Winter Quarters

A challenging annual undertaking  for eighteenth century armies was the establishment of winter quarters for hundreds of officers and troops. With a few notable exceptions, armies did not fight during the winter so they had to find a suitable place to live. As with the British during the War for Independence, the more fortunate armies could find quarters in cities despite the fact that this arrangement caused hardships for the citizens who lived in the cities. During the American Revolution, large portions of New York and Philadelphia were comandeered for the use of the British army so the local homeowners would either have to make room for officers and soldiers or move out and find living space elsewhere. Normally, however, winter quarters would be established in encampments.

In a letter written in October of 1799, Alexander Hamilton, the Inspector General of the so-called Provisional Army, wrote a letter to Nathan Rice, a regimental commander, and described in detail the preparations needed for winter quarters. Rice’s first task was to purchase or rent the land needed for the encampment. The land had to be in an area with a source of water and sufficiently wooded so that lumber would be available for building material and for fuel. It also must be an area with sufficient game as a source of food. Since the officers and soldiers would live in huts rather than tents, Rice was instructed to purchase the number of slabs or boards needed for “the roofs, doors, and windows of huts.” Boards were preferred since they could be sold later at nearly their original cost. Although the cost of slabs was two-thirds that of boards, slabs could be sold later only for fuel. Nails would also have to be procured. Hamilton specified that non-commissioned officers and privates would dispense with flooring “as was done during the late war” but flooring for the officers’ huts would be constructed from “the fragments of wood cut from the premises.” Only officers would be furnished with beds and stools. The number of men in each hut would be allotted according to rank: one hut for every twelve corporals and privates; one for every eight sergeants with two chief musicians; one to each captain and member of the regimental staff; one for every two subalterns; and one for each field officer. Above all else, Hamilton stressed economy. He emphasized that there should be no waste of timber or wood. He closed the letter with the warning, “unless all the savings are made which can consist with propriety, it will be impossible for the government to maintain the forces requisite for security.”

In his reply, Rice announces that he has found suitable land for the encampment near Oxford, Massachusetts and can buy it for $26.60 per acre. Water can be obtained by opening springs and stones are available for erecting chimneys. He believes that each company in the regiment can be contained in two huts, each with the dimensions of 40 by 16 feet with a chimney in the center. Only 26 huts will be required to provide housing for all the non-commissioned officers and privates of the regiment. He adds that glass will be necessary but only for the windows of the officers’ huts. He closes by assuring Hamilton that, “You may rely however on my utmost attention to select [materials] as shall conduce to the greatest economy.”