"The Supply for Tomorrow Must Not Fail": The Civil War of Captain Simon Perkins, Jr., a Union Quartermaster

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Addition
Review: This is a tremendous addition to a little studied area of Civil War military science - supply and movement of the wherewithal. A 1990 find still bound in government 'red tape', these records provided rich background on the incredible paperwork and labor needed to supply the hay, grain, horses and mules, ordinance, hospitals, quarters, and the myriad other items needed by a fighting force. We tend not to comprehend the millions of pounds of grain and hay required for just one campaign, for example, nor do we think of the civilian clerks, laborers, teamsters, and others that helped carry out the quartermaster function. This activity was replicated wherever Union soldiers served. All this plus fascinating background on the 23-year-old Captain Simon Perkins, Quartermaster in the Western Theater.