Supply Records...Sherman's March

[ChristopherKnittel]

I'm searching for Sherman's supply records, if any exist at all, as he blazed his way to Savannah. I'm especially interested in supply record's related to the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and the Battle for Atlanta. Anyone have any info?



Chris

[Steve in PR]

Try the Civil War link in the middle of the forum page. I suspect you would have more luck there.

[LeoinPA]

Christopher

I found some interesting references to the supply plan from: "MEMOIRS OF GENERAL SHERMAN, Vol. II., Part 4"
Available online from here: MEMOIRS OF GENERAL SHERMAN, Vol. II., Part 4
It looks like they carried their supplies with them.
All 4 parts to his memoirs are here: MEMOIRS OF GENERAL SHERMAN, Complete Including Battles and maps

[Special Field Orders, No. 120.]
HEADQUARTERS MILITARY DIVISION OF THE MISSISSIPPI
IN THE FIELD, KINGSTON, GEORGIA, November 9, 1864
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3. There will be no general train of supplies, but each corps will have its ammunition-train and provision-train, distributed habitually as follows: Behind each regiment should follow one wagon and one ambulance; behind each brigade should follow a due proportion of ammunition-wagons, provision-wagons, and ambulances. In case of danger, each corps commander should change this order of march, by having his advance and rear brigades unencumbered by wheels. The separate columns will start habitually at 7 a.m., and make about fifteen miles per day, unless otherwise fixed in orders. .......................

By order of Major-General W. T. Sherman,
L. M. DAYTON, Aide-de-Camp.

Further in the book there is this:

.........Each gun, caisson, and forges was drawn by four teams of horses. We had in all about twenty-five hundred wagons, with teams of six mules to each, and six hundred ambulances, with two horses to each. The loads were made comparatively light, about twenty-five hundred pounds net; each wagon carrying in addition the forage needed by its own team: Each soldier carried on his person forty rounds of ammunition, and in the wagons were enough cartridges to make up about two hundred rounds per man, and in like manner two hundred rounds of assorted ammunition were carried for each gun.

The wagon-trains were divided equally between the four corps, so that each had about eight hundred wagons, and these usually on the march occupied five miles or more of road. Each corps commander managed his own train; and habitually the artillery and wagons had the road, while the men, with the exception of the advance and rear guards, pursued paths improvised by the aide of the wagons, unless they were forced to use a bridge or causeway in common.

I reached Atlanta during the afternoon of the 14th, and found that all preparations had been made-Colonel Beckwith, chief commissary, reporting one million two hundred thousand rations in possession of the troops, which was about twenty days' supply, and he had on hand a good supply of beef-cattle to be driven along on the hoof. Of forage, the supply was limited, being of oats and corn enough for five days, but I knew that within that time we would reach a country well stocked with corn, which had been gathered and stored in cribs, seemingly for our use, by Governor Brown's militia..............

An interesting diary of the march from Sherman. Great reading.

I hope it's what you're looking for

Thanks
Leo

[ChristopherKnittel]

Hey thanks for the info, I'm looking for more specificly government supply records. In other words, an exact list by the U.S. Army of the supplies they were dragging behind those regiments towards Atlanta.