Before & After: Bridge

[Mike Serpa]

I never heard of Horatio Bridge even though he had an important job. LOC #00095.

From wikipedia -
Horatio Bridge (April 8, 1806 – March 18, 1893) was an officer of the United States Navy who, as Chief of the Bureau of Provisions, served for many years as head of the Navy's supply organization. Appointed by his former college mate, President Franklin Pierce, Bridge held this post under various administrations, including the whole period of the Civil War.

He also had the distinction of being the first man in the Navy to employ the idea of comprehensive fleet supply. Under his direction, the systematic supply of Navy vessels on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts during the Civil War was established and carried out with conspicuous success.

 

[AndyHall]

Nice work, as always!

I do think, though, that Navy personnel serving on the blockade in the Gulf of Mexico would take strong exception to the Bridge's work as being characterized as a "conspicuous success." A variety of factors (most beyond Bridge's direct control) conspired to make resupply very difficult and none too reliable. Scurvy, a completely preventable illness in the 19th century, was a routine occurrence in the fleet simply because the ships on the blockade could not get regular supplies of antiscorbutic foodstuffs.

 

[Mike Serpa]

Thanks, Andy, for the compliment and info!