Sherman's field orders: columns, wagons, and foraging

Sherman's Special Field Orders divide the army into two wings and direct four corps along parallel roads that would converge at designated points. Each corps carried its own ammunition and provisions instead of relying on one vulnerable general train. Wagons and ambulances were distributed behind regiments and brigades, while advance and rear brigades could be kept free of wheels when danger threatened. Columns were expected to start at seven in the morning, cover about fifteen miles, and maintain ten days of provisions plus three days of forage. The orders reveal that the campaign's apparent freedom depended on detailed logistical discipline rather than uncontrolled wandering.