"I Stand for Liberty" - Camp Followers
The American Revolution was a war during the late eighteenth century in the thirteen colonies of what would be later known as the United States. Despite what history books suggest, women did not simply freeze and stand motionless for the eight years as the war took place. They may not have been the central players in declaring the war or making the peace in 1783, but they were not passive observers to a war the waged across their towns, in the fields of their family farms, and on their doorsteps. Women took on new identities, changed locations both voluntarily and unwillingly, stepped past gender boundaries of the time, and fought in support of their husbands and family. They did all this while acting with courage, love, boldness, bravery, and grace. Women were extremely influential during the war. In the many actions taken and words spoken, all in the name of liberty and independence, women made a difference. Without the work of women as camp followers, nurses, and at home during the American Revolution, the war would not have happened the way it did.
Camp followers were the people who followed the army from location to location throughout the war. They were mostly women, many of them wives or mothers of the soldiers in their camp. They gave the soldiers assistance and performed many actions. The most common roles for them in the American Revolution was as cooks, maids, laundresses, water bearers, and seamstresses. They took on the many domestic chores that the men traditionally did not do, or did not do well. Camp followers were given a small ration for food and in order to earn this valuable reward, they mended clothing and did laundry for the soldiers. They could also earn a little bit of extra money by cooking delicious and homemade food for men who could afford to pay them on the side. Fresh meals were rare in a life of moving around in a camp, so women’s work as cooks was much appreciated. The average woman camp follower stayed within the boundaries of the camp and did the type of simple domestic chores she would normally have done at home; and possibly acted as a sexual partner. Some camp followers also went outside of the camp, acting as scavengers who searched for materials, supplies, and food ingredients. All of their small, but important, jobs helped the camp and its people to sustain a life that was cleaner, happier, and easier than it would have been. Without the women, these wartime soldiers and officers would not have had hot meals prepared when they were coming back from a grueling fight, or clean and mended uniforms for battle, which helped them appear (and feel) put together in front of the enemy. In everything they did, these hardworking women lifted the spirits and morale of their men, day in and day out. (2)
Although the specific actions and stories of many camp followers will unfortunately never be discovered, one famous camp follower gives insight into just how amazing these Revolutionary women truly were. One of the only female camp followers known historically for her selfless and beneficial actions was Sarah Osborne, who followed her husband throughout the entire war. She began by cooking for regular soldiers, as well as baking and sewing. One time, she cooked behind the American line a mile from the battle of Yorktown. Sarah fearlessly and bravely brought beef and bread meals to the soldiers directly in the trenches. She was not afraid of being near the front line and military encampment. History expert Kaia Danyluk mentions that Sarah believed, “It would not do for the men to fight and starve too.” Sarah’s kindness and consideration for the wellbeing of the soldiers went far above and beyond what she was paid for her efforts--she got only food rations. Her determination to make sure that the soldiers had full stomachs and energy, for example, even when she had to risk her own life to do so, mirrors the behaviors of many other women who were camp followers. Like Sarah, they were willing to put their lives on the line to cook, or do whatever was needed, and they thereby enabled the soldiers to maximize their potential. (3)
Women had several different reasons for becoming camp followers. Some volunteered; some were recruited. Many followed the army seeking a place to live; food in a time of starvation; and/or a small bit of work that would raise them out of poverty. Some were seeking safety from the invading British troops coming to their towns; many women feared the possibility of rape or death if nearby hostile troops invaded their homes. In addition, wives and sisters were often lonely once their male family members abandoned them for the war. Women’s lives drastically altered for the worse when their men left, and becoming a camp follower allowed them to be with the men they loved and offered a way to find refuge from the disasters and horrors of home life during war. Carol Berkin, acclaimed historian and author of Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence wrote, “The army was the court of last resort.” (4) Essentially, joining the army as a woman and camp follower meant living an unglamorous and often brutal life in dismal camps; however, this was often a better option than the risk of possibly having no food or shelter at all. Women could also raise a small amount of money for themselves while following the army because they were permitted to charge individual soldiers for doing their personal laundry. Even a small bit of income was an impressive feat for women of this time and greatly motivated many women to join the traveling army. On another level, the American army wanted to recruit women to join them because the jobs that needed to be filled were usually household and domestic chores that mothers, daughters, and wives were well trained for. In sum, the relationship was reciprocal--the women who were camp followers needed the army for shelter, safety, and support, and the army needed the women’s help to keep the camps running as smoothly as possible. (5)
