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Quoting from Bret Devereaux's blog (https://acoup.blog/2022/07/15/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-i-the-problem/ https://acoup.blog/2022/07/15/col

Quoting from Bret Devereaux's blog (https://acoup.blog/2022/07/15/collections-logistics-how-did-they-do-it-part-i-the-problem/ https://acoup.blog/2022/07/15/collections-logistics-how-did-...): > Rather than reinvent the wheel here, I’ll note that K. Chase (op. cit.) ran these numbers assuming two-horse 1400lb wagons and found that assuming the army acquired no local food (but could get grass for the horses), for a group of thirty infantryman the first wagon doubles their range from 120 to 240 miles (less really, horses cannot be worked so many days consecutively). Doubling again to around 400 (accounting for horse rest time) requires not two but six wagons for thirty men. To double the range again would require more wagons than men. By around 3 months of campaign, you need more wagons than men to provide a supply train that doesn't require local forage for your army (but require it for your animals). Supply trains in pre-modern times are less "let's provide all the food for our army on campaign" and more "provide the mobile granary to store everything we're looting for a few days before it's eaten." In premodern times, absent the possibility of naval supply, not foraging the local land for your food is logistically impossible.

mcv 4y ago
I never said it's a good idea for all situations, but for some. It was most definitely done, so the claim that it was impossible is clearly nonsense. It was impossible in some circumstances, but possible in others. And of course it's a good idea to use local resources when they're available, but there's a big difference between that and relying entirely on local resources. Armies used supply lines over land during the 100 Years War[0], Romans maintained a network of supply depots[1]. It happened during most time periods. Just like there's a limit to how much food you can move how far, there's also a limit to how large an army can live off the land. Beyond a certain size, you simply need to bring your own supplies. In fact, one of Napoleon's innovations was that he organised his armies in a way that allowed larger armies than before to live off the land. But larger armies did exist before; they just had to bring supplies. And of course you're not going to supply a large army over a distance of hundreds of miles using just carts. They used ships where possible, they used supply depots, and organised the most efficient routes by which to maintain those. But you bet lots of land travel was involved as well. [0] https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/army-supplied-100-years-war.html https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/army-supplied-100-... [1] https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/roman-army-supply-lines-logistics/ https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/roman-army-supply-line...

mcv 4y ago

I never said it's a good idea for all situations, but for some. It was most definitely done, so the claim that it was impossible is clearly nonsense. It was impossible in some circumstances, but possible in others. And of course it's a good idea to use local resources when they're available, but there's a big difference between that and relying entirely on local resources. Armies used supply lines over land during the 100 Years War[0], Romans maintained a network of supply depots[1]. It happened during most time periods. Just like there's a limit to how much food you can move how far, there's also a limit to how large an army can live off the land. Beyond a certain size, you simply need to bring your own supplies. In fact, one of Napoleon's innovations was that he organised his armies in a way that allowed larger armies than before to live off the land. But larger armies did exist before; they just had to bring supplies. And of course you're not going to supply a large army over a distance of hundreds of miles using just carts. They used ships where possible, they used supply depots, and organised the most efficient routes by which to maintain those. But you bet lots of land travel was involved as well. [0] https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/army-supplied-100-years-war.html https://www.warhistoryonline.com/medieval/army-supplied-100-... [1] https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/roman-army-supply-lines-logistics/ https://www.everythingsupplychain.com/roman-army-supply-line...