So how many guys would there have been?

Infantry regiments at the time of the Civil War were 10 companies of 100 men each. In reality they could range anywhere from 300-800. Custer's command group had 225, Reno's command around 150, Benteens 140 and the pack train around 120. Coming to around 650 though this is not the exact count.

igroub:

A followup to the question of size of cavalry regiments. I had agreed with GC Jake on his statement of Civil War infantry regiments (1000 each, theoretically) and still do. But forgot that cavalry regiments were substantially small than infantry. I have searched some of my military history books but so far have not come up with the exact size. Impression I have from previous readings is that it was 500 to 600.

The companies were smaller than infantry, too, about 80-85 men. In answer to your last question the companies were organized two or three to a "squadron", the cavalry equivilant of a battalion. Each squadron, which was sometimes called a "wing", was commanded (at least theoretically) by a major. Two squadrons to a regiment.

A common mistake made in movies about the Civil War and the Indian Wars is the calling of cavalry companies "troops", which did not start until 1883, after most of the Indian Wars. I think they correctly called them "companies" in Fort Apache, but can't remember for sure.

As stated, I am somewhat shakey on these figures. If anyone has precise info, I hope he or she will jump in and correct me.

He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45

Frontier units were chronically understrength. It was difficult to recruit men for the dangerous, difficult, poorly paid job of a soldier, except during the frequent "financial panics" of the latter part of the 19th century. REALLY bad food, labor and construction details, poor quality uniforms and equipment, bullying from non-coms and even officers all could make a soldier's life hell, and even suicide was fairly common. Desertion rates sometimes reached 50% (excluding the Buffalo Soldiers, who rarely deserted). Also, a regiment was almost never all together. A typical fort would have one understrength company manning it. With desertion, illness and death, chronic drunkenness, leaves and furloughs, detached duty (for stuff like recruiting duty, courts-martial, staff officer assignments, and other reasons), the commander of a fort might have less than 25 effectives to send on patrol duty. Service in the Frontier army could be satisfying, but it could also be extremely hard, especially on the wives of officers and NCOs. there are quite a few excellent published works on life in the Army during the Frontier years. I recommend the books by Robert Utley as a good starting point, especially "Frontiersmen in Blue" for the pre-Civil War experience, and "Frontier Regulars", for the post-Civil War era. Give 'em a look.

"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's living!!!"
Augustus McCrae

In the real world at the time there ware about 100 men in a regulation company and ten companies in an infantry regiment, and twelve companies in a cavalry regiment. There were no permanent cavalry battalions at the time.

Thus the regulation strength of a cavalry regiment was about 1,200 men. But usually a cavalry company would have about forty to sixty men, and a regiment 480. to 720 men. available for combat duty. So the Apaches would number about 1,920 to 2,880.

But the cavalry column seemed to have far less than 500 to 700 men. And I didn't see evidence for more than four companies or troops in the command. There is one scene in the charge when four company guidons are carried side by side right behind the regimental standards, which was not the practice but shows there were at least four companies. And in one scene Thursday rides out with Captain York, Captain Collingwood, and two other officers who look senior enough to be captains, thus indicating there are about four companies in the command.

So either there were only four companies of the regiment stationed at Fort Apache, or else it was a fictional movie regiment consisting of only about four companies.

So if four companies had about as many men in them as real cavalry companies usually had, or about forty to sixty men each, there would be about 160 to 240 men in the command and about 640 to 960 Apaches.

That would still be far more Apaches than were ever in any known battle with the US army. The presence of Satanta, actually a Kiowa chief, and Alchise of the White Mountain Apaches who led many of his warrior as Scouts for the US army and was awarded the Medal of Honor, indicates Fort Apache takes place in a fictional alternate universe in which Cochise called in more allies for reinforcements than he ever could have in real life.

A brigade includes several battalions or even regiments. And even so, the Light Brigade had only about 600 men at Balaclava, if you remember the poem. And the Heavy Brigade had only about 800 men for duty that day.

Who honors the Heavy Brigade
Who remembers the charge they made
the succesful eight hundred?

A cavalry company in 1876 had an authorized strength, set by Congress, of 64 men and 3 officers. It was rarely at full strength, and even when it was, 20-25% were recruits. The desertion rate was astronomical by comparison to modern rates. When campaigning in the field, company strength was about 45-50 officers and men, but a portion of each company was assigned to the train if the regiment was assembled as a unit.

Battalions were not permanent organizations, but ad hoc tactical organizations for specific operations. There were no "1st" "2nd" or "3rd" battalions as today. The 10 cavalry regiments each had 12 companies, but all had their companies widely parceled out to small posts all over the west, except for notable campaigns when an entire regiment might assemble. That was determined by the Commanding General of a Department, or even higher, never by a regimental officer.

Custer (who was not colonel of the 7th Cavalry, but its lieutenant colonel) had all 12 companies of the 7th Cavalry present in the field, but of the 45 officers and 718 then on the rolls, 14 officers and 152 men--22%--did not go into the field and he campaigned with less than 600. These he notoriously divided into three "battalions", each with a different assignment on the battlefield. His own five companies had slightly more than 200 men.

Thursday did not have a full regiment present as did Custer. The officers responding to Thursday's final officer's call before the charge suggests he had at most four companies in the field, about 180-200 men total, less those who were with the wagons on the hill, which is more or less in line with the number depicted by Ford.