Although women were wanted and permitted to be camp followers, they were also seen as a double-edged sword--a problem and a weight--for the army. Because the conditions of the camp were often dirty, loud, and chaotic, women joining this life undermined the ideal images of a domestic life the eighteenth century. Society promoted the vision that women’s lives were calm and orderly, so being a camp follower broke invisible gender boundaries. Officers accepted having women join their camps pretty well, but they did not respect the camp followers who were poor and tried to act like the men. According to Carol Berkin, author of Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence, poor women who acted like men were looked down about because they “cursed and drank like men, preferred to steal rather than starve, and appeared in public when they were pregnant.” (6) In addition, some of the women were prostitutes, and looked down upon. So though the women were helping the army by moving with them from place to place, many soldiers viewed the women as pieces of “baggage.” Carol Berkin states in her book, “the general [Washington] complained: ‘the multitude of women in particular...are a clog upon every movement.’” Numerically, the woman added a lot to the army, making it difficult to move around quietly and quickly. Other soldiers also thought that the presence of women distracted them from following orders and detracted from the professional appearance of the army camp. Having family live with the men while they were at work inevitably diverted their attention away from the goal of fighting. The reasons why women were not fully liked or respected, despite the support they provided proves that women of the time were not held in high regard for being brave, fearless, or able to live in a gritty, dangerous working environment. Ironically, women who were camp followers were scorned and looked down upon by fellow soldiers and men of the army, despite the fact that the men benefited from the women’s presence and were often one of the main reasons why women became camp followers in the first place. In society’s eyes during the time of the American Revolution, being a camp follower was a position that was both desired and abhorred. (7)
Even though the soldiers and generals perceived camp followers to be baggage some of the time, there were several reasons why the women were allowed to stay with the army camps. First, as a volunteer army facing the large, well-established and well-trained British army, the Continental Army needed all the men it could get to fight. When men who were fighting received upsetting news or letters that their poor family back at home did not have a roof over their head, or any food on the table, they were fearful and wanted to be discharged so they could go home and help their families. But the army could not afford to grant a discharge every time someone needed to help their family. As a compromise, the generals were obligated to permit women (and children) to join their husbands and follow the camps. In addition, individual soldiers wanted their wives or mothers to be with them. When they were sick or wounded from battle, soldiers wanted the comfort of women. In her book, Carol Berkin highlights the voice of an ailing soldier: “Will you not send for my mother? If she were here to nurse me I could get well.” (8) Another important reason to keep women camp followers was to maintain good hygiene. The dirty uniforms of the regiments were an ongoing problem since the men were accustomed to their mothers, sisters, or wives doing their laundry and with the demands of battle, they could not keep up with many traditionally feminine chores like laundry. Thus, females were allowed to help and follow the camps because overall, the benefits of their work and the men’s comfort from having women in the camps outweighed the negatives. (9)
Camp followers were the people who followed the army from location to location throughout the war. They were mostly women, many of them wives or mothers of the soldiers in their camp. They gave the soldiers assistance and performed many actions. The most common roles for them in the American Revolution was as cooks, maids, laundresses, water bearers, and seamstresses. They took on the many domestic chores that the men traditionally did not do, or did not do well. Camp followers were given a small ration for food and in order to earn this valuable reward, they mended clothing and did laundry for the soldiers. They could also earn a little bit of extra money by cooking delicious and homemade food for men who could afford to pay them on the side. Fresh meals were rare in a life of moving around in a camp, so women’s work as cooks was much appreciated. The average woman camp follower stayed within the boundaries of the camp and did the type of simple domestic chores she would normally have done at home; and possibly acted as a sexual partner. Some camp followers also went outside of the camp, acting as scavengers who searched for materials, supplies, and food ingredients. All of their small, but important, jobs helped the camp and its people to sustain a life that was cleaner, happier, and easier than it would have been. Without the women, these wartime soldiers and officers would not have had hot meals prepared when they were coming back from a grueling fight, or clean and mended uniforms for battle, which helped them appear (and feel) put together in front of the enemy. In everything they did, these hardworking women lifted the spirits and morale of their men, day in and day out. (2)
Although the specific actions and stories of many camp followers will unfortunately never be discovered, one famous camp follower gives insight into just how amazing these Revolutionary women truly were. One of the only female camp followers known historically for her selfless and beneficial actions was Sarah Osborne, who followed her husband throughout the entire war. She began by cooking for regular soldiers, as well as baking and sewing. One time, she cooked behind the American line a mile from the battle of Yorktown. Sarah fearlessly and bravely brought beef and bread meals to the soldiers directly in the trenches. She was not afraid of being near the front line and military encampment. History expert Kaia Danyluk mentions that Sarah believed, “It would not do for the men to fight and starve too.” Sarah’s kindness and consideration for the wellbeing of the soldiers went far above and beyond what she was paid for her efforts--she got only food rations. Her determination to make sure that the soldiers had full stomachs and energy, for example, even when she had to risk her own life to do so, mirrors the behaviors of many other women who were camp followers. Like Sarah, they were willing to put their lives on the line to cook, or do whatever was needed, and they thereby enabled the soldiers to maximize their potential. (3)
