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 commissioned 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.
COMPARTIMENT de feu, Fr. a specific division of the intermediate spaces belonging to a mine, and the regular allotment of the saucissons or train-bags to convey fire to the furnaces at one and the same time.
COMPLEMENT of the curtain, that part in the interior side of a fortification which makes the demi-gorge. See [Fortification].
Complement of the line of defence, the remainder of the line of defence, after you have taken away the angle of the flank. See [Fortification].
COMPLETE, a regiment, troop, or company, is said to be complete when it has the whole number of officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, according to the regulation for the time being.
Compliment of the line of the army. See [Honors].
Compliment from guards. See [Honors].
COMPOSITION.—For the composition of [Fuzes], [Portfires], [Tubes], [Carcasses], see those words.