How were the armies organized?
The Union Army was comprised of about 80% infantry, 14% cavalry and 6% artillery. The Confederate Army was comprised of about 75% infantry, 20% cavalry, and 5% artillery. Initially an infantry company had 65-100 privates; ten companies comprised a regiment; 3-5 regiments comprised a brigade; 2-5 brigades comprised a corps; 2 or more corps were an “Army” (e.g., the Union “Army of the Cumberland” or Confederate “Army of Tennessee”).* Typically a Union regiment had 35-40 officers and 900-1,000 soldiers, compared to 45-50 officers and 1,300 soldiers in a Confederate regiment. This was at the beginning of the war. By 1862 the average regiment had closer to 500-600 men; by 1863 the size of a regiment was down to about 300-400 men. Each brigade was commanded by a brigadier general, who (as James Robertson aptly describes it) “led by example rather than from the rear” (so a lot of them were killed). Divisions and corps were led by a major general. [See Army Organization.] *Interestingly, the N
