Why was the Light Division so large?

[Luke Freet]

Before the Seven Days Campaign, the Army of Northern Virginia had been reorganized, and Major General A. P. Hill was given command of a 6 brigade division, the largest in the army, which was ironically nicknamed the "Light Division". It would exist with minor reorganization until after Chancellorsville, when it was split to create 2 divisions for A. P. Hill's 3rd Corps.
Why was the division created with so many troops? Why was the command not split to form divisions with other excess troops (R. H. Anderson's division also had 6 brigades at this time, though of fewer number than Hill's)?

 

[John Wolf Smith]

Before the Seven Days Campaign, the Army of Northern Virginia had been reorganized, and Major General A. P. Hill was given command of a 6 brigade division, the largest in the army, which was ironically nicknamed the "Light Division". It would exist with minor reorganization until after Chancellorsville, when it was split to create 2 divisions for A. P. Hill's 3rd Corps.
Why was the division created with so many troops? Why was the command not split to form divisions with other excess troops (R. H. Anderson's division also had 6 brigades at this time, though of fewer number than Hill's)?

The Light Division by July 1862.

Light Division: MG Ambrose P. Hill

Field's Brigade: BG Charles W. Field
(To Archer's Brigade) 5th Alabama Battalion
40th Virginia
55th Virginia
22nd Virginia Battalion (Formerly 2nd Virginia Heavy Artillery)
3rd Virginia Heavy Artillery (Disbanded)

Anderson's Brigade: BG Joseph R. Anderson
45th Georgia
49th Georgia
(To Pender's Brigade) 34th North Carolina
(To Pender's Brigade) 38th North Carolina
(To Starke's Brigade) 3rd Louisiana Battalion

Gregg's Brigade: BG Maxcy Gregg
1st South Carolina
1st South Carolina Rifles
12th South Carolina
13th South Carolina
14th South Carolina

Branch's Brigade: BG Lawrence O'Bryan Branch
7th North Carolina
(To Daniel Hill's Division) 12th North Carolina
18th North Carolina
28th North Carolina
33rd North Carolina
37th North Carolina

Hatton's/Archer's Brigade: BG James J. Archer (From Whiting's Division)
1st Tennessee: Col Peter Turney
7th Tennessee
14th Tennessee

Pettigrew's/Pender's Brigade: BG William D. Pender (From Whiting's Division)
(To Holmes' Division) 2nd Arkansas Battalion
(To Anderson's Brigade) 35th Georgia
22nd North Carolina
(To Field's Brigade) 47th Virginia

(Disbanded) Hampton's Brigade: (From Whiting's Division)
(To Anderson's Brigade) 14th Georgia
(To Archer's Brigade) 19th Georgia
(To Pender's Brigade) 16th North Carolina
(Stayed with Whiting's Division) Hampton's South Carolina Legion

(To Jackson's Division) Starke's Brigade: BG William E. Starke
(From Huger's Division) 1st Louisiana
(From Magruder's Division) 2nd Louisiana
(From Ewell's Division) 9th Louisiana Infantry Regiment
(From McLaws' Division) 10th Louisiana Infantry Regiment

 

[Saphroneth]

Before the Seven Days Campaign, the Army of Northern Virginia had been reorganized, and Major General A. P. Hill was given command of a 6 brigade division, the largest in the army, which was ironically nicknamed the "Light Division". It would exist with minor reorganization until after Chancellorsville, when it was split to create 2 divisions for A. P. Hill's 3rd Corps.
Why was the division created with so many troops? Why was the command not split to form divisions with other excess troops (R. H. Anderson's division also had 6 brigades at this time, though of fewer number than Hill's)?

My understanding is that it just happens that AP Hill's two demi-divisions were unusually strong. Remember that each demi-division was potentially as strong by regulation as a Union division (i.e. three brigades); since Lee's third-choice pick for corps was AP Hill but DH Hill ranked him, I suspect it's a way to give AP Hill a pseudo-corps (as if one of the Hills got a corps it would be DH Hill).



As for why it was called the Light Division, it's probably a reference to the Peninsular War in the Napoleonic wars - there was a Light Division in that, as well - and the recent re-creation of the division in the Crimean Wars. AP Hill never explains why he gave it the name, but it's the immediate historical reference.

 

[dgfred]

90th Light Division in the Africa Korps as well... later on.

 

[Saphroneth]

90th Light Division in the Africa Korps as well... later on.

Lichte divisions were slightly different. There were a few different reasons a division could be designated as such, and it could be because they had fewer regiments, or because they were mechanized.

 

[Lampasas Bill]

Perhaps for the rapid rate of their marching?

 

[Saphroneth]

Perhaps for the rapid rate of their marching?

That would be a reasonable reason to name them that if they'd actually done any active campaigning before being constituted - AP Hill first mentions the name in a routine communication in early June.

 

[Luke Freet]

That would be a reasonable reason to name them that if they'd actually done any active campaigning before being constituted - AP Hill first mentions the name in a routine communication in early June.

Again, I remember seeing somewhere the reason it was named the "Light Division" was out of a sense of irony at how huge the division was

 

[Jamieva]

All of the options listed are possible, Hill used the name soon after it was formed and he never gave an explanation.

As for why 6, Lee gave more brigades to the division commanders he trusted the most. Jones, McLaws, Magruder only have 2 or 3 brigades. AP Hill, DH Hill and Longstreet have 5 or 6 each.

 

[Saphroneth]

All of the options listed are possible, Hill used the name soon after it was formed and he never gave an explanation.

As for why 6, Lee gave more brigades to the division commanders he trusted the most. Jones, McLaws, Magruder only have 2 or 3 brigades. AP Hill, DH Hill and Longstreet have 5 or 6 each.

It seems like it's a way to make "corps" without necessarily having to respect seniority rules, because AP Hill was not a very senior general. It's much easier to pass it off as him just being one of a number of DCs than to explain why so many more senior potential CCs were passed over.