In my last submission to First Empire, prompted by reading articles showing kit issues to Napoleonic soldiers to be carried in knapsacks, the whole appearing to me as instruments of torture rather than facility, I set down my thoughts on 'campaign conditions' following a series of experiments in the Southern Crimea, and Great Britain.

In one of the books I read as a 'youth', Scloppetaria, published in 1808, by Henry Beaufoy, the author wrote extensively on aspects of rifle and light infantry in terms of the equipage they should carry to enable them to both survive and carry out their duties. The kit issue in both cases matched that of the Line units, in weight and bulk. How so, he queried, was a man supposed to run and act in an independent manner, taking advantage of ground etc. when encumbered by a great deal of kit?

In the "Peninsular War", more recently in the Crimea, due to terrain and weather, I found fresh cause to hark back to his words. Accoutered in a fashion similar to a grenadier, Beaufoy writes "...as a consequence, the men throw away, when hard pushed or fatigued, their packs and blankets to rid themselves of the oppressive burden... it is not surprising, for as a man can only bear certain exertions if expected to perform properly... we must expect to see him yielding to the weakness of his nature either by casting off his grievance or by a neglect of duty. Where life and death is at stake... it is better to sacrifice the conven-iences of his pack than to lose his liberty or his life. From casting away his pack, it then offers an inducement for somebody else to plunder it's contents..."

In an area such as Spain 1809-1812, as a light infantryman out in front, any resupply must pass through the Army behind him. In such conditions, it seems very likely that the Army would make good it's own shortcomings before passing on any excess. BUT - when a corps such as the Rifles were operating along the Coa or similar other situations, involving rapid movements of troops, I place the 'welfare' of the soldiers fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the Officers. Having the men carry a full kit issue, ready for battle, parade, repair or whatever, relieves them of the responsibility of caring for the soldiers' everyday needs by placing this burden on the shoulders of the men in their commands (literally). Small comfort, as you are crushed under 80 to 100 pounds of knapsack that it is someone else's fault! Costello states that over a third of the unit succumbed to fatigue on a march early in the War... a few months later the men had taken their own decisions about what to do with some of their kit, to lighten the load.

Out the Window

If the 'regulations' went out of the window, it was the fault of Crauford and Wellesley, not the soldiers'. That it all happened, no wargamer or historian will be unaware. But - what of military illustrators? Blandford's "Uniforms of the Peninsular War", when it came out became a 'cult' book for a lot of members of the Napoleonic Association, as it showed for the first time what soldiers of the period could have looked like, as opposed to the usual illustrations.

Actually, as I found, they must have looked (and smelled!) a whole lot worse than that. I found that operating in groups or messes of four persons, life on the outposts could be easier, as loads can be lightened between 'sharing' by four soldiers. You don't just survive, you attain efficiency and routine, and suffer only the odd moment of discomfort in positions where from military expediency you have to spend the night rather than at a site of your own choosing. It is in these moments you may regret a piece of kit then lying by the roadside some twenty miles away - but it is momentary - to have the use of it in those moments you have to carry it around with you in the pack during all the times you don't need it!

Physical fitness, one thing encouraged in a Rifle Corps, aids getting through the more damper, colder, drier and hotter moments in a soldiers life. Having good comrades around you also helps when you wish to laugh in the face of adversity or snigger in the proximity of danger... but we now digress into the realms of philosophy, countless novels and the Maxims of Napoleon.

I carried in my knapsack as follows;

Spare shirt (to replace a sweaty one after a march, to avoid getting sick); spare worsted socks; liquor flask; tobacco; tin cup; tinder box; razor; greatcoat. In the haversack; salt and whatever food I happened to come across. Water in my bottle, and a leather 'bota' for wine. Rifle tools sat in my belt pouch. Other items such as clasp knife, toothbrush, etc, came and went with the passage of time. Repairs were carried out with a small 'housewife' (thread, needles, leather thongs); and on odd occasions a pair of weightless fingerless mitts, and my forage cap.

Echoing Paul Chamberlain's article (F.E.16, Newsdesk) - you don't find out everything from books - sometimes you have to use all your physical senses to gain experience. I hope these few obser-vations give you a sense of the 'alternative' aspects of re-searching the Napoleonic period.

Practical Observations on the Knapsack