supply trains

Started by CptHowdy, January 20, 2022, 01:19:16 AM

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CptHowdy

any books or info available about the men and women who followed armies around and kept them running smoothly? would like to know how many people it took to keep a cavalry unit in tip top shape. how far back did they stay from the frontlines? when the army they supported was routed or was retreating was it every person for themselves? did the officers take good care of them etc.... thanks for any info!

Jarhead0331

I think you're referring to civilians who were generally known as "camp followers" who travelled with the baggage trains. Right?  I think it is debatable whether they kept armies running "smoothly". Although they often provided valuable services, they definitely caused logistical and security problems of their own.

If you google camp followers, you'll find a number of promising books on the topic.
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CptHowdy

Yeah it would be camp followers. Wasn't sure if the people who took care of things such as the horses, tents, food, clothing/armor repair, weapon repair/sharpening were part of that group or were actually enlisted personnel.

ArizonaTank

Very deep subject, and the answer would change depending on the period and nationality. Napoleon for example put some sweeping reforms in place that allowed corps to be more agile.

But if cavalry is the specific thing, you might try "Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay", by Don Ricky. Not so much about supply trains, but it is an invaluable look at daily care and feeding of US cavalry on the Great Plains after the Civil War. 
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WallysWorld

#4
The excellent book "Swords Around A Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armée" had a chapter dedicated to camp followers. I remember reading that if a wife followed her husband's army and he ended up being killed, the book said she usually received a dozen marriage proposals before her husband was buried. He being one of the lower ranked soldiers.
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Gusington

^I can vouch for that book, I read it years ago and enjoyed it. For info on an earlier era, The Art of Renaissance Warfare, which I am reading right now, has info scattered throughout on supply, camp followers, logistics, etc. Written by Stephen Turnbull.


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Silent Disapproval Robot

The first Flashman novel covers the disastrous British retreat from Kabul and details the plight of the camp followers and civilian evacuees.


Jarhead0331

Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on January 20, 2022, 12:50:14 PM
The first Flashman novel covers the disastrous British retreat from Kabul and details the plight of the camp followers and civilian evacuees.

How about the civilian camp followers at Teutoburg Wald? Couldn't have been pleasant.
Grogheads Uber Alles
Semper Grog
"No beast is more alpha than JH." Gusington, 10/23/18