A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wagons were associated with the military, while chuck wagons served a similar purpose for civilian wagon trains and outposts.

Etymology

The word came into English from Dutch, where it appears as ''soetelaar'' or ''zoetelaar''. It meant originally "one who does dirty work, a drudge, a scullion," and derives from ''zoetelen'' (to foul, sully; modern Dutch ''bezoedelen''), a word cognate with "suds" (hot soapy water), "seethe" (to boil) and "sodden".

Role in supplying troops

These merchants often followed the armies during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, and the Indian Wars, to sell their merchandise to soldiers. Generally, the sutlers built their stores within the limits of an army post or just off the defense line, and needed to receive a license from the

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

prior to construction. They were, by extension, also subject to his regulations. They frequently operated near the front lines and their work could be dangerous; at least one sutler was killed by a stray bullet during the Civil War. A typical transaction with a sutler is dramatized in the third chapter of MacKinlay Kantor's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel '' Andersonville'' (1955). Sutlers, frequently the only local suppliers of non-military goods, often developed monopolies on critical commodities like alcohol,

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ch ...

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of ...

, or sugar and rose to powerful stature. Since government-issued coinage was scarce during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, sutlers often conducted transactions using a particular type of Civil War token known as a sutler token. Sutlers played a major role in the recreation of army men between 1865 and 1890. Sutlers' stores outside of military posts were usually also open to non-military travelers and offered

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of Value (economics), value ("the stakes") on a Event (probability theory), random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy (ga ...

drinking Drinking is the act of ingesting water or other liquids into the body through the mouth, proboscis, or elsewhere. Humans drink by swallowing, completed by peristalsis in the esophagus. The physiological processes of drinking vary widely among ...

, and prostitution. In modern use, sutler often describes businesses that provide period uniforms and supplies to reenactors, especially to American Civil War reenactors. These businesses often play the part of historical sutlers while selling both period and modern-day goods at reenactments.

Honourable Artillery Company

The

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

, a regiment of the British Army, still uses the word "sutling" as an alternative to the more common "mess" or "messing". Due to the unique culture of the regiment, no social differentiation is made between officers and other ranks, and therefore the regiment does not have separate drinking and dining facilities for officers, warrant officers, sergeants or other ranks. A room in the headquarters of the regiment in the City of London is called the "Sutling Room", and it contains the main bar where all ranks meet and socialise. Often, when the regiment is deployed, a room, tent, or vehicle will be designated as the Sutling Room, Sutling Tent or Sutling Lorry, and will perform the same function.

Footnotes

References

* * *Butler, Anne M. (1987). ''Daughters of Joy, Sisters of Misery: Prostitutes in the American West, 1865-90,'' University of Illinois Press, 137–139. .

External links