Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-31
LEADER.
FRIDAY, nAECH 81. 1895
The Wagon transportation Of our

Inc wagon Transportation OF our
Armies.
Very few persons have anything like an
sdeouste idea of the immense size of the
wagon trains which accompany an army.
The following statistics will be Of novel
interest to many. In the campaign of the
last summer, the Army of the Potomac, as
near as we can arrive at the figures, ap-
pears to have numbered ordinarily about
l25,OOO effective fighting men. Its trans
portstion is reported to have consisted of
1920 wagons, 800 ambulsnces, 10000 ar
tillery, cavalry, ambulance and draught-
horses $500 private horses, and $4,000
mules, making an aggregate in all of some
$4,000 animals. This is just about one
third animals to men, about the same ratio
as obtained during its Peninsular campaign
and ever since.
It will be remembered that during the
first two years of the Potomac campaigns
the prevailing excuse for General Nc
Clellsn's repeated failures WIS the size and
unwieldiness OF his wagon trains. The
falsity of this plea is easily demonstrated
from the fact that the transportation of The
Army Of the Potomac never exceeded or
even equalled that of the armies of the
West. As we have shown, the proportion
of animals to men in the Eastern army is
somewhat over one.third, whereas in the
West # has been usually one-hAlf and fire.
quently two-thirds. The figures in General
Shermsn's combined army, during the
Atlanta campaign, footed up generally
about SIS follows: 1900 effective fighting
men, $500 wagons, 900 smbulances, 32,-
600 artillery, cavalry, ambulance and
draught horses $500 private horses and
$4,000 mules, making an aggregate in all
of some 1900 animals.
These figures are simply enormous, and
will give the reader some slight conception
Of what an army really is, if he will but
consider them for moment. For exam
pie, an army of 125,OOO men, marching
a column four abreast, and the intervals
put six feet apart, which is less than
ne usual interval of troops on the march,
would extend over distance of thirty |
i've miles, without msking any allowance
'or the usual intervals between regiments,
origades, divisions aud army corps. So
with the army wagons. On good roads, |
where trains are kept well closed up, it is
calculated that each six-mule team will oc-
,upy on an average sbou; so lineal feet;
his would give about 90 teams to the
nile, a large aversge on most marches, SO
hat 6 300 teams would ordinarily require |
about seventy miles. IF the weather
,r roads are bad, of course they
will struggle along indefinitely, and
.hus require much more. An amou-
ance on the march usually occupies about |
10 feet, 50 that 900 smbulances would oc-
,upy distance of about seven miles. So
With the artillery. An army of l25, 900 men
will usually have at least two guns TO the |
thousand men, which would make two |
hundred and fifty guns, or say forty bat
,eries OF six pieces each. Now, battery |
IN the march, as general tRing,will occupy |
'ully 300 yards, SO that forty batteries alone
would take about seven miles These fig
Ires, thus roughly taken. foot up ll9 miles,
As the free and easy marching distance of
An army of the size of the two grea! ones
hat we have had operating East and West
during the past campaign, and this, too
without counting iu accurately our Bedouin
Arabs, tbs cavalry, that always swarm
along for miles together, beside, in appa-
rently almost intermirable columns.