A short study into campaign kit, camp followers and discipline in Wellington's Army, as seen from the reminiscences of Peninsular veterans

Aspects of Campaign Life Part 1: Uniforms

CAMPAIGN KITS

Campaign kit belonging to Lt Blakeney 28th Regiment of Foot, July 1811 p. 209.

Wooden canteen "well soaked." Portable larder or haversack.
A clasp-knife "both fork and spoon."
Stock of tea, sugar and brandy "Hoarded in a small canteen."
Tin kettle "also acted the part of teapot."
Two cups and saucers (in case of company).
Two spoons, forks, two plates and a small soup-tureen.
A frying pan "was common to all ranks."

The campaign kit of Rifleman Harris (shoemaker) 95th Regt. August 1808.

Well filled kit.
Greatcoat.
Blanket.
Camp kettle.
Haversack.
Leather hammer and tools.
Ship-biscuit and beef (3 days rations).
Canteen.
Hatchet.
Rifle. 80 rounds of ball cartridge.

Kit of Private Wheeler 51st Regt. April 1811

7 days biscuit, 5 days meat, 2 days wine.
Blanket.
Watchcoat.
2 shirts.
2 pair stockings.
2 pair boots.
Pair soles and heels
Sundry items of kit.
60 rounds of ball cartridge.

Tompkinson's Plan of Baggage for Spain, November 1813 to be carried on 2 mules.

The Canteen (for 6 people)
12 plates (of which 4 or 6 deep enough for soup),
6 dishes (2 covered - 1 deep for soup, cover doubles as dish).
6 silver wine cups. 6 larger cups for water.
Knives and forks in a leather roller.
Soup ladle (also used as punch bowl). Decanters.
4 teacups and saucers. Basket for picket.
2 plates , deep enough for soup. Coffee pot.
Kettle to boil meal in. Frying pan. 2 tea cups and saucers.
Space for cold meat, tea etc.

THE TWO BASKETS

Basket One (with 3 partitions)

1st Nest of kettles, with a smaller one for kitchen knife, spoon etc. 'penrice spit.' things for pies etc.
2nd Butter tub, oil can, kitchen lamp, pickle jar, lard etc.
3rd Tins for flour, &e, sugar. Tin for candles. Flour, rice etc. in bags.

Basket Two

A partition for meat, with a cover to separate salt from fresh, one for vegetables, another for ham.
A wine and brandy tub.
A picket tent.
4 or 6 table cloths. Knife cloths. The tea kettle to have a handle.
Neither Tinder box, lamp, nor any of those small things in the canteen.

Travelling kit of a gentleman "amateur" visiting the Peninsular as advised by Capt. The Hon E.C. Cocks February 1812. p. 168

Pelisse lined with fur. Blue greatcoat, blue waistcoat, buff waistcoat.
Two pairs of blue or grey loose trousers.
Two pairs of boots. Pair of shoes. Six changes of linen.
Black leather stock. A cocked hat.
A sword, black belt and sabretache.
A brace of pistols.
Two saddles, valises and saddlebags, two bridles.
Two good blankets. Large cloak.
A small dressing case containing; two razors, penknife, scissors, corkscrew and toothbrushes.
A rolling case containing; a knife, fork, spoon and teaspoon. A small canteen (1 pint). Two or three cooking tins.
A frying pan. A silver cup.
All this to be carried packed in valisses or saddlebags on a good Portuguese or English horse costing about 200 dollars.
A strong "macho" mule, about 120 dollars, for servant and baggage.

CAMP FOLLOWERS

As the army marched, in its wake followed large numbers of servants, women, suttlers and muleteers. Of these groups the women suffered the most from hardship and privations of campjaigning. It was the custom of the time for the Army via the Officers commanding regiments to discourage soldiers from marrying, but it often happened that recruiting parties enlisted married men, or militia men transferred into the line regiments with wives that accompanied them. Efforts were made to regulate numbers of women following a regiment and to control their conduct.

The Standing Orders of the Rifle Corps 1801 state, "Before the mode is pointed out of employment and comfortable livelihood of those women who do remain, all women of immoral or drunken characters, or who refuse to work for the men, are warned that they will not be permitted to remain." [1]

When a regiment embarked on active service it permitted six women to accompany each company. The women drawing lots to obtain places. These women, a hardy and resourceful bunch, were often widowed and remarried whilst the regiment campaigned. Peninsula journals contain references to these colourful characters.

