Unit readiness - American Civil War

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RBEmerson

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American Civil War - 1864 Union Company.

It appears a full Company ran around a total of 100 men, of two Platoons, 2-4 Sections each (I'm using two sections, to keep the NCO character list more manageable).

The question is: what percent of a Company (setting aside 2:1 disease/combat death ratio, etc.) was actually combat ready? 50%, 70%, more, less?

The setting is MC takes command of a Company where the CO's been various officers rotating through on their way to their real assignment. Specifically, Company K, 75th Pennsylvania Regiment, post-March, '64 reconstitution (CO info conveniently missing from my brief research). Captain Wilson does an inspection. 1st Platoon Leader position has been equally transient. The Platoon is a mess. 2nd Platoon has good NCO leadership and is in better condition. The question is what's a good approximation of the number of effectives Wilson can report having?
Assume basic arms issued, no trick or specialized weapons.
 

angeliz2k

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You say it's been recently reorganized? That is likely to bring the percentage of combat-ready troops up. My initial thought was that it would depend on how many battles they've been in recently. The number of men in units was whittled away by attrition until they were reorganized. In this case, since they've recently been reorganized and in March '64 there hadn't been any significant recent action, I'd think they'd be pretty good on manpower. It's also going to depend on whether there's recently been an illness sweeping the camp, how wet and cold the weather is, and so on. The number of effectives is going to fluctuate wildly based on immediate circumstances. I don't have a good idea on the numbers here, but is an actual number important? Presumably, you want your character to find that the force is either woefully low or surprisingly strong as far manpower. A number isn't necessarily the most effective way to show that.

And are we talking about readiness as far as materiel? The Union would've been quite well supplied. They were in winter quarters still at that point (campaigning didn't begin until, what, April?), so their supply lines were well-established.
 

RBEmerson

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Without investing more than it's really worth to me, all I have comes from various Googles The history of the 75th, as per Wikipedia:
Code:
On January 2, 1864, the 75th Pennsylvania was remustered into the army as a veteran organization. The troops received a 30-day furlough, which enabled them to visit their families in Philadelphia. The furlough ended on March 8, when the troops left Philadelphia by train, the ranks having been swelled by new recruits.
Early January to early March sounds like more than 30 days. Somewhere in then everybody came back to West Philadelphia, the newbies got mixed in, and chug-chug choo-choo off to Bridgeport, AL. I assume, therefore, that the Regiment and constituting Companies were as close to full as they ever were.

A Major Fangioli is to take Companies I and K off to dig out a small, but exact size unknown, group of Johnny Rebs for mistreating (i.e., hanging) a messenger. The tactical situation is Co. I is assumed to be mediocre at best. Co. K is looking to kick butt and take names by hammering Johnny Reb onto Co. I as stationary anvil (terrain organized to suit). So... might be 10, might be 50 in that unknown group. How many men, between I and K, can Fangioli count on. Assume a company is 100 men (tidy number, eh).
 

Averhoes

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The organization of a Union infantry company in the Civil War was (theoretically) as follows:
Captain - commands the company
2 Lieutenants (1st and 2nd Lt - each commands 1/2 of the company - a platoon)
4 sergeants - 2 assigned to each platoon, each commands a section.
8 corporals - 2 under each sergeant, each commands a squad.
80 privates- about 10 to the squad

there were several other members of the company who do not fit into the foregoing organizational pyramid:
1 first sergeant - the highest ranking enlisted man in the company. he handles paperwork, reports, muster rolls, and routine day-to-day administration of the company
2 musicians - one drummer and one fifer - they were frequently minors but since they also frequently lied about their ages, it is hard to say how old they actually were.
one cook - actually a civilian employee of the quartermaster's department - usually black.
one teamster -drives a wagon of company gear/tents - also a civilian

By 1864, the typical company would have had 30-40 present for duty. Besides outright deaths, a number of soldiers would have deserted (about 10% of Union soldiers deserted), plus there would have been any number of medical discharges. A number of soldiers are absent sick in hospital, or on detached duty (for example, a clerk at brigade headquarters or some similar function) etc. Because the company only has a fraction of its authorized strength, the officers and NCO's are likewise not at the authorized level. Frequently, the company is commanded by a lieutenant. Both platoons are led by sergeants. A total of five corporals are available. Only one musician is available - either a fifer or a drummer. The teamster tended to disappear in 1862, when the Union army converted from large wall tents to small "dog tents". The limited amount of baggage still carried (a foot locker with company records, maybe some mess equipment, and some gear for the officers - will not fill a wagon, so 4-5 companies can now share one baggage wagon. The cook is probably still there.

The platoons and squads are not really maneuver elements like in a modern army - your membership in a platoon or a particular squad just determines where you line up. The company maneuvers and fights in formation as a single unit.

If you go to the following link, you will find Bates History of Pennsylvania volunteers - the history of the 75th starts on page 915. It is followed by a roster of the regiment - the roster of company K starts on 943.

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/aby3439.0002.001/
 
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RBEmerson

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Great thanks for all of your information. I followed up on Bates. Very interesting reading, and not just to fill in the sketchy information I have.

By the time Companies I & K go on their "stroll" to "Spivey's Crossing" (generic name), the 75th had essentially been regenerated. I think I can get away with having more effectives. What I did not know about is around 12 Oct. '84 the 75th was involved in chasing after a guerrilla band. My writing to date (the stroll to Spivey's Crossing) drops right into the time and mission. Woohoo!
 
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