| Most of an army is made up not of fighters, | | | | for treatment and (the all too rare) |
| but of units whose job is to support the | | | | recovery.Orders for the movement of armies |
| fighters. Modern armies and Civil War armies | | | | and combat information were passed through |
| are a part of modern warfare, consume | | | | the signal troops, who maintained the |
| enormous amounts of everything. Whether in | | | | critical lines of communication for the army. |
| camp or in the field, armies consume tons of | | | | In the Civil War these troops used signal |
| food and water every day; not just people do | | | | flags, mirrors, torches, balloons, couriers |
| all this consuming, either. The tens of | | | | and the telegraph to pass orders and |
| thousands of animals that provided mobility | | | | instructions. Throughout the war, both sides |
| for the cavalry and artillery needed to be | | | | established a highly organized system of |
| fed as well. Anyone who has ever had to feed | | | | communication that went from the national |
| even one horse or cow knows how much forage | | | | leaders to the armies in the field and down |
| it takes every day to keep them happy. In | | | | to the company level - and back up again. |
| battle, an army consumes ammunition at | | | | For the first time in the history of warfare, |
| incredible rates; consequently, men are | | | | the telegraph became an indispensable means |
| killed or wounded at very high rates.In the | | | | of almost instantaneous communication. It |
| general mess that is war, someone has to haul | | | | allowed Presidents Davis and Lincoln an |
| every bite of food and every bullet and | | | | unprecedented opportunity to maintain contact |
| cannon ball fired. Someone has to provide | | | | with generals in the field. The telegraph |
| clothes, shoes (for horses and men), | | | | also allowed them at times to meddle in their |
| equipment and repair or replace whatever is | | | | generals' affairs. The armchair strategists |
| broken. Someone has to make sure supply | | | | in Richmond and Washington also enjoyed using |
| stocks are maintained, so that no shortages | | | | the telegraph to provide field generals with |
| occur. Someone has to deal with the sick, | | | | commentary and criticism. Civil War leaders |
| dead and wounded. Someone has to house the | | | | were the first to discover what people today |
| troops when they go into camp. Someone has | | | | know all too well: Communications technology |
| to build the bridges and rail lines to supply | | | | can be both a blessing and a curse.Engineers |
| the army. You get the idea.The quartermaster | | | | planned and built fortifications both |
| (called a logistician today) had the | | | | temporary and permanent, built roads and |
| unromantic but all-important job of providing | | | | bridges (both temporary and permanent) and |
| everything an army needs to fight. The | | | | made terrain maps (probably temporary and |
| quartermaster supervised the supply trains | | | | permanent, too). As the war went on, the |
| (the long train of wagons) that followed the | | | | skills of engineers became of increasing |
| army on the march. In the Union army, the | | | | importance when both armies began to use |
| standard was 25 wagons for every thousand | | | | entrenchments and breastworks, using sandbags |
| men. The medical corps treated casualties | | | | and logs covered with earth to protect their |
| (the sick, dead and wounded), taking them | | | | forces while having a clear shot at the |
| from the battlefield, burying the dead and | | | | attacking enemy. |
| evacuating the wounded or sick to the rear | | | | |