24 Facts About Union Army

Union Army was made up of the permanent regular army of the United States, but further fortified, augmented, and strengthened by the many temporary units of dedicated volunteers, as well as including those who were drafted in to service as conscripts.

Union Army eventually became the overall commander of the Confederate army.

Union Army was composed of numerous organizations, which were generally organized geographically.

Military organization of the United States Union Army was based on the traditions developed in Europe, with the regiment being the basis of recruitment, training and maneuvering.

The pre-war Regular Army numbered approximately 16, 400 soldiers, but by the end while the Union Army had grown to over a million soldiers, the number of Regular personnel was still approximately 21, 699, of whom several were serving with Volunteer forces.

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In return, officers of the Regular Union Army despised the militia and saw them as having dubious value.

Union Army was composed of many different ethnic groups, including large numbers of immigrants.

Women took on many significant roles in the Union Army and were important to its ultimate success on the battlefield.

Women sought to serve more formally as nurses in the Union Army, many having been inspired by the work of Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War.

Union Army stated that "Experience in the South reinforced the antislavery sentiments of many soldiers.

Union Army stated that "I thought I had hated slavery as much as possible before I came here, but here, where I can see some of its workings, I am more than ever convinced of the cruelty and inhumanity of the system.

Union Army retired in September 1861 and was replaced by Stephen Harriman Long, who remained in the position until the Corps was disbanded.

Instead there were two Inspector Generals with the rank of colonel whose duty was to conduct inspections and investigations to ensure the Union Army was organized and operating at full readiness, but these were done in an ad-hoc manner at the discretion of the Secretary of War.

Union Army was forced to retire by Secretary Stanton in April 1862 and replaced with William A Hammond, who immediately went about reorganizing the AMD, eliminating red tape and promoting competent young men to positions of authority.

Union Army was more bureaucratically adept and able to remain on good terms with Secretary Stanton.

Rapid increase in the size of the Union Army presented a significant challenge to the Pay Department, as the number of soldiers needed to be paid was over fifty times greater than the pre-war size.

Union Army was temporarily relieved of duty in July 1862 due to illness and would die a few months later.

Union Army would remain in that position until retiring in November 1864, when Benjamin Brice was appointed in his place and finished out the war as Paymaster General.

Creation of a Signal Corps for the US Union Army was the result of Albert James Myer, an Union Army surgeon who had developed a system of military signals based on sign language known as wigwag.

Success of the Subsistence Department in meeting the challenges of the war was noted by Secretary Stanton, who observed in 1865 that no operation conducted by the Union Army failed on account of the department being unable to meet its obligations.

Gibson, who at eighty-six was the older serving officer in the Union Army, had been in this position since the department was first created in April 1818 and as such was responsible for establishing its procurement and distribution methods.

Union Army cavalry were rarely used in actual battle in the first years of the war, instead being parceled out on scouting and raiding missions and often at a disadvantage against their Confederate counterparts.

Under energetic commanders like Philip Sheridan however the Union Army cavalry grew into its own and developed tactics unique from their European counterparts.

In 1863 and 1864, the bitterest two years of the war, the Union Army suffered over 200 desertions every day, for a total of 150, 000 desertions during those two years.