This is the first full-length study of a major supply bureau on either side of the Civil War. Confederate Commissary General looks at food, the most basic of all supplies. Everyone recognized the importance of plentiful food and its efficient distribution to sustain the fighting forces. Yet, political infighting, protection of each state's own interest, and scandalous rumors made Commissary General Northrop's task immeasurably difficult.

This examination of Confederate food supply and distribution is an indispensable addition to every military history library.

Jerrold Northrop Moore here offers new research from unpublished manuscripts on the infrastructure of the Confederate war machine. Topics covered include Southern agriculture, railroads, money supply, naval blockade running, overland trading through enemy lines, military strategy and tactics, the Confederate Congress, and the work of a wide range of Southern leaders from Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee downwards.