Train (military)

[1] In the Ancient Macedonian army, restrictions were placed on the size and composition of the baggage train by Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander the Great.

Carts were generally forbidden – with the exception of carrying essential items such as siege engines, tents, plunder or acting as ambulances – because they were considered to impede the army's speed and mobility.

However tents, equipment and bulk supplies were transported by separate train detachments composed of mules and wagons under the control of camp servants.

From November 17, 1775, to January 25, 1776, Colonel Henry Knox transported 60 tons of artillery and other ordnance from Fort Ticonderoga to the Siege of Boston, a distance of approximately 300 miles (480 km).

Conversely, historian R. Arthur Bowler argues that the failure of General John Burgoyne's Saratoga campaign of 1777 was in particular a result of mismanagement of the baggage train.

Although American forces evacuated Fort Ticonderoga on July 6, the wagon train did not start to arrive until mid-July, preventing Burgoyne from making an immediate pursuit.

Not until September 13 had sufficient reserves been collected to allow the army to press on, though continued problems with insufficient supplies and horses led to the disastrous Battle of Bennington.

The success of this corps led to a similar regimental Wagon Train being created by Napoleon in 1806 to provide transport and support services for his Imperial Guard.

[7] During the American Civil War, both the Union and Confederate armies tried to keep the size of their wagon trains in check to improve the tactical mobility of their forces.