American Camp

Military camps were often like small towns. In addition to Soldiers, traders, merchants, artisans, families, and other individuals filled the camps. Camp followers, the term for wives or significant others who followed their Soldier to war, often filled valuable logistical roles for 18th century armies and could be considered a part of the regiment. It took people of all genders and races to bring about victory in the Revolutionary War.

Pension records remain one of our best sources of information for what life was like for Revolutionary War families. Sarah Osborne, wife of a New York Soldier, related after the war of her experience at Yorktown: “Deponent’s said husband was there throwing up entrenchments, and deponent cooked and carried in beef and bread, and coffee (in a gallon pot) to the soldiers in the entrenchment. On one occasion when deponent was thus employed carrying in provisions, she met General Washington, who asked her if she ‘was not afraid of the cannonballs?’ She replied, ‘It would not do for the men to fight and starve too.’”

https://allthingsliberty.com/2020/04/what-they-saw-and-did-at-yorktowns-redoubts-9-and-10/