Regimental strength for 1st Bull Run

[miniaturemen]

Morning all

I have been painting up some Warlord Epic ACW Rebs with the idea of having a go at 1st Bull Run.

Does anyone know where I can find the actual number of men for each regiment?

I’ve been researching online and found a few regiment strengths scattered across various sites but I’m finding the more I look the more contradictory the numbers.

Can any point me to a Web site or book/rulebook that covers this.

Thanks

Gary

 

[willz]

 

These bits may be of use

https://history.army.mil/html/books/035/35-2-1/cmhPub_35-2-1.pdf

Excursus: Common Civil War Military Terms Infantry, cavalry, and artillery.

Infantry and cavalry units Company: 100 men commanded by a captain
Regiment: 1000 men commanded by a colonel (10 Companies)
Brigade: 4000 men under a brigadier general (4 regiments)
Division: 16,000 men under a major general (4 brigades)
Corps: 48,000 men (roughly) under a major general (3 corps, sometimes more)
Army: Two or more corps plus supporting artillery and cavalry (100,000 or so men)

These are beginning “on paper” strengths, but they became increasingly smaller throughout the war, as casualties were not replaced.

https://www.britishbattles.com/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run/

 

 

 

[willz]

• miniaturemen wrote:

  Morning all I have been painting up some Warlord Epic ACW Rebs with the idea of having a go at 1st Bull Run. Does anyone know where I can find the actual number of men for each regiment? I’ve been researching online and found a few regiment strengths scattered across various sites but I’m finding the more I look the more contradictory the numbers. Can any point me to a Web site or book/rulebook that covers this. Thanks Gary

Personally I would go for regimental strengths / unit sizes that work for you.  Based on the figures you have available or wish to paint as pointed out in my previous post, what was in the regimental handbooks for preferred strength could be very different from actual strength.

Don’t forget if you are a fighting unit you want as much ammunition, food and supplies you can get, so slow data feedback on regimental strengths back to the army supply chain was slow.  In basic terms as a  colonel of a regiment you want maximum bang for your buck.

[MartinR]

Very few ACW Regiments had 1000 men, they were very weak by European standards, a few hundred men.  I generally game larger ACW actions but iirc the Volley and Bayonet ACW scenario book lists numerical brigade strengths, and you can figure out average Regimental strength from that. V&B includes 1st Bull Run as a scenario. A brigade with 2000 guys is going ng to average 500 per regiment.

"Mistakes in the initial deployment cannot be rectified" - Helmuth von Moltke

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