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Regiments

Whatever else may be said of the Southern Confederacy, its movement, its aspirations, its deeds - history spoke its unalterable decree respecting the Confederate soldier while yet the field was red. Throughout the war, the name of the army was "the Provisional Army, Confederate States of America." There were, however, a few commands called "Confederate" troops, including some from Mississippi. The composition of brigades was so often changed that it was found useless to record it.

The "regiment," in both the United States and Confederate service, was composed of ten companies of 100 each, commanded by a colonel, lieutenant-colonel and one major. A "battalion" was some number of companies less than ten, under a major if few, or a lieutenant-colonel if nearer ten. As a unit of organization the regiment was the same in both armies; and it is a well known fact that the Confederate regiments, except when newly formed, were never so full as the Federal ones. This was but the natural result of the more abundant facilities for recruiting on the one side than on the other. Now the Federal regiments - if the above enumeration be correct- must have averaged about 350 men, and the Confederate about 300 men, according to estimates made by each commander of his own force. This is a large estimate of the average strength of the Confederate regiments.

The act of the Confederate Congress of March 6, 1861, provided for 100,000 volunteers for twelve months, and authorized the President to limit the privates in a company, in his discretion, at from 64 to 100. The officers, non-commissioned officers, and musicians would increase each of these limits by 12 or 14. The act of May 10, 1861, authorized him to receive any company of light artillery with such complement of officers and men as seemed proper to him. Another act of March 6, 1861, provided for the creation of the small regular army of the Confederate States. It prescribed that each regiment should consist of 10 companies, and that each company should number 104 in the infantry and 72 in the cavalry. A circular of the Confederate War Department, issued in November, 1861, provided that no company should be accepted with less than 64 privates in the infantry, 60 in the cavalry, and 70 in the artillery, and that a regiment should consist of 10 companies. A circular of the Secretary of War to the same effect, and allowing existing companies to be raised to 125, was issued February 22, 1862. The act of October 11, 1862, provided that a company of infantry should consist of at least 125 rank and file, a company of artillery of at least 150 rank and file, and a company of cavalry of at least 80 rank and file.

"According to the best authorities," says Lieut. Col. Fox, of the United States army, in his book, "Regimental Losses in the Civil War," according to the best authorities the aggregate enrollment of the Confederate armies during the whole war numbered over 600,000 men, of whom not over 400,000 were enrolled at any time." This accords with the statement of Gen. Samuel Cooper, the Confederate Adjutant General. To oppose them was an aggregate enrollment of 2,865,028 men, but there being many persons who enlisted twice this extensive number of enlistments is reduced to 2,236,168 persons- nearly 4 to 1.

On March 1, 1862, the Confederate Adjutant-General reported the strength of 369 regiments and 89 battalions, two thirds of them twelve months' troops, at 340,250, an average of 823 to the regiment. Colonel Charles C. Jones, formerly of the Confederate army, published a roster, in which are named 530 regiments, 15 legions, and 51 battalions of infantry ; 125 regiments, 2 legions, 53 battalions, and 1 company of cavalry; and 13 regiments, 21 battalions, and 25 batteries of artillery, as shown by the following table, which has been made from this roster. The total is equivalent to 750 regiments, assuming a regiment to be equal to a legion, to 2 battalions, and to 10 batteries. This roster apparently is confined to organizations regularly enrolled in the army of the Confederacy, and does not include militia, home guards, organizations for local defense, or Senior Reserves or Junior Reserves, which, altogether, constituted a considerable part of the force under arms at one time and another.

A list of all Confederate organizations mentioned in the War Records. The 805 regiments and legions, 331 battalions, 163 companies, and 227 batteries were equal in all to 1009 regiments, which exceeds the number (849) ascertained as stated above by 160 regiments. Colonel Stone said that possibly some organizations were numbered more than once in his list by reason of change of their title, or of consolidation; yet these instances cannot be many, and the larger number of organizations in his list is probably due, with few exceptions, to the inclusion in it of the militia and other irregular organizations, which are excluded from the other two lists. For instance, there are included in the list 2 battalions Georgia State Guards, (which were not all that were in service), 5 regiments Mississippi militia, 9 regiments North Carolina militia, and 5 regiments Junior Reserves, 5 regiments " State Troops," and 6 regiments of militia from South Carolina, and 33 regiments Virginia militia, besides 163 companies.

Over fifty Confederate regiments lost over fifty to the hundred in different battles. The First Texas, at Antietam, 82.3 per cent; the Twenty-first Georgia, at Manassas, 76; tbe Twenty-sixth North Carolina, at Gettysburg, 71; the Sixth Massachusetts, at Shiloh, 70; the Eighth Tennessee, at Stone River, 68; the Seventeenth South Carolina, at Manassns, 66; the First Alabama Battalion, at Chickainauga, 64; the Fifteenth Virginia, at Antietam, 58; the Sixth Alabama, at Seven Pines, lost two-thirds of its men in that action.

Those who wonder why well known Confederate regiments, brigades, and divisions did not accomplish as much in the latter as in the early part of the war, do not know, or do not reflect, that it was because they were reduced to a fourth or a fifth of their original strength.