Experienced non-commissioned officers mattered because they trained recruits in the practical work of becoming infantrymen and cavalrymen. Officers led formations, while veteran NCOs formed the small-unit backbone around which new armies could be built. Proportionally fewer regular-army NCOs joined the Confederacy than officers. The Union therefore retained a deeper training cadre for turning mass mobilization into effective units after early defeats.
Notable Point · 13:04-14:08
Veteran NCOs build the Union Army
Experienced Union non-commissioned officers supplied the trainers and small-unit backbone needed to turn mass mobilization into an effective army.