sutler
- noun
- /ˈsʌtlər/
- Archaic
- When sutlers set up shop, the soldiers had a chance to buy some of the comforts of home.
- sutler's camp
- sutler's house
Examples
-
No sutler shall presume to pitch his tent or to break any ground or build a hut, either within or without the lines, without first applying to Mr. Lesley, under penalty of having all their liquors stowed and their stores demolished.
Academic text (2007) -
When the army camped for the night, the sutler came to sell fresh bread and other provisions.
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Is the sutler store open?
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And tonight, if the sutler's store is still open...
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Did the sutlers sell only the more valuable supplies to the army and keep the cheapest things, and the soldiers' and officers' money, for themselves?
Academic text (2007) -
These eighteenth-century sutlers were the private military contractors of their day; they had fine goods to sell and may have lived quite well.
Academic text (2007) -
Mr. Colburn, Army sutler.
-
The commanding officers of each regiment now encamped at Fort Edward are to immediately appoint a sutler or a person to supply the regiment with necessary stores.
Academic text (2007) -
The soldiers were grateful to the sutler, who provided them with much-needed supplies during the harsh winter.
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After marching all day, the troops eagerly lined up at the sutler's tent to buy warm meals and blankets.
Synonyms
A person or company that supplies food and goods to a large group, often an army
A woman who travels with soldiers to give them food and drink during a war
A person or company that supplies food for armies and ships
Surface Forms
Etymology
Sutler comes from an old Dutch word sutteler, which meant a 'seller' who followed an army. Imagine a travelling shop that set up a tent near the camp to sell food and small goods to soldiers, and that is why sutler means a person who sells provisions to troops.