Never Sound Retreat (33 page)
Read Never Sound Retreat Online
Authors: William R. Forstchen
Tags: #Science Fiction, #General, #War stories, #Fiction
Organizational Structures of the Army of the Republic At the Start of the Bantag Wars
It should be noted that prior to the beginning of hostilities the Army of the Republic had been organized into two separate "armies"—the First and Second. The First, made up of 1st-6th Corps, was primarily of units from Rus, while 7th-12th Corps were recruited from Roum. This initial organization was due in large part to the language difficulty, along with the usual political considerations. The decision was reached to abandon this structure and fully integrate the two "armies." This did create certain command difficulties, even though it had been agreed that the language of Rus would be the official language of the army.
COMMANDER OF THE ARMIES-COLONEL ANDREW LAWRENCE KEANE
(Note—Andrew Keane has always maintained the official rank of Colonel, even after the rapid expansion of the army, refusing any attempt to confer upon him a high ranking appropriate to the level of command. The same is true of Sergeant Major Hans Schuder.)
ARMY OF THE SHENANDOAH (EASTERN FRONT)
Major General Patrick O'Donald
1st, 3rd, 9th, & 11th Corps
ARMY OF THE SOUTH
Sergeant Major Hans Schuder 2nd, 7th, & 8th Corps
RESERVE CORPS
Major General Vincent Hawthorne At Fort Lincoln 5th Corps At Suzdal 4th Corps
At Roum 10th Corps
WESTERN FRONT
(Deployed to the west of Suzdal on the old Potomac Line to block possible action by the scattered remnants of the Merki Horde.) Major General Vincent Hawthorne 6th & 12th Corps
NOTES ON ARMY ORGANIZATION
Corps Organization
• Three Divisions per Corps
• Two Brigades per Division
• Five Regiments per Brigade
Average strength of a regiment at the start of the Bantag Wars: four hundred and thirty men, though certain units in 1st-3rd Corps had as little as two hundred men under arms. 1st through 6th Corps bore the brunt of fighting during the Merki Wars and as such had the strongest contingent of veterans. 7th through 12th Corps was recruited primarily from Roum.
A battalion of artillery is attached to each Corps. Four to eight batteries of four guns each comprise a battalion. Approximately two thirds of the artillery batteries assigned to field operations are equipped with ten-pound breechloaders converted from Parrott Guns. Rocket batteries, part of the overall artillery reserves, are assigned to Corps as needed.
Additional units attached at the Corps level—one regiment of engineering troops, a light brigade of cavalry, pontoon bridging unit, one company of sharpshooters armed with either Sharps long rifles or Whitworth sniper guns, various supply, transport, medical, and signals units.
Military Railroad of the Republic
Railroad transport had been reorganized as well, recognized now as a separate branch of service answering directly to the Commander of the Armies. During the Tugar and Merki Wars, men serving on the military railroad were also part of field infantry units, usually from the 1st Corps. With the increasing needs of railroads to support far-flung operations, men were assigned to the military railroad system on a permanent basis. A fair percentage of personnel are veterans of the earlier wars, discharged from field service due to disabilities.
Naval Units
The Navy is divided into two fleets; the First Fleet based in the Inland Sea, the Second Fleet in the Great
Sea. Given the relatively small size of the Fleets, both are under the direct command of Admiral Bullfinch, who answers directly to Colonel Keane. Plans were underway at the start of the war to form a separate Marine Brigade.
Additional Units
The air force, fortification units, heavy artillery, artillery reserves, the headquarters and training regiment (the old 35th Maine & 44th New York) all answer to the office of the Commander of the Armies.