Middletown transcript., 1898-06-18
How an
Army is Fed

~
IS11NW YlI have taken their
.TiEH%H AIiMIT positions to the
NSl RAl music of mill
&4AHG tary ban s.
With flags floating over their steel
capped columns they have gone into an
inferno of flame, smoke and uproar
and driven the enemy before them.
This is glorious, but it is not all Of
war, for every ore of these heroes must
be fed three times a day. Imagine
supplying their daily diet to the inhab-
itants of a city twice as large as Al
bany, and you have an idea of the di-
mensious Of the task of the conmissary
department of modern army in camp.
When an army is on the march, and
especially when it is advancing against
an enemy, the difficulties uf catering to
its appetite multiply. IAN army
moves on its stomach" said Napoleon;
and it cannot fight on, an empty one.
So the commiss.ry department must
see that during forced marches and
rapid movements ths indispensable
hard bread and salt pork are ever at
hand to play their plrt in the achieve
ment Of war. the chief commissary
is responsible for every empty KNAPP
sack and consequent empty stomach in
the army. In the United States Ar
mics there is a chief commissary and
a commissary for each corps, division
| and brigade. The brigade consists OF
from ten to fourteen regiments and
three of these form division. There
are usually several divisions in corps.
When the army is in camp, the chief
commissary, after receiving estimates
from the corps commissaries, makes
his requisiLion for supplies on the Sub
sistence Bureau at Wahin yton. He
chooses depot which is at the nearest
point othe center Of the encampment,
where there is wharf for transports or
q railway terminus. He has sheds
erected for the protection Of supplies.
Here the supply trains of covered
wagons belonging to the various bri-
gades, come and 60 in continuous
stream, taking the supplies to the
points esignated by the brigade COM
missaries, where they are either dump
ed on the ground before distribution
or doled out to the troops from the wa
gons. There is man in every COM
pany who attend, to measuring the ra-
tions so that each soldier gets his
proper share. Naturally soldiers
choice of menu and the size Of their
appetites vary;a system of barter ex-
lists by which, for instance, the man
with partiality fIr b5ans makes an
exchange with his comrade who is fond
Of coffee, From this system res ults
the satisfactory economic balance Of
the famous Jack Sprat and wife.
When an army il about to move, the
chief of the c1mmissary learns from
the commanding general the probable
line of march, So that he may arrange
to have the supplies iu proper quality
and quantity ready for the empty KNAPP
sacks. He must know just how much
food is required to las. during a cam.
paign and what thu capacity Of his pro-
vision train il. H5 must look ahead
for new base along the line Of the
coming operations and must have sup
plies for his wagons hurried on there
before there is any chlu;, of scarcity
of food among the troops. Some imes
as the army advances, a railroad is
Hastily thrown ,wn from new base
to bring ra.ions to that point, but
: usually there is no tina even FOR
. military railroads blilt 10 day or
two, without altering ths surface Of
the ground, qlite as regardless Of
grades as country trJlly IinG. Il Of
ten happens that the road from the
| base passes over streams which have
to be bridged. The commissary must
arrange for these bridges, in advance.
They are often constructed in sections
adapted to particular streams, several
days before the army has taken up the
new position which makes change Of
} base necessary.
On the day the advance begins, ra
tions for four days are distributed Il
the men. These they carry In thei
knapsacks. The wagon train is stocked
with provisions for from ten to fifteen
DAYS. which must last until new base
is established. In the army food is no
reckonsd by the pound, but by the ira
1 tions.u A ration is one days food
It consists generally OF three-quar
ters of pound OF beef or salt pork,
pound of bread. one-third Of pound o
} baked beans, besides coffee and sugar
III This is the ''travsl ration. 'ss It Woul,
be quite impossible to carry additiona
food on march, and soldiers in active
field service do not seem TO want deli
cate food, at any rate the coarsest foo
satisfies them. Soldiers must at an.
rate have some fresh food, Droyes 0
j. cattle form part Of the outfit Of ever
commissary department in all ciyilize'
Q armies. During the civil war fres
beef was supplied to the army Of th'