Lewis B. Parsons: Master Logistician and Operational Artist
Abstract
On the eve of the American Civil War, the US Army found itself unprepared for the conflict. The mass mobilization of the Army overwhelmed the limited pre-conflict capabilities of the Union Army's Quartermaster Department. In December 1861, Lewis B. Parsons was assigned as the quartermaster for the Department of Missouri and initiated an immense undertaking, aiming to improve the Union's logistical support system and increase the efficiency of transportation on the Western river network. This study uses a structured, focused comparison of Lewis B. Parsons' use of the steamboat to support military operations during Sherman's Chickasaw Bayou Expedition and the 1864 movements of Major General A.J. Smith's 16th Corps in the Western Theater. The results of the study will show how Lewis B. Parsons employed operational art to standardize the use of the steamboat as the primary platform to project power and support Union operations and ultimately facilitate the defeat of the Confederates in the Western Theater.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 23, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1083446
Entities
People
- Donald E. Huskey
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College