First Things, First: Grant, Logistics, and Setting Conditions
Abstract
The publication of Field Manual 3-0, Operations and the associated transition to large-scale combat operations (LSCO) requires a greater emphasis on responsive operational level logistics than an army optimized for limited contingency and counterinsurgency operations. Although the demands of expeditionary distribution operations may be unfamiliar to many contemporary sustainment leaders, they are not new in the annuls of war. The American Civil War (1861-1865) remains worthy of study for contemporary military professionals. Arguably the first fully industrialized war, the Civil War reached a scale, intensity, and duration that observers did not initially anticipate. Ulysses S. Grant's western campaigns to open the Mississippi River (1862-1863) demonstrate that he was an operational artist that understood the value of logistics to enable his vision. Grant not only grasped the existential nature of supply, but he saw holistic logistics activities as vital operations rather than administrative entanglements. Through his use of basing and decisive points, he was able to extend his operational reach, prevent culmination, dictate the tempo of operations, and manage risk. This monograph examines how Grant harnessed logistics to enable his maneuver and, as a corollary, how he utilized maneuver to extend his operational reach throughout the campaign for the Mississippi River of 1862-1863. This case study thus provides a historical example of how operational logistics enables theater armies in LSCO, which may be relevant for contemporary commanders.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1083279
Entities
People
- Adam F. Di Giovanni
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College