Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-10-29
FEEDING An ARMY
Serious Problem When Troops
Are in Field.
Commissariat Arrangements for Pro-
tracted Campaign Are Conducted
on Large Scale - Biscuits
More Precious Than Bullets.

London.-The most serious problem
with which a general in the field can
be faced is that Of keeping up the
necessary food supply for the troops
under his command. An army, indeed
marches on its stomach. At a pinch
1t can make shift to do without tents
or transport, while, as is we'll known,
successful operations have at times
been carried out in a hostile area
when not a single cartridge has been
expended for weeks on end. Yet,
though, bullets may be dispensed with,
this is certainly not the case with re-
gard to bread-or its equivalent. This
at any rate, has always been the opin-
ion of the great military leader-Na-
poleon, for example, being reported
on one occasion to have had soldier
shot for throwing away a bag of bis
cults, in order to make room for some
ammunition.
The scale on which the commissa-
riat arrangements for a protracted
campaign are conducted, is an exceed
ingly large one. A fact that contrib
utes materially to this is that not
only have rations and fodder to be
issued daily to every man and horse
on duty, but also that a considerable
reserve supply has to be maintained
at the base Of operations. In the re-
cent Boer war, for example, the
amount of food thus stored was, as far
as possible, that eQualing a four
months consumption. When it is re-
membered that the number of troops
drawing upon 1t was well over two
hundred thousand at a time during
the greater portion of the war, it will
readily be seen that such a supply
necessarily represented q very big
stock indeed. To go into actual fig
ures, 1t may be OF interest to learn
that at the head of the various items
composing a four months supply for
such a body is 24,000,000 pounds of
biscuit. This enormous total is close
ly approached by the bully beef one,
as for every pound of the former COM
modify there is at least three-quarter
pounds of the latter. To render it
more palatable than it would be in
itself, the commissariat department
Is required to keep in store 100000
pounds of compressed vegetables and
100000 pounds of salt. AS appropriate
accompaniment to the beef and bis
cult, coffee and tea to the extent of
100000 pounds, and 100000 pounds re-
spectively are also included in the re-
serve supply.
IN addition to such absolute neces-
sites as biscuit, beef, and vegetables,
the four months food supply for an
average corps in the field includes
many items that may almost be de-
scribed as luxuries. For example, that
for the British troops in South Africa
contained 100000 tins of lam leach
holding one pound, and 100000 tins
of condensed milk. Jam, it is worth
noting, was first introduced as an ar
ticle of diet for soldiers In active serv-
ice in the Egyptian campaign of 1884.
AS 1t was found to have excellent re-
suits (chieiy on account of its anti
scorbutic properties) and also to be
extremely appreciated by the men. it
has remained a field ration" ever
since. It is generally eaten with bis
cult, as bread is but rarely obtainabIe
in the actual theater of war.
'Drinkables" occupy almost as large
a place as do 'eatabIes'' in the reserve
food supply of an army corps when
on active service. After the 100000
pounds of coffee and 100000 pounds
of tea, already referred to, the princi-
pal totals maintained are 10000 gal
Ions of rum, $4,000 bottles of port,
and $4,000 bottles of whisky. There
was also a very large quantity of