Logistics
Sherman’s Logistics for the Carolinas Campaign
Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign is best remembered for his army’s ability to conduct operations independent of any established supply base or lines of communications. The forty-five-day campaign carried an army of more than 60,000 men through two states without the security of an established rear line of communication.
The success of this operation is in part due to Sherman’s strength as a military commander in regards to campaign planning and his thorough appreciation of logistics. Previous historical works on the Carolinas Campaign have focused on Sherman’s use of the system of foraging and of the role played by his notorious “bummers” as the answer to logistics support.
While foraging played a significant part in the campaign at the tactical level, other key aspects of logistics ensured Sherman’s success. The War Department invested significant energy and resources into supporting Sherman at the operational and strategic levels as well. As Sherman’s army moved north from Savannah, preparations were underway along the coast of North Carolina to prepare for his arrival in the state.
Sherman’s ability to move a formation of over 60,000 men through the heart of the enemy’s country, despite difficult terrain and weather, was nothing short of a logistical triumph. Sherman’s movement through the Carolinas required his army to cross nine major rivers and numerous swollen streams, tributaries, and swamps during the rainiest winter in the Carolinas in decades.
“No one ever has and may not agree with me as to the very importance of the march north from Savannah,” wrote Sherman after the war. “The march to the sea seems to have captured everybody, whereas it was child’s play compared with the other.” The greatest 
compliment accorded Sherman’s feat came from his old antagonist, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston, who declared, “There had been no such army since the days of Julius Caesar.”
The short introductory above conveys the importance logistics played in Sherman’s execution of his Carolinas Campaign. To gain a better an understanding of the significant role Union logistics played during the course of the campaign, I encourage you to read No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Caesar. Mark and I committed a separate appendix on the specifics of Union logistics.
Additionally, it is my intent to use the web here as a repository of further information as a means of sharing with you my years of research on the Campaign. Take time to explore the additional web pages found on this page and continue to check back as I will post new information as time allows.