Version 8.4.2017
Verzeichnis der CS-Regimenter
und anderen
militärischen Einheiten
erstellt von Eberhard Ref
Allgemeines:
Die Sollstärke eines Regiments betrug 1200 Mann (theoretisch); praktisch lag die Stärke bereits bei der Musterung meist darunter und nahm im Laufe des Einsatzes meist stark ab. Ein Kavallerie-Regiment besaß 12 Kompanien [Numerierung A-M], die berittenen Infanterieregimenter besaßen 10 Kompanien [Numerierung A-K]; die Nummer 'J' war aufgrund einer alter Armee-Tradition nicht vergeben; zum einen bestand Verwechslungsgefahr zwischen »J« und »I«, zum anderen wurde »J« als Unglücksbuchstabe betrachtet, da er Bestandteil des Namen »Judas« ist (vgl. Crabb: All Afire to Fight, a.a.O., S. 7, vgl. Coco: Civil War Infantryman, a.a.O., S. 9-9). Die Kavallerieregimenter bildeten im Gefecht zwei Bataillone, jeweils bestehend aus vier Kompanien (vgl. Evans, Sherman's Horsemen, S. 501 Anm. 23).
Civil War infantry regiments consisted, as a rule, of ten companies, designed by the letters A-K, except for the letter J. United States Army regulations prescribed a company size of 3 officers and 98 enlisted men. With 15 field and staff officers, a regiment numbered 1.025 officers and men at authorized strength. Although the Confederacy would adopt a slightly higher figure for a regiment – 1389 officers and men – few regiments on either side ever had a full complement during the war. The recruitment of new volunteers and the infusion of conscribed or drafted men never restored a regiment to the numbers it possessed at its original mustering in. Both governments chose to create new units instead of filling old regiments to authorized strength (vgl. Wert: Brotherhood of Valor, a.a.O., S. 17; vgl. Coco: Civil War Infantryman, a.a.O., S. 9-10).
Griffith (vgl. Griffith: Battle Tactics, a.a.O., S. 91) zeigt anhand von Beispielen, daß die Regimenter nicht generell standardisiert waren und oft ihren Dienst mit abweichenden Stärken begannen.
During the war the Confederacy fielded approximately 1526 regiments, legions, separate companies, battalions and batteries. Their infantry regiments numbered 642 (vgl. Coco: Civil War Infantryman, a.a.O., S. 10).
Regiments were enlisted or conscribed throughout the war by either the central government or individual states. There were regular regiments on both sides, i.e. units formed by the government themselves, not the states. For instance these were named „1st Confederate Regiment“ (vgl. Coco: Civil War Infantryman, a.a.O., S. 10).
Southern regiments, brigades, divisions, and corps normally had higher numerical strength than their Union counterparts. This is often attributed (wrongly „in some cases“) to the fact, that the United States authorized many more new regiments during the war than the South, therefore dooming their old veteran regiments to continually decreasing strength as the newer regiments gained the bulk of the incoming enlistments and conscripts. The Confederacy, on the other hand, sent most of its human resources into the older proven organizations, in pretense of keeping them up to reasonable combat status (vgl. Coco: Civil War Infantryman, a.a.O., S. 10).