Department (United States Army) - Civil War

Civil War

During the American Civil War, a department was a geographical command within the Union's military organization, usually reporting directly to the War Department. Many of the Union's departments were named after rivers, such as the Department of the Potomac and the Department of the Tennessee. The geographical boundaries of such departments changed frequently, as did their names. Much information on Civil War departments can be found in Eicher & Eicher, Civil War High Commands.