The basic Unit for tactical Maneuvering on the Field

[PanzerHue]

Hi,
After reading several books and articles about the war, I still cant get it clear in my mind, how the engaged Soldiers, Companies, Regiments, Brigades etc. maneuvered and behaved on the Battle Field.
I know this is a very generalizing question to a very complex topic and Im not in search for The General Rule of Engagement during the war, in contrary, I would very much like to know more about all the different ways these battles (must have been) was fought.
When reading articles, books and watching movies about the war, I get the impression that the Brigade was the basic unit to use tactically on the Battle Field. The Brigades was organized in many ways and so was the Regiments within them, but when forming a Line on the Battle Field, how was the single Regiment organized?
Was it formed and maneuvered as One Unit with the colonel in charge, or was it split up into ie. Companies with captains in charge that could be given an order to flank an enemy unit?
When the Regiment was ordered to fire volleys into the enemy, how specific was the order then? Would they be ordered to fire at a specific enemy Regiment/Unit, which could be in a different angel than just in front of them?
Or was the situation of a more chaothic nature, and the only functional order given was; Fire at will!

I find these questions very interesting for understanding the situation in which the Officers had to act.
Feel free to use any detailed examples - the more detail the better

Best regards...

 

[Dave Wilma]

You will get many good replies, but the first thing to remember is the issue of communication. Units of any size could operate only about as far as the commander could be seen and maybe heard. If all the units were on one field at the same time and all commanders briefed, e.g., assault on Cemetery Ridge, it might be possible for a single brigade commander to exercise control. Once the noise started control devolved downward to regiment and company commanders. Then to whoever could lead.

 

[Robtweb1]

Read "Hardee's Tactics". It was the basic drill manual before the war and was used by both sides when the war started.

 

[DHPatrick]

Soldier's followed the regimental colors and normally obeyed bugle calls. A good commander kept control of both. ...and sometimes the leaders led out front. ...other times in the 'fog of war' they simply followed the rush.

Perhaps this may account for why the colors were so important to many of them.

 

[johan_steele]

Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffith & Battle in the Civil War by the same author will answer your questions, you can find both on Abebooks for under $5... well worth the price IMO.

 

[FrazierC]

Answers to some of your questions:
A regiment would often go into combat operating as a single unit under its commander. As the battle progressed, it might become necessary for the commander to advance a company to take better cover behind a fence, fall back to take advantage of a ridge, etc. The colonel might need to send one or two companies to guard his flank or act as a reserve; it just depended on what the colonel wanted to do and what he thought he needed to do. If he needed to send out a company or two to scout or cover his far flank, he might appoint the senior commander of the two companies to take command of the detached force.
As for firing: regiments would often fire their first volley during combat as a whole. This is primarily for psychological purposes: several hundred rifles firing at once would hopefully stop, stun, or even rout your enemy. The colonel would then proceed to do whatever he pleased; he might do it again, or he could give the command "independent company fire" which means that the captains choose what type of firing they want their company to do: either "fire by company", "fire by rank," or "fire by file" (those are the most common kinds; there were others.)
As for how they aimed: if the command was simply, "Aim," the men would just aim in front of them. Obviously if an individual found himself aiming at a gap in the enemy line or at a tree, he would logically point it at the next closest enemy. If there were targets to their left, the command would be, "At the left oblique, Aim." All the men would aim 45 degrees to their left. The reverse goes if there was a target to the right. This may seem strange that the commander has to tell his men where to aim; you would think they can just see for themselves. But in all the smoke and heat of battle, and soldier might not be able to see their enemy off to their left in a grove of trees, but the colonel, standing behind them with a clear line of sight, would probably be able to.
This probably sounds confusing; imagine the chaos when the colonel gets hit! Men find themselves waiting for the order to fire, because they have no idea that their colonel 100 yards away just got hit. Problems were compounded when company commanders tried to take things into their own hands; say a company commander orders his company to retreat. The other companies, thinking they simply didn't hear the order, also withdraw. In a matter of seconds, half your men are getting shot in the back and the other half are holding their ground and waiting for the order to fire. Compound this with poor visibility and deafening noise and you obviously have yourself a very chaotic situation.
Hope this helped!

 

[DixieRifles]

There is also the situation where skirmishers were deployed in front of a line, usually a brigade. I've read where a Regiment would be used for this purpose but for smaller fronts, it could be a company or two.