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