United States--War Department. Subsistence Department

Dating back to the commissary-general office in the American Revolutionary War, the Subsistence Department formally came into being by legislation in 1818. It was responsible for procuring, storing, and providing food for the United States Army. The department remained small during the early nineteenth century, except for a temporary expansion during the Mexican War. Then, in July 1861, the department was enlarged to support the rapidly growing Union Army during the Civil War. The commissary-general in charge of the department attained the rank of brigadier general, and, by the end of the war, consisted of over 550 personnel. The department downsized against following the Civil War, but retained its role as the chief supplier of foodstuffs to the U.S. Army. (United States Army Center of Military History)