Military Units of the Confederacy
Perhaps in other war was the esprit of the regiment more vital or apparent than in the civil war. The regiment became a second home; usually the men were from the same area, and they often had known each civilian life while there was pride in nation, army corps, division, and brigade it was the regiment that usually counted most.
One sound compilation gives for confederate’s 1526 units including regiments, legions, battalions, companies, and batteries. By this count here were included 642 infantry regiments, 137 cavalry regiments, 16 artillery regiments, and 227 batteries.
Of course, these figures do not give true numerical strength, any more than they do in federal forces; regiments varied from as many as 1200 members to only a handful at various times and places on both sides.
Southern losses were often extreme. For instance the twenty-sixth North Carolina had some 880 men at the start of Gettysburg. There were 86 reported killed, 502 wounded (including mortally wounded), and 120 missing, for a total of 708. The sixth Alabama at Fair Oaks or seven pines, out of about 632 engaged, lost 91 killed, 277 wounded, and 5 missing for 373. The fourth North Carolina lost 77 killed, 286 wounded, Carolina rifles at Gaines’ mill suffered 81 killed, 234 wounded, and 4 missing for 319 of 537 engaged.
As to percentages of losses to numbers present, incomplete records put the first Texas at the top with 226 present at Antietam or Sharpsburg with 45 killed and 141 wounded (including mortally wounded) for 82.3 per cent. The twenty- first Georgia lost 38 killed and 146 wounded out of 242 for 75 per cent causalities at second Manassas or Bull Run. Then comes the Twenty-sixth North Carolina at Gettysburg, as mentioned above, with 86 killed and 502 wounded out of 880, for 71.7 per cent. In addition there were 120 missing. At Shiloh or Pittsburgh landing the sixth Mississippi suffered 70.5 per cent losses with 61 killed and 239 wounded out of 425. The eighth Tennessee at stone’s river or Murfreesboro had 41 killed and 265 wounded out of 444 for 68.2 per cent. Closely following was the tenth Tennessee at Chickamauga with 328 present, 44 killed, and 180 wounded for 68 per cent.
