Why cant we form 100 man companies?

[paulcalloway]

Here's to hoping we can put a couple of these in the field in 2008.

100 men
1 Captain
2 LTs
5 SGTs
8 CPLs
82 PVTs
2 Musicians
1 Waggoner
Aggregate 101

MU
MU
CAP	1SG
CPL	PVT	1ST SECTION	1ST PLATOON	5SG
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
CPL	PVT
SECTION BRK
CPL	PVT	2D SECTION		2LT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT			4SG
PVT	PVT
CPL	PVT
PLATOON BREAK
CPL	PVT	1ST SECTION	2D PLATOON
PVT	PVT			3SG
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT			3LT	(Hardees/CS)
CPL	PVT
SECTION BRK
CPL	PVT	2D SECTION		1LT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
PVT	PVT
CPL	PVT			2SG

[Michael Comer]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

That would be a nice sight to see. It should be something that can be attained if a goal or event to do it at is established early on and folks get focused on making it happen.

[Terry Sorchy]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Hopefully it will come to fruition at Marmadukes Raid:D
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

[paulcalloway]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Hopefully it will come to fruition at Marmadukes Raid:D
Cheers
Terry Sorchy

I'm going to try to help you do that at Marmaduke's Raid!

Hoping we can do it at Camp Morton 2008 as well. We had 85 or so in line at Perryville 2001 and a company turn sounded like a cattle stampede.

[CJDaley]

Why cant we form 100 man companies?

I remember showing up to Saylor's Creek in 1996 with 73 privates, 4 corporals, 3 sgts and a lieutenant. We were told we couldn't fall in with any battalion unless we divided into 3 companies. So we split into three companies with the sgts as officers and the lt as a wing commander.

The largest company we put together was the one at Saylor's Creek, but we also put together scores of 60+ man companies back then. These companies were put together without forums, listserves, chatrooms and the internet. We used a thing called the telephone and a paper newsletter....yeah, I know, now I'm the crotchety ass.

[CJDaley]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

I remember showing up to Saylor's Creek in 1996 with 73 privates, 4 corporals, 3 sgts and a lieutenant. We were told we couldn't fall in with any battalion unless we divided into 3 companies. So we split into three companies with the sgts as officers and the lt as a wing commander.

The largest company we put together was the one at Saylor's Creek, but we also put together scores of 60+ man companies back then. These companies were put together without forums, listserves, chatrooms and the internet. We used a thing called the telephone and a paper newsletter....yeah, I know, now I'm the crotchety ass.

[john duffer]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Paul

I’m speaking from memory and will have to do some research tonight but two or three years ago I looked into having eight corporals and convinced myself there was much more of a case to have them posted in front & rear rank on left and right of platoons as per Scott’s 1835 rather than all front rank at section breaks.

[paulcalloway]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

I'd be interested to see that John.

I've always put them at section breaks but I guess I don't know the basis for that. Perhaps thats a reenactorism that I've failed to recognize.

I'll put out the manuals tonite as well.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Paul,

Deep within the University of Reenacting subforum on The Off Topic Boys Forum, the remnants of a thread that survived the great crash of 2006 leaves a few bits of information worth mentioning here. For those interested in the authorization document for the 101-man company, check out War Department General Order 15, dated May 4, 1861.

No guarantees this link will still work:

Pages 151 and 152 of the Cornell MOA ORs

Howard Lanham's article, while brief is a nice read and references the above GO:

The Organizational Plan for the Volunteer Force 1861

Being a Tripod site, it won't absorb many hits, but give it a try the next day if it burns out today.

Bill Rodman mentioned GO 49 was worth perusing, but it appears none of us did. Not sure any of this is a huge help, but sometimes we need to ask the question "how" when it comes to the form and function of things in the army as well as the usual "W" questions.

[csabugler]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Memory fails me at the moment, I am old. Back in maybe 1994 at the big Spring Hill/ Nashville/Franklin event that got hit by the hurricane on thursday night we had something like 152 guys in jeancloth. Now I was only a lowly private and wasn't involved in the assembly of that force, so I will need a little help remembering if any of you were there.
I don't recall if we called ourselves a regiment or what. Also, I got all my info from the phone and paper mailings like that which CJ referenced earlier.
Sextons Cornet band marched in with us as I recall.
Apparently it can be done, but maybe there is a lot of background I am not aware of.

[DougCooper]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

The largest company we put together was the one at Saylor's Creek, but we also put together scores of 60+ man companies back then. These companies were put together without forums, listserves, chatrooms and the internet. We used a thing called the telephone and a paper newsletter....yeah, I know, now I'm the crotchety ass.

Count me as one of those crotchety types as well who miss the days of "units." Large companies were more common back then because we had real companies of 30-50, real battalions of 300-500, etc. At the Wilderness this year we had a 60+ man company and it worked outstandingly well. Back to the future?

[CJDaley]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Large companies were more common back then because we had real companies of 30-50, real battalions of 300-500, etc.

Fewer events + fewer messes = larger companies

Also, I got all my info from the phone and paper mailings like that which CJ referenced earlier.

I love my internet machine, but I remember stapling together 200 mailings and hand addressing them for Old Bethapge in 1997 and that was one of the best looking companies I've ever seen. Dana Shoaf was an amazing officer and the drill was great. Guys from all over the country flew/drove in for that one and we had two 70+ man companis and some great civilians. Not ONE e-mail was exchanged and I have the phone/postal bills to prove it.

Online registration, paypal and forums are great, but they are no replacement for the human touch.

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

Where are your musicians on the diagram?

[csabugler]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

I don't see it so much as a "remember when" discussion so much as a "we did it then with lesser resources, why isn't it happening now?"
Should we start a new thread about "why can't we get 100 man companies in the field now?" Lead by a captain.

[paulcalloway]

Re: Anatomy of a 100 man company

I've moved some of the posts to a new thread in order to keep this discussion particular to the anatomy of the 100 man company.