Army logistics



Army logistics

Introduction

Military Logistics in Warfare

In the explanation of “Military Logistics in Warfare”, the logistical system led by Major General William S. Rosecrans in 1863, is best example. This logistics system aided the Union armies in battles. The Army of the Cumberland was more focused in that system. The beginning of it was a depiction of the logistical bureaus in Washington, D.C, in the War Department. In the initial years of the war they faced the challenges in mounting the national logistical support structure. After that the support structure was presented in the Department of the Cumberland. The purpose of it was to maintain the rail link from Nashville, Tennessee, back to Louisville, Kentucky. The performances of logisticians and commanders in field throughout the Chickamauga and Tullahoma Campaigns were explored finally. One of the major problems was with transportation. It is obvious that logisticians faced number of problems in order to create the logistical system that was very helpful for the commanders to be the victor of battle.

Overview of Army logistics

The word Logistics refers to the management of flow of resources. The management circles between the consumption and the origin of goods. The purpose of the management is to meet some requirements for instance, the requirements of customers or the requirements of corporation. This resources management logistics may consist of physical items such as food, liquids, equipment, and stuff. It may also include abstract items such as information, particles, time, and energy. When we attach with this word “Army” or “Military”, it defines a particular discipline of carrying out the movement, planning and maintenance of armed forces. It is a military operation that deals with following aspects:

Transport of armed-personnel.

Medical service support.

Design, acquisition, development, storage, maintenance, evacuation, distribution, and disposition of materiel.

Acquisition or construction, operation, maintenance and disposition of services.

Furnishing of services.

The Union Army Logistical System Organization

It is not easy to declare that behind all modern strategy and all combat organization, there is nothing preplanned. On the other hand, behind all the modern strategy and all the combat organization, there is capacity of nation to provide and produce the weapons of war. For instance, talking about Northern states (1861), they had number of advantages in excess of the southern states. It was creating armies and supporting them. Southern got 9 million populations, that was its first advantage, 3.5 million were in prison. Rest of only 1,140,000 was white of the age 15 to 40. On the other hand, the Northern got 20 million populations. 4,070,000 were white of age 15 to 40. Talking about manufacturing establishments, North made 99,564 with 1,300,000 employs while South made 16,896 with only 110,000 people working in it. The total national manufacturing share of South was only 16 percent. The city of Lowell ran more textile mills than all eleven states of the Confederate together ran.

Having a look throughout the 1840s and 1850s, we come to know that there was a demand for Southern hemp, sugar, cotton, rice, and tobacco making them more ...