Living History Division: Multi-Theater, Multi-Branch Organization

Division Mission

The Army of the West is a multi-theater, multi-branch living-history organization dedicated to portraying the American Civil War across all major theaters: Western, Trans-Mississippi, Eastern, and Border States, and across all branches of service, both military and civilian.

We honor the soldiers, troopers, artillerymen, cooks, surgeons, scouts, chaplains, families, and civilians who carried the burdens of the war from a nation torn apart by war. Their stories, sacrifices, and struggles shape the foundation of everything we do.

Our mission includes:

• Accurate representation of all theaters and branches
• Demonstration of mounted, dismounted, and irregular tactics
• Balanced Union and Confederate educational interpretation
• Preservation of heritage and fieldcraft
• Presenting the full story of the conflict, from battlefield to homefront

Division Command

Colonel Buck Buchanan

Commanding Officer, Army of the West
Commander, Ross’s Brigade

Sergeant Major Brent Taft

Division Sergeant Major, Army of the West

Confederate Wing — Ross’s Brigade

Commanded by Colonel Buck Buchanan

The Confederate Wing is currently cavalry-based but open to cavalry, infantry, artillery, engineers, medical, clergy, and civilian impressions.

Company A — “Tarrant County Volunteers”

Unit: 9th Texas Cavalry (Mounted)
Commander: Captain Roscoe Heiss

Focus Areas:

• Mounted shock tactics
• Texas frontier cavalry culture
• Reconnaissance
• Mounted drill and horse handling

Company B — “Red River Boys”

Unit: 9th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted)
Commander: Sergeant Major Brent Taft

Focus Areas:

• Frontier rifle culture and accurate small-arms interpretation
• Defensive and flanking maneuvers
• Outpost construction
• Support for mounted operations

Company F — “Cypress Rangers”

Unit: 9th Texas Cavalry (Frontier Scouts)
Commander: Corporal Nate Brown

Focus Areas:

• Frontier scouting and tracking
• Woodland tactics and irregular movement
• Ambush and picket operations
• Cypress Bayou frontier life and culture

Eastern Detachment

17th Virginia Cavalry — Company F (Dismounted)

Parent Formation: Jenkins’s Brigade — attached to the Army of the West
Commander: Captain Logan Saho

Focus Areas:

• Eastern partisan and irregular tactics
• Mountain-country combat interpretation
• Hit-and-run operations and counter-picketing
• Eastern dismounted cavalry doctrine
• Comparative interpretation of Eastern and Western theaters

Federal Wing

6th Kansas Cavalry

Role: Union Opposing Force
Commander: Captain Jessie Park

Focus Areas:

• Federal cavalry doctrine and drill
• Kansas–Texas frontier rivalry interpretation
• Mounted and dismounted Federal tactics
• Uniform and equipment accuracy

Medical Corps

The Medical Corps is open to both Union and Confederate impressions and interprets the vital work of battlefield and camp medicine.

Roles include:

• Surgeon
• Assistant Surgeon
• Hospital Steward
• Nurses
• Field medics and orderlies
• Stretcher teams

Interpretation Areas:

• Field hospitals and medical tents
• Triage and treatment practices
• Camp health, disease, and sanitation
• Medical logistics and support to all wings

Civilian Branch

The Civilian Branch is open to all theaters and portrays the lives, labors, and burdens of non-combatants affected by the war.

Roles include:

• Families and homefront portrayals
• Refugees and displaced persons
• Sutlers and merchants
• Tradesmen and artisans
• Seamstresses, laundresses, and cooks
• Clergy and spiritual support
• Telegraph and communication roles
• Press correspondents and writers
• Community leaders

Interpretation Areas:

• Daily life in wartime
• Supply, trade, and communication
• Civilian impact on military operations
• Cultural and economic life in a nation at war

Multi-Branch Integration

The Army of the West supports impressions from all branches, including:

• Cavalry (mounted and dismounted)
• Infantry
• Artillery
• Engineers and pioneers
• Medical Corps
• Signal Corps
• Quartermaster and commissary
• Chaplains and clergy
• Civilian roles of all types

Any participant may join any branch, provided the impression is historically accurate and aligned with the division’s mission and standards.

Organizational Structure

Division Headquarters

• Colonel Buck Buchanan — Division Commander, Army of the West; Commander, Ross’s Brigade
• Sergeant Major Brent Taft — Division Sergeant Major

Confederate Wing — Ross’s Brigade

• Company A — Mounted — Captain Roscoe Heiss
• Company B — Dismounted — Sergeant Major Brent Taft
• Company F — Scouts — Corporal Nate Brown

Eastern Detachment

• 17th Virginia Cavalry, Company F — Jenkins’s Brigade — Captain Logan Saho

Federal Wing

• 6th Kansas Cavalry — Union Element — Captain Jessie Park

Support Branches

• Medical Corps — attached as needed to all wings
• Civilian Branch — supporting all theaters and formations

Army of the West (Division HQ)
│
├── Division Commander – Col. Buck Buchanan
│     └── Division Sergeant Major – Sgt. Maj. Brent Taft
│
├── Confederate Wing — Ross’s Brigade
│     ├── Company A (Mounted) – Capt. Roscoe Heiss
│     ├── Company B (Dismounted) – Sgt. Maj. Brent Taft
│     └── Company F (Scouts) – Cpl. Nate Brown
│
├── Eastern Detachment
│     └── 17th Virginia Cavalry, Co. F – Capt. Logan Saho
│
├── Federal Wing
│     └── 6th Kansas Cavalry – Capt. Jessie Park
│
├── Medical Corps
│
└── Civilian Branch