The hydraulic press., 1861-07-06
The organiuation Of an Army.

The Organization Of an Army.
So many persons, unacquainted with the
organization of an army, are making inqui-
ries upon that subject, that we shall make
an outline of its elements, as recognized in
the French school and in our own, so far as
we have had armies. The number in COM
panies, regiments, &c, vary at different
times, and vary by law. In times of peace
the rank and file are reduced 10 skeleton,
and the officers retained, 1--WE speak of regu-
lars,) so that in time of war they can soon
be filled up. The outline elements of an ar
my are these:
A company is the unit of an army, and is
supposed to average, on the war basis, 100
men, officers included. The general rule for
the organization of such company gives
captain. 2 lieutenants, sergeants and COR
porals and 85 men. Formerly each compa-
ny had an ensign, who carried the flag, but
his place is now supplied by the color SER
geant. There is one more sergeant than
corporals, the first lieutenant being called
the orderly sergeant, and is, next to the cap
tain, the most important man in the compa-
ny-carrying the books of the company, aud
calling the roll morning and evening. The
company is formed, when in column into
two platoons and four sections, each platoon
commanded by lieutenant, and each Sec
tion by a sergeant.
A regiment is regularly composed of ten
companies, or two battaions battalion
being half regiment, and composed of five
companies-one of them called light, or
rout company, intended in regular service to
operate outside of the heavy columns, as
lanking parties, guards, &c.
The officers of regiment, independent of
company officers, are colonel, lieutenant
colonel, two majors, adjutant, quartermaster
and commissary. Each separate body Of
troops must have commissary and quarter
MASTER but in large army they are appor-
toned to regiments or brigades. A regi-
ment, when constituted, will be formed thus
! colonel, lieutenant colonel, adjutant,
quartermaster, commssary, majors, 10
captains, 20 lieutenants, 40 sergeants, 40
corporals, and $50 private men-making 975
but in reality there are some others each
company has regularly drummer and fifer,
which make regimental band of 20, besides
the drum major. Then. the regiment, when
full, is made up regularly of 1000 men.
A brigade should be composed of two reg
iments, a squadron of cavalry, and corps
of field artillery. If these were all full, a
complete brigade operating alone would, in
our service, or in the French, make 2,400
men.
division is composed of two brigades,
with additional corps OF cavalry and artil
lery, making in an army, including the staff
and music, about 5000 men. This is the
highest element of organization in our serv-
ice; but in France, as they organize i'm
mense armies, there is one other.
The corps is composed of two or more di-
visions, frequently of four or five. The
corps is, in the French service, properly COM
manded by field marshal--an officer un-
known to our country-and the corps is
properly a complete army in itself In Ma
poleon'S march on Russia, he had eight or
ten of these corps in active service-making
field army of 100000 or 100000 men,
From the elements we have given, it will be
seen that however large the army may be, it
is so organized as to be perfect in all its
parts, and moves with exact order and dis
cipline. In the field all orders and opera
tions are carried on through the staff of the
army, and when we come to active service,
the staff is the mosl important part of the
army; for, this being vast machine, of
which each part is perfectly obedient to, and
directed by the head, it is evident that all
must depend on the skill, ability and dis
cernment of the staff through which it acts
1t is in vain that Scott, or any great General,
commands, if the staff officers are lncompe-
tent.
The staff consists of the aids, the adjutant
general the engineer, the quartermaster and
commissary generals Through the adjutant
general all orders are conveyed to each
particular part. By the quartermaster gen.
eral all transportations, and vehicles and
horses are furnished; by the commissary,
all supplies: by the engineer the topography
OF the country is thoroughly examined, the
practicability of passes determined, fortif-
cations built or attacked. Then the staff
of the army becomes its eye and all its
faculties-the general simply deciding the
movements of the army on the facts and
elements thus furnished. In the grand
French armies there was a chief of the
staff or head of the Bureau. In Napoleon's
time this chief of the staff was Marshal
Berthier, deemed one of the ablest officers
of the French army. Napoleon knew the
value of good staff, and had abler men in
it than were at the head of the divisions.
If an extensive army should be formed, this
should always be the case
In the statement we have made it will be
seen that there is a strong similarity be-
tween a modern army, we'll organized, and
that of the Romans. Our company CORES
ponds with the Roman Century, and our
division to the Roman Legion. The Roman
Legion, when full, contained 5000 men,
which comprehended a portion ofauxiliaries.
and were divided so as to include all kinds
of service. A Roman Legion was complete
army in itself, and the experience then and
now is that a compact body or force of 900
men is as large as can be organized to act
as one body; larger than that, they must
act as separate bodies, moving harmoniously
together.
GROUNDS FOR DIvoRcE.-Judge L., who
is one of the most humane of legal func-
tionaries, tells a good story of an affair
coming beneath his judicial eye. A lady