Someone else on another board ask a simple question and it should have been a simple thing to answer but the more I dug the more confusing the answer got.

What is the difference between a battalion and a regiment?

Well the simple and most given answer is a battalion is smaller than a regiment. It most cases yes, I say most because the military writers of the time contradict this.

The Parade, Inspection and basic Evolutions of the Infantry Battalion (4th edition) says "a battalion is composed of two or more companies acting together as a unit. At its initial formation, a Battalion of ten companies (e.g. a regiment)". Huh?

Hardee's says "a regiment is composed of ten companies, but could be less".

I know on the battlefield regiments were manuvered by battalion but the Confederate (Mississippi at least) did not recognize these regimental battalions as independent units. Independent battalions were created in the Confederate army (Mississippi did) that were recognized independent of a regiment.

The major difference I've found between the two independent units of a battalion and a regiment seems to be the size of the staff and the rank of the commander (full colonel for a regiment and lt. colonel or major for a battalion).

Were battalions considered "light infantry"?

Were battalions armed differently than regiments?

Does anyone have a better answer to the basic question?

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David Upton