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