Soldiers or leaders, perhaps (7)
I believe the answer is:
columns
'soldiers' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I don't understand how one could define the other.
I can't explain the remainder of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for columns that I've seen before include "Posts" , "editorials" , "for such as the Standard?" , "Divisions of a newspaper page" , "Cavalcades" .)