Camp follower

Camp followers are civilians who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the spouses and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have historically been informal army service providers, servicing the needs of encamped soldiers, in particular selling goods or services that the military does not supply—these have included cooking, laundering, liquor, nursing, prostitution and sutlery.

Quotes

• The demi-brigades are expressly forbidden to carry with them more women than the laundresses the law provides for. Every woman found with the army and not duly authorized shall be publicly whipped.
  • Napoleon (28 March 1797), at Goritz; reported in R. M. Johnston, ed. The Corsican (1910), p. 60

• The Field Marshal desires that when the Commanding Officers of regiments of cavalry, battalions of infantry, and troops and companies of artillery, send non-commissioned officers or soldiers to England from the corps under their command respectively, on any occasion whatever, they will take care that such men do not take with them from this country any woman who is not married to the person with whom she may cohabit.
  The Commanding Officer of any detachment which may be sent to England is to have a certificate specifying the names of the men accompanied by their wives, and the number of women returning to England; and any individual taking a woman over to England is to have a certificate from his Commanding Officer that she is his wife.
  • The Duke of Wellington (6 January 1818), at Cambrai; reported in The General Orders of Field Marshal the Duke Of Wellington, ed. Gurwood (1837), p. 554

External links

• Encyclopedic article on Camp follower on Wikipedia