Your Favorite Brigade Names

[Mobile Terror Unit]

It's your chance to demonstrate that you're a Civil War nerd. Additionally, digging up brigade or unit names is a bit of work, so we might help each other learn a little more Civil War history while we decide what to name our brigades.

Infantry:
Gibraltar Brigade - having Samuel Carroll lead these steadfast Buckeyes is really satisfying

Excelsior Brigade

Irish Brigade

1st Tennessee Volunteers - one of a few Unionist (individuals who fought for the North) regiments

Stannard's Brigade

Blazer's Scouts (or "[Brigade Commander's name] Scouts"): inspired bythe West Virginian anti-guerilla unit, which I typically name my sharpshooters

[Brigade Commander's name] Zouaves: generic name I use to distinguish my light infantry

8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry - the Fightin' Fools! Although, they were really just a regiment.

Cavalry:

11th Ohio Cavalry

2nd New York Cavalry

Lightening Brigade

Wolverine Brigade

Loyal Virginia Cavalry - West Virginian Unionists

Artillery:

?

[CrashToDesktop]

-Brigade, -Legion, -Rifles, -Zouaves for my Infantry. I usually don't name my brigades after real life brigades like the Excelsior Brigade, unless I've got their commander, out of a certain level of respect for some reason.

Usually -Rangers for my Skirmishers.

For Artillery, the "Bronze Battery" or the "Bronze Hammer" for units with bronze cannons like Napoleons, "Iron Rifles" and "Iron Hammer" for rifled guns.

I actually don't have many for Cavalry. Usually it's just the 1st Viginia Cavalry after Newport News and I JEB Stuart as the commander.

[bluto]

I usually name them after the first commander, with one of a few descriptors indicating which function they're better at: melee, ranged shooting, or both for infantry and short ranged repeaters vs sharpshooters for skirmishers.

[clench]

I name all my 1st division historical names based on each faction.

My other divisions get a brigade leader named after a state capitol. The rest of the division will be named after the state.

So CSA would have a Richmond Brigade,1st Virginia, 2nd Virginia, etc.

[GerthQuake]

I do a mixture of Historical Names (the Stonewall Brigade, Hood's Texas Brigade, the Bucktail Brigade, ect.) Then mix it up with some new ones like the Butcher Brigade, Old Jube's Brigade (Commanded by Jubal A Early) ect. Once the elite brigades are cemented in, i make the other brigade names a combo of regimental tags. For instance Hoods Texas Brigade at Antietam would've been the 1st, 4th, & 5th Texas, 2nd South Carolina Infantry(Later the 3rd Arkansas Infantry) and the 18th Georgia. Without "Hoods Texas Brigade", their name would be =

"1st, 4th & 5th TX, 2nd SC, 18th GA (Hood)"


Also found the Order of Battle for the Battle of Gettysburg, ever wonder the exact organization of Lee's Army at Gettysburg was? How many men each regiment had? Who commanded what?

Here you go, i've been fascinated with it.

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/classes/hist150b/battleorder.html

[Apoc]

Infantry:
Philadelphia Brigade
Kanawha Brigade
Empire (Spinola) Brigade
Orphan Brigade
Metropolitan Guard
Stonewall Brigade
Louisiana Tigers
Hindman's Legion
Florida Brigade
California Brigade
European Brigade
Bucktail Brigade
Iron Brigade
Texas Brigade
Irish Legion
Irish Brigade
French Brigade

Cavalry:
Jeff Davis Cavalry Legion
Rush's Lancers
Mosby's Raiders
Oneida Independent Cavalry Company
Frontier Cavalry
Prattville Dragoons


Artillery:
Pointe Coupee Artillery
Black River Artillery
Kilcrease Light Artillery
Edenton Bell Battery
Pee Dee Artillery
Palmetto Artillery

Skirmishers/Sharpshooters
Berdan's Sharpshooters
2nd US Sharpshooters
Palmetto Sharpshooters
Whitworth Sharpshooters
1st US Chasseurs
Chalmette Regiment

[edwardstoner]

Originally posted by DiddlerOnTheRoof:

Also found the Order of Battle for the Battle of Gettysburg, ever wonder the exact organization of Lee's Army at Gettysburg was? How many men each regiment had? Who commanded what?

Here you go, i've been fascinated with it.

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/classes/hist150b/battleorder.html

Thanks for sharing this order of battle information. It is good to know what the actual sizes of the units were!

[Mobile Terror Unit]

Originally posted by DiddlerOnTheRoof:

I do a mixture of Historical Names (the Stonewall Brigade, Hood's Texas Brigade, the Bucktail Brigade, ect.) Then mix it up with some new ones like the Butcher Brigade, Old Jube's Brigade (Commanded by Jubal A Early) ect. Once the elite brigades are cemented in, i make the other brigade names a combo of regimental tags. For instance Hoods Texas Brigade at Antietam would've been the 1st, 4th, & 5th Texas, 2nd South Carolina Infantry(Later the 3rd Arkansas Infantry) and the 18th Georgia. Without "Hoods Texas Brigade", their name would be =

"1st, 4th & 5th TX, 2nd SC, 18th GA (Hood)"


Also found the Order of Battle for the Battle of Gettysburg, ever wonder the exact organization of Lee's Army at Gettysburg was? How many men each regiment had? Who commanded what?

