Army

A collection of soldiers who fight over land. Armies can be as simple as a mob or raiding party with little to no leadership, or a rigidly heirarchal orginization with clearly defined roles for all members. Most SCA armies tend to be fairly well-trained (better than most armies in period, at least, since our fighters have reasonable training with their weapons).

Leadership

Most armies are headed by a single person, a general. Authorities can be delegated to lieutenants, who are in charge of a single part of the army. In large fighting forces (like what would be found at an SCA war), there might be more than one level of leadership, with orders going from the general to a lieutenant, to a sargent, to the individual soldiers.

It is generally agreed that the better the leadership of an army is, and the more responsive the soldiers on the field are to that leadership, the better an army will perform on the field. For this reason, generals tend to be accomplished fighers, who have studied tactics and military theory.

Training and discipline

As with any organization, if the individuals in the organization have not practiced their role in the organization the performance of the whole will suffer. For this reason, most professional armies undergo extensive training to the aim of instilling discipline, training in a specific role, and an esprit d'corps.