During the Retreat to Corunna, Maj. Paget was compelled to abandon the wagons containing the military chest, some £ 25,000 in silver dollars. The 28th regiment were entrusted with throwing the money casks over a precipice. A company of the 28th was ordered to shoot any plunderers. The rearguard acted with discipline but this did not extend to the camp-followers, many of whom scrambled over the rocks to pick up the silver dollars. Mrs Malony, wife of the 52nds regimental master tailor, collected a fortune in silver. Her resourcefulness in surviving the horrors of the epic retreat and in safeguarding her illicit fortune were to end in tragic circumstances. There is a hint of retribution in the demise of Mrs Malony. As she was transferring from a boat to a transport ship in Corunna harbour, she missed her footing and, "down she went, like a shot, and owing to the weight of dollars secured about her person, she never rose again." [2]

A young officer, Lt Diggle of the 52nd, had good cause to remember the kindness of Sally Macan. A kindness he later repaid. Sally was the wife of a soldier in Diggle's company. During the Corunna retreat many men became fatigued. The lack of rations and torrential rain left men with sodden clothes and sickness. Many suffered the effects of dysentery. The poor roads, snow and ice, and hard marching meant that boots wore out. Officers, for all their wealth and comforts, shared in the privations of this campaign. Diggle wrote of his experiences,

"well do I remember the kind act of a worthy woman, Sally Macan, .... observing me to be falling to the rear from illness and fatigue, whipped off her garters, and secured the soles of my boots, which were separating from the upper leathers, and set me on my feet again."

"A year or so after this I had the opportunity of requiting the kindness of poor Sally Macan by giving her a lift on my horse the morning after she had given birth to a child in the bivouac." [3]

Captain Gordon of the 15th Hussars observed the following also during the Corunna campaign,

"The women who followed the army displayed astonishing energy, but the suffering they endured beggar all description. This night (4/5 Jan 1809) proved fatal to many of these unfortunate creatures. One of them, who had been delivered of twins only three days before, and another with an infant at her breast, were amongst the victims. The children in both instances were alive when discovered, and owed their preservation to the humanity of some infantry soldiers." [4]

As the war progressed other diarists recorded sketches of soldiers' wives. Quartermaster Sergeant Anton of the 42nd was accompanied by his wife and he gives a tankers view of life for a married soldier: "I set about looking for some accommodation for my wife ... the tent was far from comfortable for a poor, weried, young woman; I shall not mention delicacy. The names of seventeen men were on the roll of the tent besides myself.

Eleven soldiers lay in it that night along with us, all stretched their feet to the centre and their heads to the curtain, every man's knapsack below his head, and his clothes and accoutrements on his body; the one half of the blankets under, and the other spread over the whole, so that we all lay in one bed. Often did my poor wife look up to the thin canvas that screened her face from the night dew, and wish for the approaching morn." [5]

At Ciudad Rodrigo, January 1812, Grattan witnessed the preparations of the 88th Foot. Some soldiers said farewell to their wives and children, as Grattan recalled, "this last was an affecting sight, but not so much so as might be expected, because the women, from long habit, were accustomed to scenes of danger.... The worst that could happen to them was the chance of being in a state of widowhood for a week." [6]

The wife of Sergeant-Major O'Neil was reputed by Grattan to be "one of the best foragers I ever saw in the 88th regiment; and the army knows -- the Peninsular army, I mean -- that we had some good ones." Mrs O'Neil, the sister of Grattan's batman, was also a supplier of wine and bread to the officers.

After the Battle of Salamanca, Browne of the 23rd Fusiliers was to write of the worst side of camp followers, "All ideas of conduct or decency had disappeared - plunder & profligacy seemed their sole object ... They covered in number the ground of the field of battle when the action was over, & were seen stripping and plundering friend & foe alike. It is not doubted that they gave the finishing blow, to many an Officer who was struggling with a mortal wound; & Major Offley of the 23rd Regiment who lay on the ground, unable to move, but not dead, is said to have fallen a victim to this unheard of barbarity." [7]

The women did not want for suitors. Gleig considered the soldiers' wives to be a hardy group assured not to be widows for long for "they are a highly favoured class of female society."

Notes