Gen. Ormsby Mitchel captured sixteen engines and 130 cars when his troops entered Huntsville on April 11, 1862. [See OR Vol X, pt 2:124, 243]

Rail lines leading north to Nashville, one from Decatur AL, the other from Stevenson AL, suffered major damage when the Confederates destroyed bridges spanning several Tennessee streams and rivers during March 1862. The same happened in West Tennessee, so when Gen. Halleck's three armies captured Corinth on May 31, 1862, he had no locomotives or rolling stock. Sherman captured four burned engines near Chewalla, but these proved difficult to repair and operate. Engines and cars available to Gen. Mitchel at Huntsville would have of great value to Halleck. They were inaccessible because 1) the two railroads leading to Nashville had been broken, and 2) Mitchel had burned the railway bridge at Decatur while fleeing from a phantom rebel army.

When Buell's large Army of the Ohio occupied the Tennessee Valley, his daily supply need for rations and forage for five divisions was 300 tons. That's a daily figure, folks. Supplies could be moved part of the way south by rail, and then transported by wagon around the wrecked part of the rail line. Using figures supplied by Buell's QMs, army wagons with good teams might carry up to 2,100-2,200 lbs on good roads; far less on rough roads. During July 1862 Buell was obliged to put his army on half rations, and was anxious about getting that much. [See OR Vol. XVI, pt 2:77-79, 82-85, 89-90, 97, 100-104, 111-12, 117 & 122-23 &c]

Only July 9, 1862, one of Crittenden's Ohio regiments in North Alabama reported 275 men on sick call due to lack of clothing. [see OR XVI pt 2:115] Gen. Buell was angry because lack of clothing was not a disease. He did promise that proper uniforms would be available soon. He lacked salt for his animals and many other necessities.

Then Buell learned that his depots at Nashville were empty, so his men could expect no rations or forage for several days. Reason was that trains in central Kentucky were being used by local commanders attempting to deal with John Hunt Morgan's raiders by moving troops from one point to another. [see OR XVI pt 2:155]

Even after railroad repairs were completed on July 22, Forrest's raid on Murfreesboro the next day disrupted Buell's supply line again.

If this account (Buell and his supply line woes) appears in a published source outside of the OR, someone please mention the author and title.