Distaff
In the 18th century military roles was a place for "Necessary Women" who were actually carried on the unit roles and drew rations from
the quartermaster. The Necessary Women were assigned at the
Colonel's option but generally did not exceed 6 per company
in the British Army. While German tradition made 8 per company
the norm. Necessary Women were generally the wives and daughters of
NCO's and low ranking officers although some were mistresses as
well. The Hessian forces actually had wagons assigned to them
for their luggage. One wagon assigned to a Colonel's wife and
family, one wagon to every two families for junior officers. A
Nessary Woman had duties to perform as part of their unit such as
nursing, collecting and identifying the dead and wounded after a
battle, carrying water to the soldiers on the field, as well as,
laundress, assistant cooks and scullions. There were also camp followers who joined with the units.
While they were not on the roles of the unit, they did earn their
keep from the soldiers in a variety of roles both horizontal and
vertical. However, unlike the Necessary Woman a camp follower
was not allowed to be in the camp and had to perform her
functions from outside camp. Some even supplemented their
income by bootlegging with small portable stills, selling cheap
spirits to the troops. If a Necessary Woman's husband or father died they only
had three days to remarry or be forced from camp either to
become a camp follower or return to England with the wounded
and amputees. Their ability to draw rations for themselves and
their family ended immediately, adding to the pressure. Although
the death of her husband could also be an opportunity for a
"goode wife" to marry up to a higher ranking member of the unit.
This along with the infrequency of invalid ships returning to
England, made this rule more the exception then the norm. Much of the challenge of serving in the Americas was the long supply
lines over the Atlantic from England. The Commissary General in
North America recorded receiving 2,032,538 lb. of bread and flour
between 1775 and 1778. A general idea of a mans daily ration
(poor logistics often prevented it) is as follows: 1 lb. Bread or flour 1 lb. Beef or 9 1/7 oz pork 3/7 pt Peas (term used for all beans, peas etc.) 6/7 oz. Butter or 1 1/7 oz. cheese & 2 2/7 oz. flour or 1 1/7 oz Rice or 1 1/7 oz. Oatmeal A Necessary Woman drew half rations and children of same drew
quarter rations. Most supplemented these rations with local
produce brought to camp by farmers for sale whenever their funds
allowed them to do so. Cost of rations were among the
deductions from a soldiers pay, or a soldier would owe the
Regimental fund for servicing his musket or rifle
(repairs/replacement), as well as, replacing buttons or buckles lost
in the hustle of camp life. The silver buttons were not infrequently
used as payment for the washer women and camp followers as
compensation for their favors. After misc. deductions (stoppages)
a common soldier did well to keep 1p daily from his wages.
Officers would often make up their losses at the gaming tables
through inspection fines of the troops. So negative wages were
not unheard of in the 18th century.
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