In North America, during the Seven Years War, a commander in chief was appointed. His job was to manage the entire operation in that theater and follow the guidelines and instructions given to him by the king and the secretary of war.

A commanding general was not expected to manage the entire campaign himself. In the area of supply, he would pick, or in some cases there was appointed, a Deputy Quartermaster General (Q.M.). To this individual fell the responsibility of keeping the troops in North America supplied (Army lists, 1755).

In the vast areas of North America supply would definitely be a problem to any Q.M. who looked at his map. Therefore, the commands were broken down into three and later four separate Military Districts. These are identified as Nova Scotia, Northern, based out of the city of New York, and the Southern, based out of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. Later, another supply district was formed known as Quebec, after the fall of New France. The military commanders of these districts were helped with their supply problems by an assistant Deputy Quartermaster General (A.D.Q.M.G.) for the same district.

The A.D.Q.M.G. was responsible for buying and storing the military supplies, constructing warehouses, and obtaining transport to keep the supplies up with the field troops and all military posts and commands in the District. As this may sound, his job was not easy. When the army stopped to rest he could not. He was busy late into the night dispatching orders to see that all supplies were brought up to the troops in the field.

He signed contracts with civilians who were to provide meat, both fresh and salted. Other contractors would supply flour. In addition, others supplied rice, butter, and rum. Not only was food recorded on his inventories; he received all the extra stores of gunpowder, arms, accoutrements, clothing, blankets, shoes, kettles, hatchets, tents, and any other stores the military supplied, or he requested for his district. He needed to hire attendants who would oversee the safe keeping of these supplies. In Carlyle, during the Seven Years War, a massive complex of buildings, warehouses, and sheds was built to house the supplies for the army in that district, during the years 1758-1764.

The A.D.Q.M.G. also bought entire herds of cattle, sheep, and hogs, and had them driven with the army for fresh supplies. He sometimes had to go and check on the quality of supplies in the warehouses. In addition, he ordered the opening of barrels of salt pork to see if they had gone bad or were improperly packed.

Furthermore, flour had to be inspected to see if it was fit for issuing to the men. He checked in on the manufacturers of tents, tinsmiths who were making kettles for the army, and even on smiths to see if the hatchets being made for the army had a true edge (Bouquet Papers, Vol. II).

There were no supply companies who were ordered to move supplies up with the army. Of course, each regiment had a number of wagons for its company baggage and reserve bread rations. However, these were of a limited supply of only two or three per company. In addition, other wagons hauled the officers' baggage, and camp equipment. However the A.D.Q.M.G. needed a larger supply of steady wagons, teams, and drivers to bring up supplies for the army. In the New York Military District, when the army advanced along Lake George and Lake Champlain, the barrels of supply would be transported in boats.

Packhorses

The packhorses from this era could haul only 160 pounds each (Bouquet, page 22). Wagons could haul 1000-1200 pounds each on good roads. However, this load was usually reduced to 600-800 pounds on active service due to road conditions and indifferent teams (Kemp, page 121 and Glover page 111).

A soldier's daily ration consisted of the following:

Bread or Flour 1 Pound
Salt Pork 1/2 Pound
Rum 1 Gill
Butter 2 Ounces
Rice 8 Ounces

With this in mind to haul 3000 rations for an army for one week would require:

Pack Horses (Flour) 19 per day 132 per week
Wagons (Salt Pork) 2 per day 14 per week
Wagons (Rum) 1 1/2 per day 11 per week
Wagons (Butter) 1/2 per day 4 per week
Wagons (Rice) 3 per day 21 per week

A total of 50 wagons and 132 packhorses were needed to supply the army with victuals for one week (approximate values with a small surplus). Still he would need more than these fifty wagons because, if the distances became great, convoys had to be going back to the magazines to pick up more supplies. Furthermore, others had to be bringing up additional supplies. A quartermaster also needed wagons and horses to bring supplies into his forward magazine. Nevertheless, one must also consider that we have only discussed food. What about ammunition, clothing, tools, arms, etc. - all items necessary to keep the army in the field? Only sixty, twelve-pounder cannon balls could be hauled by one wagon. Therefore an army of wagons, teamsters, and horses was needed just to keep 3,000 men supplied. This total always increased as the army advanced.

