Enlistment

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Enlistment
2
Unit Size

• Infantry
• Company
• Basic unit, commanded by a captain. Usually
  contained 100 men. The company was then divided
  into
• 2 platoons -one commanded by the
  captain, the other by the 1st Lt.
• 4 sections -commanded by a sergeant.
• 8 squads - commanded by a corporal.
• Brigade
• A brigade is formed from 3-6 regiments and
  commanded by a brigadier general. The south
  usually used more regiments creating bigger
  brigades.
• Division
• A division is composed of 2-6 brigades and is
  commanded by a major general. The south usually
  had 4-6 making them almost twice as large as the
  north.
• Corps
• A Corps is composed of 2-4 divisions commanded by
  a major general (Union) or a lieutenant general
  (Confederate). The south usually had 3 or 4
  again making them bigger.
• Army
• Corps within a geographic area were grouped into
  armies. The number of corps in an army could
  vary anywhere from 1-8. Armies were commanded by
  major generals (Union) and Generals (Confederate)

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Unit Size
Army
Corps
Division
Brigade
Battalion
Company
4
Raising an Army

• April 15th 1861- Lincoln calls for 75,000
  volunteers

• March 6, 1861- Davis calls for 100,000
  volunteers. Too many showed up, 1/3 had to be
  sent home!

Most soldiers were concerned that they would not
reach the field before the fighting was over!

• 3 Ways to list
• Regular Army - Army of professionals led mostly
  by west-point graduates. 5 year service. Before
  the war, army consisted of 17,000 men.
• Militia - offered service to their state not to
  the central government.
• Volunteers - organized by the gov. of each state
  into regiments.

5
Average Soldier

• Most men enlisted for honor, patriotism, or
  glory. Some didnt want to miss the excitement
  or disappoint friends and family. Some didnt
  want to be called a coward.

Average soldier was 58, 143 lbs., and 25 years
old. Minumum age to enlist was 18. Boys as
young as 9 enlisted as drummer boys. Few of
them were actually prepared for soldier life.
They were not proffesional soldiers but civiliams
in temporary service to their country.
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Average Soldier
In the north there were more than 300 different
occupations represented in the camps. More than
100 in the South. When things broke, there was
usually someone around to fix it.
Most soldiers were white, native born,
protestant, unmarried, and young. ?1 out of 16
died in battle ?1 out of 10 was wounded in
battle ?1 out of 13 died of disease
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A Melting Pot
Company H of the 8th Michigan had only 37
Michiganders in its ranks the remainder
comprised of 47 New Yorkers, 26 Americans from
other states, 7 Canadians, 5 Englishmen, 4
Germans, 2 Irishmen, 1 Scotsman, 1 Dutchman and
one mysterious individual who listed as his
nationality The Ocean. By 1860, 1/3 of the
Norths male population was foreign born.
200,000 germans served in the Union army. 50,000
English, 50,000 Canadian, and 150,000 Irishmen.
8
The Melting Pot
Only 9 of the Confederate Army was foreign born.
12,000 Native Americans served in the
Confederate. Mostly from the Cherokee,
Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole tribes.