"Placement of Officers / NCOs in Company" Topic

I'm building a 1:1 scale peninsula war British company in 20mm scale (just for my own amusement).

I know that each company typically would have a captain, a drummer, 2 x Lt., 2 x Srg, 3 x Ensign. But when the company is lined up in 2 ranks I can't find any information on the physical placement of these individuals. Where did they all stand?

Can anyone help?

I'm assuming you want a battle/parade formation as part of a complete (but otherwise invisible) battalion, rather than just an isolated, detached company standing alone somewhere (eg guarding some supplies, a small redoubt, or whatever).

The company commander stood at the right end of the front rank; one of the sergeants stood immediately behind him (known as "covering"), level with the second rank.

The next senior officer stood on the left end of the front rank, with another sergeant covering him.

All other officers and sergeants – your numbers are a bit off, btw – stood in a third rank, some three (I think) paces to the rear of the second rank.

From 1813, each company had one colour sergeant; depending on his seniority (or perhaps by rotation), he could be detached to the colour party – he certainly would be if losses among the CP were heavy.

The drummer(s) were gathered together and distributed equally on the flanks of the battalion; the most senior would accompany the colours as "orderly drummer" to the CO. Hence there would be no drummer(s) specifically with any of the centre companies.

The pioneers would also be converged and held centrally, near to the colours.

Finally, let's not forget the rest of the official personnel of the company. Some paces to the rear would be the company wives – officially six, but more were tolerated on campaign – who would provide first aid, supply drink (water and alcohol), bring up ammunition, and generally support not just their own husbands, but the other men as well. It was not unknown for them to pitch in with the fighting too, if the fancy took them.

The best sources are Osprey's British Napoleonic Infantry Tactics and Mark Adkin's The Waterloo Companion.

A British company would (on average) have 1 captain, 2 subalterns (lieutenant or ensign) 3 sergeants, 3 corporals and 1 drummer. The positions of these individuals varied depending on the formation of the battalion (e.g. line or column). Looking at the battalion in line, it should be noted that the drummers were placed together in four groups along the back of the battalion. Within the company the captain stood in the front rank on the extreme right with a sergeant directly behind to 'cover' him. The other two officers stood to the rear of the lefthand and righthand files with the two remaining sergeants spaced between them. The corporals acted as file closers within the ranks on the left of each section. It would look a bit like this:

Lt Sgt Sgt Lt
Sgt -------------- ------------------Cpl
Capt------------Cpl------------------Cpl

Front of Battalion.

Hope that helps as a starter but I would recommend the books for authority.

Hmm… The diagram did not come out quite right. Imagine the Lts and Sgts more evenly spaced along the complete rear of the company.

For those of us building wargame units in smaller numbers, one might translate these to 28mm British wargame "battalions" of 40 figures (essentially 1:20 ratio). I see 30 officers, 30 sergeants and 30 corporals. 10 drummers make 100 non-privates. At 1:20, there should be 5 "cadre" figures.

I like the idea of drummers at each end of the battalion line, and sergeants as well.

But I use 2 officers with colours in the center of the second line with a drummer to the right of the King's colour, and a sergeant to the left of the regimental colour. I use a sergeant at the right end of the line – usually company 1, not for the grenadiers; and private at the left end – company 8, with a drummer next to him.

It's not really right, but gives me 6 "Cadre" figures – equal to 120 men instead of the 100 specified above.

An option is to have sergeant and drummer at each end of the second line, with the colours alone in the center. But I like to have a yellow-coated drummer next to the King's colour (as for the 9th Foot) to help identify that half-battalion, and the sergeant next to the regimental colour of yellow (for the 9th), with the sergeant next to him.

GdeP

Do the file closers actually step in gaps in the line to fill in or do they coordinate the privates to keep the gaps closed?

The latter – and prevent the men from "rallying to the rear" under pressure.

I thought that the drummers and buglers were stationed close to the colonel so that he could easily give orders to them to start or stop their use as giving instructions (orders) to the unit. Having drummers pounding away right next to the colors should mean that the colors would never hear orders to move forward or back. (Of course, most of my miniature figure battalions have those drummers right in the front rank, next to the flags. I get comments about the units where I have them behind the battalion line )

Just reading adkins Sharpe companion and he showsbin diagramatic form a british regiment in line, with all ranks clearly identified. Might be exavtly what you are looking for