15,697
edits
Changes
no edit summary
__NOTOC__
"The line between disorder and order lies in logistics...." -Sun Tzu
"Amateurs talk about tactics, but professionals study logistics." - General Robert H. Barrow, USMC
Logistics wins win wars. Logistics is the coordination of complex operations such as moving, housing and supplying troops and their equipment. War is the ultimate test of any logistician. During the Civil War, the Union troops fought almost the entire war in the South. Thomas F. Army, Jr. argues in his new book ''[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421419378/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1421419378&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=e4bd474b63e3826a3b2dade42c573825 Engineering Victory: How Technology Won the Civil War]'' published by [https://www.press.jhu.edu/ Johns Hopkins University Press] that the Union's engineering prowess during Civil War gave it an distinct advantage over the Confederacy. Due to a superior education system, Northern armies had individuals who could use scientific ingenuity and innovation to rapidly build and repair roads, bridges, railways. Unlike the Confederacy, the Northern armies lacked the home field advantage. Dr. Army's delves deeply into a aspect of the Civil War that most other historians have only discussed in passing.
Dr. Thomas F. Army, Jr. is an adjunct professor at Quinebaug Valley Community College.
'''Is there any one technology that was more critical to the Union's technical advantages than anyone else?'''
[[File:Daniel_Craig_McCallum_by_The_Brady_National_Photographic_Art_Gallery.jpg|275px|thumbnail|Daniel C. McCallum]]
One of the great advantages the Union held over the Confederacy was only indirectly connected to technology. During the antebellum period a number of northern railroad companies owned track that covered over 150 miles long. To operate these businesses like the Pennsylvania, New York Central, or Erie railroads required the creation of a decentralized management system. Operating divisions and various subdivisions were formed along the line to deal with the daily problems of running the railroad—engine, track, and bridge repair, ticketing and accounting, carpentry and painting. A management scheme developed that allowed men at the lower levels and their supervisors enough autonomy and authority to demonstrate their talents and to make decisions without waiting hours or days for a reply from corporate headquarters.
Furthermore, the book could encourage discussions about how the military is a reflection of a nation's culture, and the role environment plays in fighting wars. A military history class at both undergraduate and graduate levels could use the text as an example of an unorthodox study of wars in general and the Civil War in particular, and as an important reminder of the role logistics and especially engineering plays in war.
[[Category:Interviews]][[Category:United States History]] [[Category:Civil War]] [[Category:Military History]][[Category:19th Century History]]
<div class="portal" style="width:85%;">
==Related DailyHistory.org Articles==
*[[Interview:African American Soldiers During the Civil War: Interview with Author Bob Luke]]
*[[What Was the Significance of the Southwest in the Outcome of the Civil War]]
*[[Why Was the Battle of Antietam a Pivotal event in the American Civil War?]]
*[[Gilded Age/Progressive Era History Top Ten Booklist]]
*[[Did the Battle of Fredericksburg Change the Identities of Irish Soldiers?]]
</div>
{{contributors}}
