In the Confederate army a legion would be the equavalent of the German Battle Group or "kampfgruppen". A legion is usually composed of 2,000 men in infantry, cavalry and artillery battalions. There were only two so-called legions in the Confederate army and both were from Texas.

In the spring of 1862, Waul's Legion was raised by Col. Thomas Neville Waul at Camp Waul near Brenham Texas. Waul's Legion was a true legion since it was composed of 12 companies of infantry, 6 companies of cavalry, and a 6-gun battery of artillery.

In 1861, Capt. John Wilkins Whitfield raised a company of cavalry in Lavaca County which became the nucleus of the 27th Texas Cavalry Regiment. Capt.Whitfield was promoted to major and given command of the 27th Texas Cavalry which was combined with three independent Texas cavalry companies from Hunt, San Augustine and Jasper Counties and one company of cavalry from Arkansas which then became known as Whitfield's Legion or more properly known as the 4th Texas Cavalry Battalion. Since Whitfield's Legion was composed of only cavalry units, it was not a true legion.