The sun., 1896-01-19
SUPPLYING OUR ARMIES
MACHINERY M WHICH TBB CIyIn
VAR WAS CARRIED ON.
Capt. shnrpo's Account OF the Work on
Furnishing Supplies TO the Northern
Armies and the Vast Resources NeeAeA.

Furnishing Supplies to the Northern
Armies and the Vast Resources Needed.
The grand strategy Of the war has been pretty
well thrashed over; regulations have been made
and unmade-on paper. But while tho reasons
for this and for that move By Gen. Brown or
Gen. Jones or Gen. Robinson havo been hashed
and rehashed, comparatively little has boon
said about the machinery by which tho armies
OF these Generals were maintained. An editorial
in THE Sun tho other day commented on Capt.
Sharpe's prize essay Supplying Armies In the
Field" and quoted some Of tho facts therein set
forth but so little is known generally Of the
subject that further quotations ought to prove
interesting.
In the first place It might be we'll to know
about Capt Henry g. Sharpe. He Ia Commis-
sary of Subsistence In the army, is Young man.
having been graduated from West Point so re-
Gently as $50. and he is the author of . book
' The Art of Subsisting Armies in War" which
might be studied without any detrment TO theiN
usefulness by the commissaries OF the National
Guard. Each year the Military Service Insti-
tute offers prize for the best essay on soms
military subject, and the prizo offered In 1895
has been carried away by Capt Sharpe.
The men In the armies came from everywhereS
but how were they fed. how clothed and shod r
Where did the guns como from, where the bul>
lets tnat were fired 30 profusely, whore the,
powder? Capt. Sharpe answers these questions.
Tho Quartermustcr's and Commissary's do.
partments had their principal points Of supply
in Boston. New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore
Washington, Cincinnati, Louisville. st. Louis,
Chicago New Orleans. and San Francisco. A.
each OF these cities were depots with officers.
clerks. laborers. and mechanics in ample num-
bers. who did nothing but take in and forward
supplies. The staff OF life was baked prin-
cipnlly m New York. Baltimore. and St. Louisf
but the Government built and operated its
own ovens at Cincinnati Louisville. Jeffer.
sonville, and Alex andria, and at LouisvillS
1t ran a number of pork packing establish.
ments. The uniforms for the men came prin.
cipally from New York. Philadelphia. Boston,
Louisville Cincinnati, indianapolis, ST. Louis,
Detroit. and Springfield, Ill. In small towns
oven to this day one will como across tailors
w no advertise in military papers that they have
made uniforms for thrty-fve years, they
started when the Government was fitting out its
thousands Of men and still make a few uniforms
each year.
There were twenty-eight foundries and
armories in the North from which tho ordnancet
supplies came. Fort Monroe turned out iron
gun carrinces and so did South Boston; water-
town. Mass. Wntervliet, Allegheny. and Wash-,
ingtOn provided wooden gun carriages, and
Watertown and Watervlet produced harness.
The Springfield armory made many rihes pri.
vate firms made others. and all the arsenals ex.
cept Fort Monroe produced ammunition.
The horses and mules were purchased by the
Qunrtermaster's Department. which maintained.
remount depots at Gisboro. ID. c.. st. Louis,
Greenvilc. La. Nashville Harrisburg and Will!
mington. At Gisboro the depot occupied 626
acres. and had room for 30 900 horses at a time.
The cavalry bureau of the Quarter masters De-
partmcnt handled 500 fresh horses a day in
1864. and it sent l50 day TO Sheridan in his
Of he chief corral for beef cattle. That corral
could hold about $4,000 head. Canned meat.
nptcp IN In thpaa InyS 81 haaS had
Philadelphia was the chief depot for the sup
notes that ut the end OF the war the Govern.
lnent had more than 200 general military hos
pidns. Win ,t la6;osl beds an average OF nearly
The Confederate States made their cannon as
Memphis. Nashville; Gallatin. and Riohmond.
T" get ali the supplies to the armies in ths
field the Government used railroads, stSam and
On, Feb. II. 1859. a itary superintendSl cf
railroads was appointed. Brig ;Cen: d. @. Moj
1.7G9 miles OF railroad. with 10000 men form
ing n construction corps. and a rolling mill at
the various armies as they destroyed the rail.
roads. The longest single road operated by Gen.
from Manchester to Danville, 14O miles.
On March !s6s. the transportation OF tho
gun There were $4,000 men I4.5Oa animals.
~ batteries. with wagons; ambulance. Pont0on
trains. &c. -Four hundred steamers and sailing
vessels were used. This statement gives an idea
OF the enormous requirements of tho Govern
ment IN the way OF water transportation. In
note Capt. sharpe says that there were 119
steamers 400 harves. and 100 coal and railroad
floats belonging to the Government on the Mis-
ei-sippi and its tributaries and at Mobile, besides
l,15u steamers and other vessels chartered by
the QuRrtcrmast"r's Department. to be used on
the Mississippi. Besides these there were ves-
sells on the const: and in passing it il tnterest-I
ing to note that the navy consisted Of nearly;
700 vessels not one OF which Is included In the
foregoing statement.
ished in each such successive campaign. were
ofcnormoTs proportions on July l. 1852. thSj
wagons. $50 ambuances. and 25, 900 horses and
mules: 40 wagons to each 1000 men. When
Sherman's armvleft Atlanta 1t consisted Of e3,.I
$50 men. II. .1iS horses, l9.il0 mules, $500
wagons. and 440 ambulances: 40 wagons to-
| each 900 men. At one time the Army OF thqi
| 2a9 draught animals for each 1000 men.
In Capt. Sharpe'1 book is an interesting calou.
lation OF the number of six x-horse wagons noceS-
| will supply 800 men for ono day. II the army
| is one day from il base the wagon must go
nna ey the Two ays march from its
| base four wagons arc needed for each 500 mon,
or 800 for 100000 men. But, counting In TO-.
will he needed for days forage. or 500 II the
| army Is two days from IT'S base: so 800 wagons.
must he fed and would need 800 wagons, with
| 2.lG0 horses and these would need 02 wagons,
! with 552 horses: and 50 on. until 1t Is found
that 1000 wagons and 1000 horses arc needed
| to supply 100000 men two days from theiT base.
| So the number piles up. until We find that to
supply 100000 men ten days march from theiS
CURED. These wagons II they could keep their
interval on the march. would take up los miles
The civil war OF 1851 90 wa. ono of tho great
| ct wars of history. Its armies were great It's
battles were great; but not the least element IN
it. greatness was the preparation made to carry
! IT to "A close.