Here you go, i've been fascinated with it.

http://www.bio.brandeis.edu/classes/hist150b/battleorder.html

I like your idea for listing brigaded regiments a lot! Most brigades didn't have unique nickname's, but were simply name X's Brigade (e.g. Stannard's Brigade).

And I have been researching the order of battle for various battles as well. I decided to start naming units after Unionist and "galvinized yankees" (i.e. Confederate prisoners who fought for the north) after I started arming brigades with Confederate weapons.

[Cpt. Kid]

2:17 AM 1/28/2017

You like the way I did it better? Its easier to manage on the field with names like that. We need to be able to name the divisions to make it say something else not divisions. I would of made Army Corp a division (1st Army Division) and named all the divisions a brigade (1st Brigade) while naming each unit (1st Infantry) a regiment.

"organization wins wars" - me

It helps to know who to put on the field and vet up is why I did it like that.

example: 1A/1D - Lorenz - Infantry

1st Army Corps in 1st Division using Lorenz rifle and its a infantry unit.

[bradford174]

I try and give a few units battle appropriate names. After churning up the Confeds at Antietam, the Sharpsberg Legion came in to being. Awkwardly I already had Gen Gibbon, so when I got the Blackhat Brigade (W), I put doppelGibbon in command of Blackhat Brigade (E), and made them my two elite units.

It's a shame there isn't really anything to do with the March to the Sea campaign, because otherwise I would definitely have a New England Patriots until to go stomping all over Atlanta.

I always name my artillery depending on what they've got (so I can tell what to use them for most effectively).

[HolaGorgonzola]

Orphan Brigade. If it hasnt already been mentioned by these guys. I mean jesus, you guys know a lot of units.

[Metal Lord]

The 9th Bearded Infantry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reLek2Yjwp0

Also Galvanized Yankees were Union or Confederate units made up of captured enemy soldiers (mostly German or Irish immigrants) who then enlisted with their captors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanized_Yankees#Confederate_regulars

[srgoens]

My 3 star Brigades have names that set them apart. I name my infantry with shooting rifles Sharpshooters ( the 1-1 Sharpshooters.) This designates them first division, first brigade. If they have Palmetto rifles they are third division and third brigade they are the Fighting 33rd. Artillery is named after what artillery pieces they are using by division like the First 24 Howitzer. Calvary the First Pale Riders. Pale Riders are first Corp. The First HUSSARS are II corps and so on. Skirmishers are denoted by rifle and Corp. I Corp Sharps or II Corp Sniper. Of course my 3 Star brigades are Buckeyes, Ohio, and Longtown. Look up Longtown Ohio...My ancestors made up that community.

[mrcarltonferrell]

I have a list of known confederate regiments that I use.

Liberty Rifles, Sons of Erin, Emerald Guard, Secession Guards, Wheat's Tigers, Gist Riflemen, Beaufort Light Troop, Fayetteville Light Infantry, McIntyre Rangers, Appomattox Rangers, Loudon Cavalry, Governor's Guard, Palmetto Guards, Lafourche Creoles, Landrum Guards, Camden Knights, Jackson Guards, Creole Rifles, Nashville Guard, Kentucky Guard, Mississippi Rangers, Memphis Zouaves, Warrenton Rifles, Lynchburg Home Guard, Beauregard Rifles, Baldwin Blues, Thomasville Zouaves, Tiger Zouaves, Carroll County Guard, Adam's Rifles, Alamutcha Infantry, Orleans Rifles, Texas Invincibles, Burke Volunteers, Bullard Rifles, Crescent City Rifles, Sumpter Valley Light Guards, Claiborne Guards, Cherokee Rangers, Raccoon Roughs, Rutledge Mounted Rifles, Georgia Hussars, Tupelo Fusiliers, Rhett Guard, Charleston Harbor Guard, Charleston Zouaves, VMI Cadet Corps, Citadel Cadet Corps, Jefferson Cadets.

If I find any more I'll be happy to post them here

[Hat8]

The Excelsior Brigade is one of my favorites because it fits the name of the person who made it, General Sickles. Guy was crazy, murdered his best friend who he had caught cheating on his wife and got off on insanity but destroyed his reputation by forgiving her later on(she was a prostitute btw).

To restore his reputation, he created brigades out of New York's gangs, dockyard workers and random homeless drunks but had trouble becoming a general to lead that brigade, only being able to do so thanks to saving Pres Lincoln from a scandal.

[Ninjasquirrel]

Garibaldi Guard, Hampton's Legion (cav or infantry? you pick!), Pennsylvania Reserves (a whole division, 1st-4th)

Stuff I made up:
Union -
1st-nth U.S. Army Regulars
Highland Brigade
Lafayette Brigade
Jayhawk Brigade
Brandenburg Brigade (Germans)
Union Brigade
Lincoln Brigade
Marine Brigade
Light Brigade (repeaters if available after lightning brigade)
Buckeye Brigade (even more ohioans)
Hoosier Brigade

CSA -
St. Patrick's Brigade
VMI Brigade
Indian Brigade (100 melee elite lol)
Tarheel Brigade
Kansas Brigade