When supplies reached the regiments in the field the A.D.Q.M.G. would issue the supplies to the regimental Quartermasters. The regiment's Quartermaster had a small staff to help him with the provisions. He had under his command a Quartermaster Sergeant, and the camp color men (one per company) to assist with the issuing of rations. These camp color men were permanently attached to the quartermaster. They went with him when he advanced before his regiment to lay out the new marching camps, and helped with all the details involved with supply.

If a large grouping of regiments was formed into an army the supplies had to be issued out in rotation. This seems to have been general in all districts. Moneypenny notes it in New York during the campaign years of 1758 & 1759. In Pennsylvania, Henry Bouquet used this system for the campaigns of 1758, 1763, and 1764. In addition, Wolfe noted this in his general orders before Quebec in 1759.

The rotation started usually 1/2 hour after reveille. The reveille drumbeat was normally tapped out at 7:15 (English Duty). Therefore, the rations would be issued to the first regiment at 7:45, the second at 8:45, etc. Nevertheless, some processions to receive rations started at 5:00 in the morning and would not end until 4:00 in the evening (Bulletin, Vol. XIII, #2).

Two Meals a Day

In general, the soldier had only two meals a day. Breakfast would consist of ammunition bread or biscuit, cold beef left from the night before, and washed down with water, which was probably mixed with rum. This he would eat early in the morning. His next meal would come in the evening, and would be his large meal for the day. It was cooked about 12 hours after he ate his breakfast. It consisted of fresh beef, salted beef, or salted pork boiled up with rice or peas in the unit's mess kettle. Therefore, his meal would consist of boiled meat and vegetables with bread. Boiling was considered to be the best method of dressing his rations (Redcoat, Page 39).

Regimental Quartermasters were ordered always to attend to the duty when the rations were issued.

May 1, 1758

Whenever the regt. Receives provisions the Qr. Master to attend in person to see the flour weigh'd deducting the weight of the cask

The pork unpack'd the salt beat off from it and weighed. The butter unpacked & weigh'd pease to be received by measure rice by weight.

(Bulletin, Vol. XII, #5, page 334)

It seems that the rum ration was issued out either all in the morning, or more often 1/2 gill in the morning and the other 1/2 gill in the afternoon. This can be verified by the writings of Benjamin Franklin concerning the Reverend Charles Beatty, who was the chaplain of the First Pennsylvania Regiment.

We had for our chaplain a zealous Presbyterian minister, Mr. Beatty, who complained to me that the men did not generally attend prayers and exhortations. When they enlisted they were promised, besides pay and provisions, a gill of rum a day, which was punctually served out to them half in the morning, and the other in the evening; which I observed they were as punctual in attending to receive it; upon which I said to Mr. Beatty, "It is perhaps, below the dignity of your profession to act as stewart to the rum, but if you were to deal it out and only just before prayers, you would have them all about you." He liked the thought and undertook the office, and, with the help of a few hands to measure out the liquor, executed it to satisfaction, and never were prayers more generally and more punctually attended; so that I thought this method preferable to the punishment inflicted by some military laws for non- attendance on divine service.

(Booth, page 79)

In North America, spruce beer was issued out in large quantities to the men of the British army during the Seven Years War. They were to receive three pints each day for the cost of three farthings subtracted from their pay. It was probably issued out in the same fashion as the liquor. Its main function was to control scurvy in the army. It was invaluable in keeping a garrison healthy during long stays in winter, as fresh fruits and vegetables were rare.

When it was available, the troops would enjoy porter. This was a dark brown bitter beer that was issued out at three pints per day while in garrison and two when in the field (Redcoat, page 39). This beer was issued out besides the rum ration, which the soldier received in North America. It was a popular drink; however, it was scarce in the colonies, and a good quantity of spruce beer was a tasty substitute to the hard drinking British.

More British Army Supply of the Seven Years War

Introduction
The Packaging of the Military Stores
Some Notes on Supplies Issued: Salt Pork and Salt Beef

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