "Heavies" grew to over 1800 men, becoming the largest regiment in the Union Army. As a result, the 2nd. Pennsylvania "Provisional" Heavy Artillery was formed from the excess men and new "recruits" many of whom were green draftees. My g-g grandfather was promoted from Private to Adjutant of the new regiment and participated in the Overland Campaign and Siege of Petersburg up to his capture at the Crater on July 30, 1864.

 

[DLShake]

The companies collectively made up the regiment. So companies A-K would collectively be the 93rd OVI regiment.

THANKS -

 

[DLShake]

THANKS -

THANKYOU

 

[Camp Randall Armory]

To further add to the confusion, volunteer engineer regiments were authorized 12 companies of 150 men each.

 

[thomas aagaard]

But the "system" tried very had not to make them, since then the privates was entitled to more pay..

Cheaper to simply use the same soldiers as "pioneers" all the time. that don't give any extra pay.