At a Glance
Orange and Alexandria Railroad
Orange and Alexandria Railroad wrecked by retreating Confederates, Manassas, Virginia, photograph by George N. Barnard, March 1862.
logistics
military
logistics, in military science, all the activities of armed-force units in roles supporting combat units, including transport, supply, signal communication, medical aid, and the like. In the conduct of war, war-making activity behind the cutting edge of combat has always defied simple definition. The military vocabulary offers only a few general descriptive terms (such as administration, services, and the French intendance), all corrupted by loose usage and none covering the entire area of noncombat activity....