Company

in a military sense, means a small body of foot, or artillery, the number of which is never fixed, but is generally from 50 to 120, commanded by a captain, a lieutenant, and an ensign, and sometimes by a first and second lieutenant, as in the artillery and flank companies of the line. A company has usually 4 or 6 serjeants, 4 or 6 corporals, and 2 drums. A company should have at least 4 commi ioned officers, a serjeant and corporal for every ten men and a company consist of 120. In the Austrian service a company consists of 200 men. Free Company , is one of those corps commonly called irregular; is seldom or never under the same orders with the regular corps of the army, but for the most part acts like a detached army, either by itself, or in conjunction with some of its own kind; therefore their operations are properly considered under the title of the petite guerre . Same as companies Franches. Independent Company , that which is not incorporated in a regiment. Two such companies generally belong to each regiment in England, who are to supply the regiments with recruits.