Architect of Union Victory? Montgomery Meigs, Jomini, and Union Success in the American Civil War

Abstract : Although Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs, who served as the Quartermaster General of the Union Army, was commissioned as an engineer with no formal logistics training, his pre-Civil War assignments, innate intelligence and integrity, as well as an iron will all contributed to his ability to succeed in arguably one of the toughest assignments in the military at that time. The analysis will begin with an overview of the pre-Civil war career of Brigadier General Montgomery C. Meigs. The study will include an examination of the principles outlined by Jomini, who identified logistics as one of the six distinct elements that define the art of war. The analysis will then examine the logistics infrastructure and execution of logistics and highlight the role played by BG Meigs as the Quartermaster General of the Union Army from 1861-1865. The analysis will conclude by examining the applicability of Jomini's principles to modern day logistics [practices.