Union rank system

[mamajean]

My 2g-grandfather's rank in the Wisconsin 24th Infantry, Company G, is listed as Corporal/Second Corporal. Other ranks in the unit are listed as Corporal/Third Corporal; Corporal/Fourth Corporal, etc. all the way up to Corporal/Eighth Corporal. What do these double rankings mean? Thank you.

 

[W Charles Young]

A Company is the basic unit of a Civil War infantry organization, and the one that every other unit is built upon. Some companies were recruited from a single area causing the company to have a large group of men from the same general area. While other companies included men from a wide variety of regions. Many Civil War companies in the Union armies began with anywhere from 75 to 125 men.

The average, "ideal" company was formed of 100 men, which equaled 2 platoons, which divided into 4 sections, or 8 squads.

It had the following officers (commissioned and non-commissioned):

One Captain, who commands the entire company.

One 1st Lieutenant, the second in command and in command of the 1st platoon.

One 2nd Lieutenant, the third in command and in command of the 2d platoon.

One 1st Sergeant, the ranking enlisted man in the company. Many of his duties were of a clerical nature, writing reports, taking musters, keeping records and tending to other paperwork. He "ran" the whole company.

Four Sergeants, ranked second, third, fourth, and fifth; two were assigned to each platoon - one for each section.

Eight Corporals, four were assigned to each platoon - one for each squad.

Two Musicians

 

[JeffFromSyracuse]

My 2g-grandfather's rank in the Wisconsin 24th Infantry, Company G, is listed as Corporal/Second Corporal. Other ranks in the unit are listed as Corporal/Third Corporal; Corporal/Fourth Corporal, etc. all the way up to Corporal/Eighth Corporal. What do these double rankings mean? Thank you.

As far as I understand it, the heirarchy was a position on the line/responsibility thing - but also served as a sort of rank-within-a-rank. The most obvious example of this is among sergeants. There were five, with 1st Sergeant having the most responsibility.