Women had several different reasons for becoming camp followers. Some volunteered; some were recruited. Many followed the army seeking a place to live; food in a time of starvation; and/or a small bit of work that would raise them out of poverty. Some were seeking safety from the invading British troops coming to their towns; many women feared the possibility of rape or death if nearby hostile troops invaded their homes. In addition, wives and sisters were often lonely once their male family members abandoned them for the war. Women’s lives drastically altered for the worse when their men left, and becoming a camp follower allowed them to be with the men they loved and offered a way to find refuge from the disasters and horrors of home life during war. Carol Berkin, acclaimed historian and author of Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence wrote, “The army was the court of last resort.” (4) Essentially, joining the army as a woman and camp follower meant living an unglamorous and often brutal life in dismal camps; however, this was often a better option than the risk of possibly having no food or shelter at all. Women could also raise a small amount of money for themselves while following the army because they were permitted to charge individual soldiers for doing their personal laundry. Even a small bit of income was an impressive feat for women of this time and greatly motivated many women to join the traveling army. On another level, the American army wanted to recruit women to join them because the jobs that needed to be filled were usually household and domestic chores that mothers, daughters, and wives were well trained for. In sum, the relationship was reciprocal--the women who were camp followers needed the army for shelter, safety, and support, and the army needed the women’s help to keep the camps running as smoothly as possible. (5)
Although women were wanted and permitted to be camp followers, they were also seen as a double-edged sword--a problem and a weight--for the army. Because the conditions of the camp were often dirty, loud, and chaotic, women joining this life undermined the ideal images of a domestic life the eighteenth century. Society promoted the vision that women’s lives were calm and orderly, so being a camp follower broke invisible gender boundaries. Officers accepted having women join their camps pretty well, but they did not respect the camp followers who were poor and tried to act like the men. According to Carol Berkin, author of Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence, poor women who acted like men were looked down about because they “cursed and drank like men, preferred to steal rather than starve, and appeared in public when they were pregnant.” (6) In addition, some of the women were prostitutes, and looked down upon. So though the women were helping the army by moving with them from place to place, many soldiers viewed the women as pieces of “baggage.” Carol Berkin states in her book, “the general [Washington] complained: ‘the multitude of women in particular...are a clog upon every movement.’” Numerically, the woman added a lot to the army, making it difficult to move around quietly and quickly. Other soldiers also thought that the presence of women distracted them from following orders and detracted from the professional appearance of the army camp. Having family live with the men while they were at work inevitably diverted their attention away from the goal of fighting. The reasons why women were not fully liked or respected, despite the support they provided proves that women of the time were not held in high regard for being brave, fearless, or able to live in a gritty, dangerous working environment. Ironically, women who were camp followers were scorned and looked down upon by fellow soldiers and men of the army, despite the fact that the men benefited from the women’s presence and were often one of the main reasons why women became camp followers in the first place. In society’s eyes during the time of the American Revolution, being a camp follower was a position that was both desired and abhorred. (7)
Even though the soldiers and generals perceived camp followers to be baggage some of the time, there were several reasons why the women were allowed to stay with the army camps. First, as a volunteer army facing the large, well-established and well-trained British army, the Continental Army needed all the men it could get to fight. When men who were fighting received upsetting news or letters that their poor family back at home did not have a roof over their head, or any food on the table, they were fearful and wanted to be discharged so they could go home and help their families. But the army could not afford to grant a discharge every time someone needed to help their family. As a compromise, the generals were obligated to permit women (and children) to join their husbands and follow the camps. In addition, individual soldiers wanted their wives or mothers to be with them. When they were sick or wounded from battle, soldiers wanted the comfort of women. In her book, Carol Berkin highlights the voice of an ailing soldier: “Will you not send for my mother? If she were here to nurse me I could get well.” (8) Another important reason to keep women camp followers was to maintain good hygiene. The dirty uniforms of the regiments were an ongoing problem since the men were accustomed to their mothers, sisters, or wives doing their laundry and with the demands of battle, they could not keep up with many traditionally feminine chores like laundry. Thus, females were allowed to help and follow the camps because overall, the benefits of their work and the men’s comfort from having women in the camps outweighed the negatives. (9)