Colonel how many

The smallest was a company, which had around men. The largest was an army, which could have many thousands of men. Companies were named with the letters A—K J was not used because it looked too much like I. If the unit had only four to eight companies, it was called a battalion rather than a regiment. Union brigades were named with numbers, but Confederate brigades were often named after their current or former commanding officers.

Confederate divisions tended to contain more brigades than their Union counterparts. Confederate divisions often had twice as many men as Union divisions had. A corps had approximately 36, men and was commanded by a major general Union or a lieutenant general Confederate. The Union often named its armies after rivers or waterways, i.

The Confederacy named its armies after states or regions, i. The rank of a Civil War soldier indicated his duties and responsibilities within the army. The vast majority of soldiers were enlisted men—they made up the bulk of the fighting force.

Above them were noncommissioned officers also considered enlisted soldiers and commissioned officers. While officers had more prestige than privates, they also carried added burdens, since they were accountable for all the soldiers under their command.

A major general had the command and administrative responsibilities for an infantry division. He had to ensure that his division was well cared for and ready to fight when needed. In battle, he commanded his division by issuing orders to his brigade commanders on where to position their troops. A brigadier general had the command and administrative duties for an infantry or cavalry brigade, made up usually of four regiments.

He had to keep his men in good condition and ready to fight. In battle, he led his brigade by instructing his regiments on where to fight. A colonel had the command and administrative duties for an infantry, cavalry, or artillery regiment, made up of varying numbers of companies.

The colonel was expected to lead his regiment into battle personally to ensure that it performed to its utmost ability. For this reason, colonels were often killed or wounded in action. A lieutenant colonel was the second in command of an infantry, cavalry, or artillery regiment.

He had to assist the colonel in all duties, and in battle, he helped lead the regiment into the fight. If the colonel was killed or wounded, the lieutenant colonel immediately took command of the regiment. A major was third in command of an infantry, cavalry, or artillery regiment and assisted the colonel in administrative and combat duties.

In battle, an infantry major led the regimental attack, positioning himself at the front with the color guard. If the colonel and the lieutenant colonel were killed or wounded, the major took command of the regiment. A captain had command of a company of infantry or cavalry, or an artillery battery of guns. In addition to his administrative duties, an infantry captain led his company into battle by giving the proper commands for the movement and fighting of his troops, in concert with the other companies in the regiment.

Lieutenants were second in command of infantry and cavalry companies and artillery batteries. Infantry lieutenants assisted the company captain in their positions behind the line of battle by guiding the troops in their movements and firing. A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart.

To learn more about the Army's rank structure, see our complete list of Army ranks. The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Colonel is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Army rank to GS grade conversion table. To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Army and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.

Civilian Payscales. Military Discounts. Decorations In Order. Decorations By Class. Decorations By Branch. Military Rack Builder. Housing Allowances. BAH Calculator. Military Dictionary.