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Camp followers arecivilians who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the spouses and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have historically been informal army service providers, servicing the needs ofencamped soldiers, in particular selling goods or services that themilitary does not supply—these have includedcooking,laundering,liquor,nursing,sexual services, andsutlery.[1]
From the beginning of organized warfare until the end of the 19th century, European and American armies heavily depended on the services of camp followers. These services included delivery and preparation of provisions and transportation of supplies, which augmented the official military support structure. It included civilian merchants, contractors and teamsters, as well as family members such as wives, attached to the troops.[2] Camp followers usually accompanied thebaggage train and they often outnumbered the army itself, adding to itslogistical problems.[3] Camp followers were both a support and drain on an army as they provided valuable services but also increased difficulties in logistics andsecurity. Soldiers' wives washed, sewed, nursed and even acted as servants. However, camp followers needed to be fed, clothed, transported and guarded. They also had to be policed; camp followers could be among the most determined scavengers and looters after battles and whilst on the march.
From the middle of the 19th century on, the creation of organized and resourced transport, medical, ordnance and supply corps as an integral part of regular armies marked the end of reliance on camp followers in most European armies. However, in much of the world the concept of numerous civilian workers, family members and hangers-on accompanying armies survived into the 20th century, either for reasons of local culture or in the absence of formal support services. A notable example was theMexican Revolution of 1910–1920, where femalesoldaderas filling traditional camp roles, carrying equipment and often acting as combatants were a marked feature ofZapatista,Villista, andfederal forces at all times.[4]
In themilitary history of the United States camp followers were important in servicing and supplying the army during theRevolutionary War. There were also camp followers on both theUnion andConfederate sides of theCivil War.[5] However, a major difference between the armies of the American Revolution and the Civil War was the presence of women and children. By the time of the Civil War, camps and campaigns included far fewer wives, children and other relatives of soldiers. Women still served as nurses in hospitals and in other limited support roles, but were not present in the same way in the earlier war.[5]
During the 19th century, members ofPlains Indians who set up camp outside US military forts orIndian agencies became known disparagingly as "loafers", or "loaf-around-the-fort Indians" or "hang-around-the-fort Indians".[6] They along with theIndian scouts were seen by settlers asappeasing and docile, in stark contrast with the fierce and capable warriors whom thesoldiers had to fight.
Modern military operations in combat zones, such as theIraq War that began with US invasion in 2003 or theAfghan War that began in 2001, feature extensive roles played by civilian contractors in providing logistic support for the armed forces. This has led journalists and historians to liken the phenomenon to that of camp followers.[7]
"Camp-follower" has also been used to describe the modern families of military personnel who accompany soldiers while traveling; either during active military campaigns[citation needed] (more common in less-developed countries), or during peacetime military deployments (more common in developed countries), especially moving from military base to military base in anomadic lifestyle (more common in developed countries).
Modern camp-follower children are now more often calledmilitary brats in several English-speaking countries. In the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada, the term refers specifically to the mobile children of career soldiers, who traditionally have been camp or base followers.[8] In the United States this practice of base-following, or camp-following, dates all the way back to the beginning of the republic.[9]
Some work has also been done to document and describe military brat subcultures from other English speaking countries as well.
Mother Courage and Her Children, the 1939 play byBertolt Brecht, focuses on the life of a family of camp followers during theThirty Years' War (1618–1648).
