Civil War Reenacting: Camp Followers

By Matthew Pizzolato

The term 'camp follower' is a broad term that encompassed many different types and classes of people. In general, it is defined as a civilian who follows an army.  Large groups of people followed the armies of both the American Revolution and the War Between the States and camp followers have existed since the beginning of organized warfare.

During the War Between the States, there were many different classes of camp followers. Some were the wives and children of the soldiers who followed their husbands and fathers because they had no way of supporting themselves with the men at war.

The sutlers, who provided goods to the soldiers that the Army didn't supply, were another class of camp follower. They sold items like eggs, cheese, butter and fresh or canned meat. They also sold dry goods such as playing cards, stationary, needles and thread, toothbrushes and straight razors.

Clara Barton

Another group of camp followers were the nurses. Perhaps the most famous of these was the "Angel of the Battlefield" Clara Barton, who would later become the founder of the American Red Cross.  The care she provided the soldiers of the War was mostly self taught. In addition to medical care, Clara would also write down the words of some of the dying soldiers and pass them along to their families.

But there were many nurses more exceptional than Barton, some who even came under fire with their regiments. The Union army alone had more than 21,000 women on their payrolls as nurses, cooks, laundresses, seamstresses and chambermaids.

And of course, some of the camp followers were prostitutes. The term "hooker" is alleged to have originated because of Union Major General Joseph Hooker. He became notorious for throwing parties attended by fallen doves and there was even a red-light district in Washington DC that was referred to as Hooker's Division. However, that story that the term originated with him is largely a myth. "Hooker" was in use as a reference to prostitutes before the War, but the Major General surely contributed to spreading it's use.

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He is a member of Western Fictioneers and his work can be found in the Wolf Creek series as well as his own publications, THE WANTED MAN, OUTLAW and TWO OF A KIND. 

He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western. He can be contacted through Twitter @mattpizzolato or via his website: 

www.matthew-pizzolato.com

Civil War Reenacting: Sutlers

By Matthew Pizzolato

A sutler's tent during the
Battle of Petersburg

Sutlery during the Civil War highlights one of the vast differences between the availability of supplies in the Union and Confederacy.  The majority of Union regiments were appointed their own sutlers, while very few Confederate regiments had one.  There were sutlers in the South, but they were rare. 

Sutlers provided a valuable service for the soldiers during the War, but there were regarded as more of a necessary evil.  The line of tents where the sutlers set up shop was often referred to as Robber's Row.

They made goods available that weren't provided by the Army.  They were authorized to sell goods on credit but weren't allowed to issue credit that exceeded one-third of a man's monthly pay without the permission of a commanding officer.  Pay for a Union private during the war was exactly $13.00 per month. 

Whenever the paymaster showed up, the sutler set up a table next to his and a large portion of the payroll went directly to the sutler. 

The goods that the sutlers provided included grocery items like eggs, fruit, butter, cheese, and fresh or canned meat.  They also provided dry goods such as playing cards, stationary, needles and thread, toothbrushes, straight razors and everyday items that couldn't be done without. 

The sale of liquor was forbidden but creative sutlers dropped sliced peaches into their whiskey bottles and would sell "pickled peaches." 

Prices were set by the Inspector General Department, but most of the enlisted men couldn't afford the nicer items.  As a way of increasing profits, a lot of sutlers issued change in scrip or tokens that were only redeemable at their establishments.

Sutler's Row at the reenactments of today is an entirely different animal.  By necessity, they cater to both the reenactors and the spectators.  There are modern day foods available as well as toys for the folks who bring their children out to watch. 

The majority of what they sell are period items ranging from any type of clothing to any type of firearm and everything in between. 

The sutlers are the equivalent of "going to town" during a reenactment.  It's one of the ways we pass the time before or after a battle.  

  

Matthew Pizzolato's short stories have been published online and in print. He writes Western fiction that can be found in his story collection, The Wanted Man and the novella Outlaw as well as his newest release, Two of a Kind.

Matthew is the editor and webmaster of The Western Online, a magazine dedicated to everything Western and can be contacted via his personal website or on Twitter @mattpizzolato.