 Becoming recognized for his efficiency, he was soon promoted to command the supplies for the entire Mississippi Valley.From his headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, Allen supervised the Federal supplies for all the region's major campaigns, including Vicksburg and Atlanta.He was able to secure a wide variety of surplus railcars from various Northern railroads and arranged to have them ferried across the Ohio River from Jeffersonville, Indiana, and used for military purposes to transport food and supplies to the field armies along former Confederate railways.