Sherman's Army -May 1864 - Logistics

In May 1864, Sherman's Army started south for Atlanta. The roughly 95,000 infantry were supported by the following:

• 254 Cannon (50 Batteries) and 6,000 artillery men. Which averages out to 24 men per cannon.
• 5,000 wagons
• 33,000 Mules
• 12,000 horses

Which means Sherman had approximately 50 wagons and 450 horses and mules per thousand men.

Civil War Logistics - Army of Tennessee - August 1862

GENERAL ORDERS, HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT No. 2,
No. 109. f Chattanooga, Tenn., August 8, 1862.

I. Until otherwise ordered the forces in this department, when taking
the field, will be provided with the following:
Means of transportation.—Oue wagon for cooking utensils, &c., for
100 men; one wagon for extra ammunition, &c., for 4Q0 men; one wagon
for each regimental headquarters; one ambulance (or light two-horse
wagon) for 300 men; one wagon each for brigade and division head-
quarters; two wagons for headquarters Army Corps.
Camp equipage.—One tent to each regiment for medical department;
one tent to regimental headquarters; two tents to brigade headquarters;
two tents to division headquarters; six tent-flies for every 100 men.
Ammunition.—Oue hundred rounds ammunition of proper description
for small-arms; a full supply for artillery, and 100 rounds for infantry
and 50 rounds for the artillery (extra)q to be transported by the ordnance
train.

II. All surplus wagons and teams and other means of transportation
not prescribed in the first paragraph of these orders will be turned in
immediately to the quartermaster~s department.

III. All surplus tents will be transferred to the division quartermas-
ters, to be turned into the nearest depot quartermaster, or for d isposi-
tion by the chief quadermaster of the forces.

IV. Division and brigade commanders will be held responsible for
the prompt and faithful execution of the foregoing orders. They will
have a thorough inspection made before taking the field of every regi-
ment, company, and man to see that these and previous orders fixing
the marching outfit of officers and soldiers are complied with.

V. All quartermasters will be required on the march to remain habit-
nally with the rear of their trains, unless specially detached, moving
promptly along to the front whenever the train is interrupted, to ascer-
tain and correct the difficulty if in their trains.
By command of General Bragg:
THOMAS JORDAN,
Chief of Star

Civil War Logistics - Wagons

Wagons needed for a typical 60,000 Union/Confederate Army computed as follows.
Assume each wagon using had a 4-6 Mule team and could haul 1,500 lbs over rough roads.

1) Backup ammo. Each man carried 40 rounds weighing about 5 lbs. Usual backup reserve was also 40 rounds each per man. Accordingly, each wagon could carry ammo for 300 men. An army of 60,000 infantry needed about 200 wagons for rifle ammunition.

2) Artillery. 60,000 men would require at least 3 artillery pieces per thousand or 180 guns. Each gun would require a caisson (50 rounds) and wagon (100 rounds) total wagons/caissons = 360 + 40 wagons for forge and blacksmith, vet, etc. = 400 total. This is conservative, since Lee at Gettysburg had 4 guns per thousand with 250 rounds each.

3) Each regiment (estimate 300 men) would require a wagon for a surgeon, hospital tent and medical supplies = 200 wagons.

4) Each regiment would require 1 wagon for officer baggage, feed for officer horses, tent/table for the Col., cooking supplies, band instruments, entrenching tools, etc. = 200 wagons

Total 1,000 wagons/caissons and 4,000-6,000 horses and mules for a 60,000 man army. This does not include wagons for food or horse ambulances or extra feed for the mules. Also, this is approximately 16 wagons per 1,000 men. This seems the bare bones minimum, since Lee had 30 wagons per 1,000 men while Sherman on his march to the sea had 50 wagons per 1, 000 men.