Organizing supplies in Russian army in the middle and late 18th century

The paper studies the supply system for the troops of the Siberian Corps in the middle and late 18th century. The system of material supply used for the Russian Army in 18th century still remains a blank spot for historical researches. Based upon some sources from federal and regional archive funds, the authors tried to investigate the practical mechanisms of the supply system, major difficultutes and problems faced by the central and local state, military and civil authorities, as well as principles of provision transportation and distribution among the servicemen. In particular, military authorities had to interact with the Siberian Provincial Office responsible for purchasing provision and supplying the army warehouses. The purchases were a constant problem due to excessive budget expenses for supplying army troops. In some cases, civil authorities did not even take any part in the supply for the troops leaving it to the military command. The lack of delimitation between military and civil authorities, a characteristic feature for the whole period, led to many conflicts...