Napoleon's Women Camp Followers

Terry Crowdy, Christa Hook

• Publisher: Osprey Publishing
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781472841957
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472841964
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: French History
• Index: History

Researched from genuine primary sources, this is the first book to explain and illustrate the organization, activities and personal stories of the female 'support staff' who played a major role in the day-to-day life of Napoleon's armies.

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 colourful new guide for modellers 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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Women and the Armies
• Organization
• The Role of Vivandières & Cantinières
• Blanchisseuses
• Costume
• The Regimental Children
• The Legend of Marie Tête-Du-Bois
• Select Bibliography
• Plate Commentaries
• eCopyright