The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1861-05-16

Organization and Parts Of the Arm,

Organization and Parts Of the Army.
So many persons, unacquaintod with
the organization of the army, are max
ing, inquiries upon that subject, that we
copy from tho Cincinnati Gazette the
following outline of its elements, as
recognized in the French school, and
in our own, so far as wo have had ar
mics:
A company is the unit of an army,
and is supposed to average, on the war
basis, one hundred men, officers includ-
ed. The general rule for the organiza-
ton of such a company gives one cap
tain, two lieutenants, five sergeants,
four corporals and eighty-fvo men
Formerly each company had an ensign,
who carried the fag; but his place is
now supplied by the color sergeant
There is one more sergeant than corpo-
rails, the first sergeant being called the
orderly sergeant, and is, next to the
captain, the most important man in the
oompany-carrying the books Of the
company, and calling the roll morning
and evening, The company is formed,
when in column, into two platoons aud
four section, each platoon commanded
by a lieutenant, and each section by
sergeant.
A regiment is regularly composed of
ten companies, or two battalions; bat
TALON being half a regiment, composed
Of five companies-on of them called
a light or route company, intended, in
regular service, to operate outside Of the
heavy columns, as Aanking parties,
guards, &c.
The officers of a regiment, independ-
ent Of company officers, are a colonel,
1 lieutenant. colonel, two majors, adiutant,
quartcrmaster and commissary. Each
separate body Of troops must have
cOmmissary and quartermaster, but in
large army they are apportonod to
regiments or brigades. A regiment,
when constituted, will be formed thus:
1 colonel, 1 lioutenant-coloncl, 1 adiu-
tant, / quartermastcr, commissary, 2
majors, 10 captains, 20 lieutonants, so
sorgeants, 40 corporals, and $50 pri-
vatcs-making 975, but in reality there
are some others; each company has reg
ularly a drummer and a ffor, which
make a regimental band Of 20, besides
the drum major. Then the regiment,
when full, is made up regularly to
1000 men.
a brigade should be composed of
two regiments, a squadron Of cavalry,
and a corps Of field artillery. If these
were all full, a complete brigade, opera
ting alone, would, in our service, or the
French, make 2,40O men.
A division is composed of two brig
AIDES, with additional corps of cavalry,and
artillery, making in our army, includ-
ing the whole staff and music about
/ 5000 men. This is the highest clo-
ment of organization in our service; but
in France, as they organize immense ar
mics, there is one other.
The corps is composed Of one or more
divisions, frequently four or FIVE. The
corps is, in the French service, proper
ly commanded by field marshal-an
officer unknown to our oountry-and
the corps is properly complete army IN
itself.
In Napoleons march on Russia he
had eight or ten of these corps in ac-
tive service--making a field army Of
from 100000 to 100000 men. From
the elements we have given, it will be
seen that however large the army may
be, it is 50 organized as to be perfect in
all its parts, and moves with exact order
and discipline. In the field all orders
and operations are carried on through
the staff of the army, and when we come
to active service, the staff is the most
important part of the army; for, this
being a vast machine, Of which each
part is perfectly obedient to and direct
ed by the head, it is evident that all
must depend on the skill, ability and
discernment Of the staff through which
it acts. 1t is in vain that Scott, or any
great General commands, if the staff Of
hcors are incompetent.
The staff consists of the Aids, the
Adjutaut. General, the Engineer, the
Quartermastor, and Commissary Gener-
ais Through the Adiutant- General all
orders are conveyed to each particular
part, By the Quartermaster-G General all
transportation, vehicles and horses arc
furnished; by the Commissary all sup
plies; by tho Engineer the topography
of the country is thoroughly examined,
the practicabiIity of passes determined,
Notifications built or attacked Then
the staff of an army becomes its eyes
and all its faculties, the General simply
deciding the movements of the arms
on the facts and elements thus furnish
ed. In the grand French armies there
was a chief f-ol-the-staff, or head Of the
military bureau. In Napoleon's time
this chief.of-the.staf was Marshal Bel
thier, deemed one Of the ablest officer;
of the French army, Napoleon knew
the value of a good staff and had ADLER
men in it than were at the head Of the
, divisions,
WAR TERMs.-A casemate is a stone
roof to a fort, made sufficiently thick tC
resist the force Of cannon balls, and q