Once satisfied of this, and that all has been done that can be, the soldiers are always willing to bear the largest measure of privation.

Probably no army ever had a more varied experience in this regard than the one I commanded in 1864'65.
Our base of supply was at Nashville, supplied by railways and the Cumberland River, thence by rail to Chattanooga, a "secondary base," and thence forward a single-track railroad.

The stores came forward daily, but I endeavored to have on hand a full supply for twenty days in advance.

These stores were habitually in the wagon-trains, distributed to corps, divisions, and regiments, in charge of experienced quartermasters and commissaries, and became subject to the orders of the generals commanding these bodies.
They were generally issued on provision returns, but these had to be closely scrutinized, for too often the colonels would make requisitions for provisions for more men than they reported for battle.

Of course, there are always a good many non-combatants with an army, but, after careful study, I limited their amount to twenty-five per cent.