The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-04-27
Organization and Parts Of the Army.

Yours, JEFFERSON.
Organization and Parts Of the Army.
So many persons, unscquainted with the or
ganization of the army, are making inquiries
upon that subject, that we shall make an outline
OF It's elements, as recognized in the French
school and in our own, so far as we have had ar
mics. The naan5sr in companies, regiments, &C.,
vary at different times, and vary by law In
times Of peace, the rank and file are reduced to
q skeleton, and the officers retained, 1--WE speak
of regulars,) so that in time of war they can
soon be filled up. The outline elements of an
army 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 err
sanzation of such Company gives captain,
lieutenants, sergeants and corporals and
So men. Formerly, eaci, company had an en-.
sign, who carried the flag but his place is now
supplied by the color sergeant. There is one
more sergeant than corporals the first lieutenant
being called the orderly sergeant and is, next to
the captain, the most important man in the
company-carrying the books of the company,
and calling the roll, morning and evening. The
company is formed, when in column, into two
platoons and four sections, each platoon CON-
manded by lieutenat, and each section by a
sergeant
A Regiment is regularly composed of ten CON-
panies, or t'co battlions; a battalion being half
Il regiment, composed of five companies-one
of them called Light, or Rout Company, in
tended in regular service to operate outside of
the heavy columns, as thanking parties, guards,
etc
The officers of a regiment. Independent of
company officers, are colonel, lieutenant colo.
mel, two majors, adjutant, quartermaster, and
commissary. Each separate body of troops
hay and Oun tern aate on nd
in large army they are apportioned to regi-
ments or brigades regiment when constitu-
ted, will be formed thus: ! colonel, l lieutenant
colonel, adjutant, l quartermaster, commits
sary, 2 majors, 10 captains, 90 lieutenants, so
sergeants, 40 corporals, and $50 private men
making $40, but in reality there some others;
each company has regularly drummer and tifer,
which makes regimental band of 90, besides
the drum major. Then the regiment when full,
is made up regularly to l 900 men.
A Brigade should be composed of two reg-
ments, squadron of cavalry, and corps of
artillery. If these were all full, complete
brigade operating alone, would, in our service,
or in the French, make 2,400 men.
A Division is composed Of two brigades, with
additional corps of cavalry andartillery, making
in our army, including the whole staff and mu-
sic. about 5000 men. This is the highest ae-
nsat of organization in our service; but in
France, as they organize immense armies, there
is one other
The Corps is composed of two or more Divi
sions frequently of four or FIVE. The corps is,
in the French service, probably commanded by
| a field marshal-an officer unknown to our coun-
try-and the corps is properly complete army
in itself.
In Napoleon's march on Russia, he had eight
or ten of these corps in active ssrvice-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 j:
SO organized to be perfect in all its parts, anC
moves with exact order and discipline. In tho
field all orders and operations are carried OIL
through the staff of the army, and when We
come to active service. the staff is the most i'm
portant part of the army; for, this being vas
machine, of which each part is perfectly obedi
ent to, and directed by the head, it is eviden
that all must depend on the skill, ability, ant
discernment OF the staff through which it acts
II is in vain that Scott, or any other Genera
commands, If the staff officers are incompetent
The Staff consists of the aids, the Adjutant
General, the Engineer, the Quarter Master, ant
Commissary Generals. Through the Adjutant
General all orders are conveyed to each partc
ular part. BY the Quarter Master General al
transportations and vehicles, and horses ar
furnished; by the company all supplies; by TIL
|
roughly examined, the practcability of passe
determined, Notifications built, or attached
Then the staff of an army becomes its eyesant
all its faculties, the General simply deciding thu
movements of the army, on the facts and ele
ments thus furnished In the grand French ar
mics there was a chief of the staff, or head o
the active Military Bureau. In Napoleon's time
this chief Of the staff was Marshal Berthier
deemed one of the ablest officers of the Frencl
army. Napoleon knew the value OF good staff
and had ADLER men in it than were at the head O
the divisions. If any extensive army should b
: formed, this should always be the case.
In the statements we have made, it will b
seen, there is a strong similarity between me
dern army, well organized, and that of Romans
Our company corresponds with the Roman Ger
. turv. and our division to the Roman Legion
The Roman Legion, when full, contained 600
men, which comprehended a portion of auxill
aries, and were divided 70 as to include all kind
: of service. A Roman Legion was a compe'
J., army in itself, and the experience then and no
is that compact body or force of six thousan
men is as large as can be organized to act as OF
body; larger than that they must act as sep
' rate bodies, moving tremendously together
l5TCin GaZ