How did Napoleon’s armies obtain supplies while on campaign?

Napoleon’s armies relied on a flexible, mobile logistic system designed to support swift, decisive offensives rather than prolonged campaigns. To maintain high mobility, Napoleon minimized baggage trains and shifted much of the supply burden onto the soldiers themselves.12

Key methods of supply included:

• Living off the land: In fertile and densely populated regions of Europe, armies subsisted by purchasing or requisitioning provisions from the local countryside. Troops moved in parallel columns, with each corps foraging to its own side to maximize efficiency.12
• Magazines: Despite the emphasis on local foraging, the scale of Napoleonic armies necessitated a dependence on magazines—strategically located, prestocked depots—and "rolling magazines" that carried a few days' worth of supplies for marching troops.1
• Administrative Organization: While the supply service (intendance) remained under civilian control, Napoleon militarized certain transport functions. In 1807, he established a militarized train service using shuttling wagons to support lines of communication, a precursor to modern staged resupply systems.1

This system was highly effective in Western Europe and Italy but proved less sustainable over great distances or in unproductive territories, such as during the 1812 invasion of Russia.12