(after Goransson)
In the Swedish army the commissariat waggons were known as 'rust waggons' - rust derived from the German for 'equipment/tools' - the Danish army knew such support waggons as 'corpse waggons'.
Not a jolly load (Russia, Great War)
The greatest of Marlborough's victories, Blenheim, relied on his army marching up the Rhine and over to the Danube in order to knock Bavaria out of the war and save Vienna. This distance was 250 miles or so and had to be covered speedily. Therefore Marlborough made supply depots in advance of his campaign and kept a veil of secrecy over the whole operation so that the French were caught off guard and could not stop him before he arrived at the Danube.
The March to the Danube
from WARhistoryONLINE.com
The march could not have been accomplished with the usual enormous supply train and commissariat following on the heels of the army so minimal supplies were taken along and troops were resupplied en route.
"As we marched through the country of our Allies, commissars were appointed to furnish us with all manner of necessaries for man and horse ... the soldiers had nothing to do but pitch their tents, boil kettles and lie down to rest. Surely never was such a march carried on with more order or regularity , or with less fatigue to man and horse"
wrote Captain Parker of the Royal Irish Regiment.
Idyllic army camp life ..when all is well
All the 'necessaries' had to be emplaced by waggons and achieving this on the horrendous roads of the time was an enormous achievement. Roads were really only 'ways' or commonly used routes, with no paving and little formal maintenance.
The Great North 'Road' circa 1700 - more like a ploughed field
'I really don't know how we would manage without the four wheel drive, dear.'
An army used its pioneers, engineers, labourers and contract workmen to better any seriously problematic stretches.
Join the army they said, see the world they said,,,
Daniel Defoe recounts a trip from Rochdale to Halifax in 1725..
..the mark or face of a road on the side of the hill ... but it was so narrow, and so deep a hollow place on the right, whence the water descending from the hills made a channel at the bottom, and looked as the beginning of a river, that the depth of the precipice and the narrowness of the way look'd horrible to us..
..We thought now we were come into a Christian country again, and that our difficulties were over; but we soon found ourselves mistaken in the matter; for we had not gone fifty yards beyond the brook and houses adjacent, but we found the way began to ascend again, and soon after to go up very steep, till in about half a mile we found we had another mountain to ascend, in our apprehension as bad as the first, and before we came to the top of it, we found it began to snow too, as it had done before.
(The horror..the horror..definitely work for pioneers and engineers !)
Another key factor was to use gigs and tumbrils - two-wheeled carts
Britain's selection of carts - not much different in 1700
Tumbrils / tumbrels have had a bad press due to the Frog Revulsion. They were typically also used for cartage of 'fertiliser' at muck-spreading time, making their use for carting aristo's even more piquante for the mad knitters.
'Honestly, my dear I am not scared,' tis the tumbril that reeks.'
(Mr Dickens has not sued, yet, and Mr Carton cannot. Ed.)
Rather than large four-wheeled waggons like pantechnicons, wains, dreys etc.
Eightenth century, Long AND wide load.
In addition, horses were hitched in tandem to make a slimmer vehicle- Waggons with several pairs of heavy horse could be of monstrous size and weight,
Not one for the narrow ways..
easily stuck in mud or bad going,
Whilst a large-wheeled cart with two horses in tandem could get by obstacles and traffic in bad weather much more easily.
'Daisy and Daisy, give me your answer, do..'
I had to make some supply waggons, so sought the simplest variety. The footprint should be small because the scale is 40mm. Therefore a one-horse, two-wheel waggon is the solution. As per the Blenheim tapestry of the Battle of Wynendæl.
Less one horse, just right.
The carts on the Wyndendæl tapestry at Blenheim are 'just right' for their purpose. Large wheels conquer the ruts and stones more easily than small. The waggon is as light as possible whilst stil keeping the load secure. The load is preserved fom sun and rain by a tarpaulin The carter walks or rides on a horse side-saddle if he needs. The horses are in tandem so the whole vehicle is not filling the way.
Here was my prototype.
The wheels were a problem - had to find them on ebay - 40-50mm was ok. Laser cut ornamenetal thingies did the job.
Carters could be converted from Seven Years War figures.
Why does everyone want to get me? :(
The waggon bodies are made from scrap wood and coffee stirrers. Base size is 45mm by 100mm.
So fill them with' unspecified supplies' hiding under tarpaulins and off we go !
Army waggons may have been painted in regulation colours and have tarpaulins with specific patterns or markings.
My waggons should do for any army so I have made a random group, probably of civilian contractors' vehicles. Wonder how they will do if they get close to the firing line?
The sinews of war.
