When two or three battalions are engaged in combat, a division is likely to ask the remaining unengaged battalions to join the battle and temporarily abandon their current assignments. Each army can have up to twelve divisions on the battlefield at one time. The battalion is the actual combat group on the battlefield - a group of up to ten men, including a commanding officer. A battalion receives orders from its division, and then has its men carry out those orders to the best of their ability. This mean that a battalion will not always bindly carry orders, but will attack, defend, regroup, and take cover, as is most appropriate to the situation.
Officers are the leaders of an army, skilled in strategy and directing troops.
Officers form the key links in the Chain of Command - orders pass through the ranks of the officers, until finally they translate into the actions of individual soldiers on the field. As a player, it is important to realize this process, since the soldiers actually listen to their commanding officer, not directly to you. Although you tell the officers what to do, it is the officers who tell the soldiers what to do. Just as in real life, sometimes the man in the field knows more about his immediate situation than his boss, and must act as he feels is best in order to get the job done. Remember, your officers may not always obey your commands exactly, officers are human beings, and are subject to the same emotions as their men.