Brigade

Brigade, a portion of an army under the command of a brigadier, an officer whose rank, which, in the British army, is only temporal or local, is next to that of a major-general. He is generally the senior colonel of a number of battalions which have been formed temporarily into a brigade. In the British army a brigade of infantry contains from three to six battalions; a cavalry brigade - three or more regiments. The term is also applied to the household troops, as the Household Brigade, and to the Rifle Brigade, which is composed of the four battalions of rifles. A brigade-major performs duties in a brigade analogous to those of an adjutant (q.v.) in a regiment.