The ladies of the society depict both the fashiomable civilian ladies of the era as well as the women on regimental strength, the Vivandiers who ran the officers mess and the canteen ladies who sold their supplies to the rank and file. Children also accompanied the officers wives as well as the vivandiers and canteen women.

Vivandiers, blanchisseuses et marchands à la suite de l’armée

1.Il will have following the large district-general there a canteen-keeper having a carriage with four wheels harnessed of four horses, and two washing machines having each one a horse of pack; and with each district-general of the army corps, a canteen-keeper having a carriage with four wheels harnessed of three horses, and two washing machines, having a horse of bldg.

2.Il will have there following each staff of regiment of infantry, a canteen-keeper having a harnessed carriage of four horses; and by battalion two canteen-keepers and two washer women having each one a horse.

By regiment of troop with horse, including the regiments of light artillery, a canteen-keeper attached to the staff of the bodies, having a harnessed car of three horses.

A canteen-keeper and a washer women by squadron, having a hors.

By battalion of artillery to foot, sappers, minors, train of artillery, crews military, a canteen-keeper having a harnessed car of three horses, two washer women having each one a horse.

The ordering general of the gendarmerie will have any inspection and authority on the canteen-keepers and washer women following the army, and will take care that they do not exceed the given number; for this purpose, it will deliver licenses to them which will be recorded and will carry the designation of the bodies to which they are attached. They will be held to carry an oval plate of form; the epigraph will carry this inscription: Army of Germany; and in the center: Canteen-keeper or Washer women; low, the number of the recording of their license; they will be used to recognize them, either in the camps and quarterings, or in the walk of the columns.

These licenses will be delivered only on the certificates of the boards of directors; attesting that the people who present to obtain them are good lives and manners, and irreproachable in their control.

No soldier will be able to make the trade of canteen-keeper; that whose woman will be vivandière will be exempted of any service.

The canteen-keepers licensed will be always equipped with vinegar, and will be held to sell only the healthy food products and of good quality.

One will hold the hand so that they are limited to an honest profit on all that they will output.

It will be applied to each car of canteen-keeper a tin plate, containing the name of the owner, the number of the regiment to which it is attached, and that of the recording of the license: failing to conform to this provision, the car will at once be burned, and the horses given to the artillery park.

The general post orderly of the large district-general and that of each army corps, having to receive from the commander of the gendarmerie a state containing the names and the numbers of the canteen-keepers who will have obtained the authorization to follow the army, they will be capable to make them take their row in the steps of the columns, and to make stop all those which will not be secured by legitimate titles.

3. The people who will want to stick following the army to follow an unspecified occupation there will make register in the commander of the gendarmerie, to obtain the permission or license; they will be obliged to justify of their good behavior, their faculties, and to declare the kind of industry to which they want to be delivered: those which will be introduced into the army without to have met these conditions, will be stopped, paid a fine of 50 francs, and will be returned, without damage of stronger sorrow if they had been introduced there into a bad intention.

4. The merchants following the army will be able to make use only of weights and measures calibrated; the commanders of gendarmerie of each army corps will be held to check them, those which will contravene this provision, will be punished by a fine of 12 francs and not confiscation of the not calibrated weights and measures, without damage of restitution, and of the sorrows to which they could be subjected if they were convinced of fraud.

5. in a camp, the commander of the gendarmerie will indicate with each merchant or canteen-keeper the place where it will have to be established, and it will not be able to move elsewhere, or to make without permission the trade of hawker, under penalty of a fine of 12 francs, and even of confiscation if it is necessary.

6. it is defended with any soldier and other people attached to the army, to exert any violence towards the merchants who bring the edible ones there, nor to withdraw the remunerations from them.

7. in a camp or quartering, any canteen-keeper who will give to drinking after the retirement, will be punished of a fine of 12 francs for the first time, and will be returned army the second time.

8. It is defended with any person following the army to give retirement to prostitutes; those which one will seize will be smeared of black to the face, will be walked to the head of the camp and will be returned.

9.Les sums coming from the fines to which could be condemned those which will contravene in some articles of this payment, will be given (in each army corps) to the commander of the gendarmerie, which will hold register of it, on which it will register the name of the individual condemned to the fine and the sum paid by him. Each month the commanders of gendarmerie will forward extracted from their registers in this respect to the general commander-in-chief the army corps to which they are attached. A double of this extract will be sent to the general ordering the gendarmerie of the army of Germany.

The generals commander-in-chief the army corps will pronounce on the use of the sums coming from the fines.

Règlement provisoire pour le service des troupes en campagne ( Armée d’Allemagne 1809