Osprey Publishing Men at Arms: Napoleon's Women Camp Followers

The cantinières who accompanied Napoleon's armies to war have an iconic status in the history of the Grande Armée. Sutler-women and laundresses were officially sanctioned members of the regiment performing a vital support role. In a period when the supply and pay services were haphazard, their canteen wagons and tents were a vital source of sustenance and served as the social hubs of the regiment. Although officially non-combatants, many of these women followed their regiments into battle, serving brandy to soldiers in the firing line, braving enemy fire. This book is a timely piece of social history, as well as a colorful new guide for modelers and re-enactors. Through meticulous research of unprecedented depth and accuracy, Terry Crowdy dispels the inaccurate portrayals that Napoleon's Women Camp Followers have suffered over the years to offer a fascinating look at these forgotten heroines.

Contents:

• INTRODUCTION
• Definitions, and popular status
• WOMEN AND THE ARMIES
• Military marriages
• Soldier-sutlers
• Chaos in spring 1793
• Bonaparte's early campaigns: officers' indiscipline
• Prostitution
• The Civil Code, 1804
• ORGANIZATION
• Decree of 30 April 1793 - identification, and numbers
• Decree of 26 July 1800
• Army of Germany, 1809
• Grande Armée, 1812
• THE ROLE OF VIVANDIÈRES & CANTINIÈRES
• Goods and services
• Sutlers' tents
• Discipline
• Civilian canteens
• BLANCHISSEUSES
• In barracks and camp
• On campaign
• COSTUME
• The early 1790s
• From Revolution to Directory and Empire
• Revolutionary cockades
• THE REGIMENTAL CHILDREN
• The ancien régime
• Law of 26 July 1800
• THE LEGEND OF MARIE TÊTE-DU-BOIS
• SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
• PLATE COMME