Cromwell's Army: A History of the English Soldier by Charles Harding Firth

Author:Charles Harding Firth [Firth, Charles Harding]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Methuen
Published: 2016-09-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER IX

THE COMMISSARIAT

I

N the seventeenth century the art of feeding an army was not very highly developed. Comparatively little is said of the subject in the military books of the time, and it is evident that the organisation of the commissariat was somewhat rudimentary. Yet some of the great generals of the time gave special attention to the subject, notably Wallenstein. Wallenstein was held to be inferior to Gustavus in the art of making and utilising intrenchments. It was said that he was “none of the best spademen”. On the other hand he was considered more skilful than his rival in providing for the maintenance of his troops. “The Duke of Friedland’s master-piece,” says The Swedish Intelligencer? “is to be a good provisioned and he hath a singular good catering wit of his own.” In general, armies lived almost entirely upon the country in which they were operating, and the problem which a commander set himself to solve was how to make the resources of the country last as long as possible by the systematic collection and distribution of the supplies it afforded.

Sir James Turner’s account of the method of maintaining troops in vogue upon the continent refers specially to the German, Swedish, and Danish armies with which he had served, but it is worth quoting at length: —

“Since money is generally scarce in the wars, in so much that soldiers cannot receive their wages duly, let us see what allowance of meat and drink (ordinarily called proviant) princes allow their soldiery; to furnish which every army should have a general proviant-master; and truly I conceive

1The Swedish Intelligencer, pt. iii., p. n.

(209)

him to be an officer as necessary and useful, if not more, in the fields, where mostly our modern armies are entertained with proviant, as either a general commissary, or a treasurer: his charge is to provide victuals, corn, flesh, wine, bread, and beer; he hath the inspection of them, and should see them equally and proportionably divided to the regiments, according to their several strengths; for which purpose he should have all the rolls and lists by him, which his secretaries should carefully keep. He hath no power to sell any proviant under what pretence soever, without the general’s express warrant. All mills where the army comes are under his protection, and he is obliged to protect them. He hath the ordering of all the magazines for victuals, and to him belongs the care of seeing the garrisons and fortified places sufficiently provided with such meats and drinks as are most fit to preserve; these are, corn, grain and meal of several kinds, stockfish, herrings, and all other salted fishes; salted and hung fleshes, especially beef and bacon, cheese, butter, almonds, chesnuts and hazel nuts, wine, beer, malt, honey, vinegar, oil, tobacco, wood and coal for firing, and as many living oxen, cows, sheep and swine, hens and turkeys, as can be conveniently fed; for which purpose, as also for horses, he is to provide straw, hay, and oats.

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