The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-07-18
MOVING A BIC ARMY
Transporting Troops In Time of
War Is a Gigantic Task.
A WORK OF INFINITE DETAIL
What 1t Would hiean In Railway Cars
OF Various Kinds and In Supplies and
Equipment to Carry a Million and
Half Men Across the Country.


mapped ont, including the date and
place of entraining, destination, time
OF arrival, route, assembly point, time
OF troops leaving assembly point, route
OF assembly point to train, time of ar
rival at station, time of boarding train
time OF departure of train, rate of trav.
ell over each section of route, time
place and duration of stops; time and
place of feeding troops and animals
and a schedule showing the assign.
ment of troops and equipage to each
car. Aside from this are countless de.
tails connected with procuring sup
plies, the disposal of troops and their
care.
All these preliminary arrangements
must be made by an officer of the quar-.
termaster corps. The first thing to be
done is to procure lists with weight
of all property to be shipped, obtain
this material and make out the bill Of
lading. This, with the number of men
and officers, constitutes a basis on
which he estimates the number and
kind of cars needed. He then engages
the cars and provides loading facilities
such as material for blocking and lash.
ing, and constructs necessary ramps
or runways, for entraining animals OF
wagons. ~
Next, on the arrival of the cars, he
inspects them from a thousand major
and minor angles. All cars must be
clean. Passenger cars must be fully
supplied with water and ice, sufficient
ly lighted and heated and all other
appurtenances in proper condition.
Stock cars come in for special atter
ton
Then the number of men or kind anG
quantity of supplies allotted to eact
car is marked on the side or steps, to.
gether with the name of the organiza-
ton. In loading men three are as
signed to each section in tourist Sleep
ers or three to each two seats in day
coach.
Another important point is to keep
the troops of each unit with all equip
lnent together. This is important in
case of sudden attack. Imagine the
fate of unit of troops suddenly de-
trained at the firing line without equip
ment!
A possible element of delay lies in
the timing of the arrival of troops at
the station. There must be no time
lost by cars waiting for the troops
The facilities for loading animals and
wagons at each station on each route
should be part of the quartermaster
corps records. Quick and noiseless
loading and unloading of animals with
out confusion are an art in themselves.
Dispositions of individual animals must
be studied. Gentle animals should be
placed opposite doors and therefore
loaded last.
The time of loading and unloading
has been carefully tabulated and
should not exceed the following: In
fantry. one hour; cavalry and light ar
HiNery, one and one-half hours; heavy
artillery and engineers with bridge
train, two hours. All movements, load
ing, entraining, detraining, feeding and
watering and exercising men and
horses, are made in military fashion.
With each train kitchen cars are pro-
vided. Otherwise baggage cars are fit
ted up by troops or arrangements made
for procuring meals, or at least liquid
coffee, at stations en- route. Feeding of
men and animals Is in itself no small
matter.
Say the war department was called
upon to transport twenty field armies
of $4,000 men each, or 100000 men.
In moving such a military force the
railroads must carry, besides the 1,64O,-
600 men, 100000 mounts and draft an
imals, 10000 vehicles and 1850 big
guns.
To accomplish this the quartermas-
ter corps must have available at the
right points 42,300 passenger coaches,
100 baggage cars, 81, 100 box cars,
$1,000 stock cars and $500 fiat cars,
making total of 124,5SO cars, or 1920
trains with as many engines.
Here is the governments minimum
estimate of the gross weight of mate
rails needed each month by this force
Of 100000 men: Rations, 25O630, AGO
ammunition, 7,046, 100 pounds;
forage, 623,147,6O0 pounds; general
quartermasters' supplies, 33,794,440
pounds; clothing and equipage, 22,68O,.
$40 pounds; ordinance supplies other
than ammunition, 1,622,74O pounds;
engineers supplies, 12,209, 800 pounds;
signal supplies, 9,O43,26 pounds; med
ical supplies, 597, 160 pounds; candy
and tobacco, 319,6SO pounds, making
total of 961 ,0S9, 100 or nearly 100000
600 pounds. The transportation Of this
enormous weight would require fifty
five trains of thirty cars each day as
long as the force was in the field
LeSlie's.