Soldier Life: The Lieutenant // Episode 9

Hard to believe my last Soldier Life post was in June! What a pleasure to be back at it again! In case you are just now being introduced to this Series, Soldier Life is a series of posts, currently highlighting the life of soldiers during the War Between the States. You can check out previous posts by clicking the links {(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)|. I began this series to help those studying the War Between the States, especially the writer. I’ve tried to compile in one place the information I found while I was researching my books. The data comes from multiple sources and sites. I am not an expert, and my articles are not exhaustive on the given topics, but hopefully, this will be a help to you as you strive to learn more about the history of our Great Nation! And for those concerned, these posts are unbiased, North or South. It’s strictly a fact only post with no intention of swaying you one way or the other. But if you do wish to see my personal research on the War Between the States, check out this series {(1) (2) (3) (4)|

With all that said, let’s get started!

The Lieutenant is to the Captain what a Corporal is to a Sergeant. In short, he was second in command to the Company Commander. A company is a unit of men numbering 100 at full strength and commanded by a Captain. The lieutenant’s job was to serve as the Captain’s assistant in all things, even battlefield command.

If the Captain is ill, absent, or killed, the First Lieutenant will take command with the 2nd Lieutenant as his second in command. The main difference between First and Second Lieutenants is their line up in the pecking order. They perform the same duties. So naturally, the First Lieutenant would need to be studied up on the responsibilities of the Captain since he will likely fill his position at some point during his service.

The typical duties of a Lieutenant are as follows:

He was generally present for all the main roll calls, drills, and stable duties, inspect the kitchens, quarters, and the entire company at the end of the day assembly, known as retreat. If an officer was not present to oversee the drills and such, sometimes the Sergeants could be tempted to go lax on the men, or the men might be tempted to cause the sergeants unnecessary grief.

The Lieutenant was expected to study his field handbook, acquainting himself with sections known as “School of the Soldier,” “School of the Company,” and “School of the Battalion.” The Captain would instruct him in proper tactics per the book and personal experience.

The Lieutenant was also to be present for the Inspection of the Company, which is performed the day before the men would march on parade (public drilling for the officers in a specific location), which entailed looking over weapons. On Sundays, the inspection included knapsacks, uniforms, bedding, quarters, etc.

If the captain required it (and he usually did), the lieutenant would be expected to help him with paperwork, from filing reports to witnessing signatures to issuing clothing and making out receipts.

His duties extended past general camp work, though. He was also expected to serve on two different kinds of guard duty: Police Guard and Grand Guard.

The police guard consisted of a line of sentinels surrounding the designated camp.  There was a guardhouse, where everyone would meet, including 1-2 lieutenants, 1-2 sergeants, 3 corporals, and around 40 privates. The guardhouse is generally two separate dwellings, tent or shack, one for the guards, one for prisoners. This is a guard used during peace times.

The lieutenant serves as the Officer of the guard, and while doing this tour of duty, he isn’t forbidden to sleep, he is NEVER to be found sleeping by one of his superiors. Best to take turns sleeping with other members of the command. He is never to leave the guardhouse unless inspecting the sentinels or doing some other duty regarding Police Guard.

He is responsible for security regarding the prisoners, which is his main priority. According to Kautz’s Customs of Services of Officers of the Army Part 1, the lieutenant “receives the prisoners as they are confined, sees that the sergeant of the Guard takes down the names, by whose order confined, and the date.  An abstract of the orders inflicting punishments is furnished him, and he must keep a record of them in order that they may be entered on the List of Prisoners that accompanies the Guard Report daily; he must in all cases wherein the punishment is to be inflicted under the direction of the Guard, see that the sentences are duly executed, and that his successors are duly instructed in all cases where punishments are continued for a length of time from day to day.”

Police guards can also serve as escorts and guards for general officers to and from various locations.

As stated earlier, the Police Guard is used during times of peace. During war, these duties, among others are transferred to a larger party known as the Grand Guard. Additional duties are to alert to the presence of the enemy, advance parties to surprise/skirmish with the enemy and serve on picket duty. The lieutenant’s job is to see that everyone else is doing their job correctly and for this reason, they were often disliked as much as Corporals.

As far as the battle duties of a Lieutenant, the company would be divided into two platoons. The Captain and 2nd Lieutenant would man one platoon and the 1st Lieutenant the other. If the Captain was killed or injured, the 2nd Lieutenant took his place commanding the platoon, while the 1st Lieutenant took command of the company. Sergeants assisted them in these situations to the best of their ability.

So there you have it! I hope this post was helpful to you. Basically, if you are writing a lieutenant, make him professional, give him an air of busyness and have him working closely with the Captain and you are good to go 😉

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Hebrews 13:17
King James Bible

Have a Blessed Day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22