Anyone who has been in a leadership position in the U.S. military, EVER, regardless of time period, has had to contend with paperwork. You have to account for personnel, equipment, and ordnance for the government and for the taxpayers. It is part of leadership and being a good steward of the taxpayer's money.

I, as a young Captain, was signed for $60 million dollars of equipment paid for by the U.S. taxpayers (fourteen M1A1 Abrams tanks, two HUMMVs, a M113A3, all the tentage, small arms, barracks furniture, computers, etc that goes with a tank company AND that is not including all the personnnel and equipment that was attached to me when I deployed into a tactical environment [medics and M113A3, mechanics with their two M113A3's, two five ton trucks, M88A2 Recovery Vehicle]).

Surprisingly enough, there were not that many clerks and those that they had were gainfully employed. I was at the National Archives last month and asked for a single correspondence book of William T. Sherman and they brought me a full cart. The full cart for only for about a twelve month period for letters sent and not letters received. I believe Sherman only had a couple of clerks.

One of the few books written about staffs is "The Right Hand of Command: Use * Disuse of Personal Staffs in the Civil War" by R. Steven Jones. Chapter 6 is on Sherman's staff entitled "Sherman: An Economical Staff, 1862-1865." The book is somewhat myopic and looks only at McClellan, Lee, Grant, and Sherman. If someone wanted to do a more thorough research on staffs and efficiency I am sure they could easily do it.

The synchronization and synthesis of information is imperative to a leader. The more you know the better informed decision you can make if you as a leader that can make a decision. Sometimes those that are in a leadership positions are overwhelmed with information and are indecisive.

I hope this helps.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
M.A. Military History - Civil War Concentration
Research - Preservation
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment