In practice, due primarily to enlistment issues, illness, casualties, and desertion, they often consisted of closer to 30-50 men. On paper, companies were supposed to contain 100 men. Upon enlistment, infantrymen typically joined companies, usually comprised of men from the same town or county or part of a state. Infantrymen were foot soldiers who wielded muskets and whose officers carried swords and pistols. The majority of servicemen during the Civil War joined the infantry.
Confederate soldiers could also join national “C.S.” units, but most were in state-based units.
On the Union side units comprised of “regular” soldiers-those established in the armed forces before the Civil War and which bore a “U.S.” designation-or “volunteer” soldiers-those which consisted of men serving in state-based units that were typically created specifically for the Civil War. Over time, leaders on both sides realized that this jumble of responsibilities led to problems on the battlefield. At the outset of hostilities, it was not uncommon to see a brigade that consisted of infantry regiments and cavalry regiments. One of the most significant themes in the evolution of Civil War armies was the gradual division of the three branches. There were three broad branches of the armed forces on land: infantry, cavalry, and artillery. The Civil War codified several elements of army structure that are still used today. Both sides explored a variety of structures throughout the war in response to new currents in strategic thought and the demands of specific circumstances. When the war began, neither side knew exactly which army structure would be most effective.
The contending armies in the Civil War were organized with the intent of establishing smooth command and control in camp and on the battlefield.
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