Women could find employment in many aspects of life. However, on campaign we will be looking at three main areas of labor. Sutlery, laundressing, and nursing. Our main source for this article is as follows: Don Hagist - The Women of the British Army in America.

For laundry, the documented resources we have are orders from the military stating where they could work in order to insure cleanliness and hygienic sanitation.

The Commanding Officer having observed some women washing in the Bar­racks, which must be prejudicial both to the Rooms & the mens health therefore it is his positive order that the women find some other place to do that Dirty work in, the Commanding Officer being Determined to Drum out of the Corps such as are Guilty of so shameful a practice.

Commanding Officers of Corps are not to suffer their Women, on any account, to Wash in the Streams near the Watering Places.

The Commanding Officers to be answerable that proper People are sent on Shore at Dartmouth to Superintend the Women and others that may be left there to Wash, or for any other Purpose, who are to be accountable for all Depredations that may be Committed on the houses or Estates of the Inhabit­ants.

Nursing was quite different and very regulated as it was essentially military conscripted position. If the women were able and unoccupied with children or illnesses they were directly called to service. Each regiment or brigade was required to provide the same amount women after each engagement and were met with very serious consequences if they did not comply.

Lastly Followers and civilians from neighboring towns where the military was stationed could obtain a license to sell goods to soldiers. However, like laundering and nursing the military had regulations this as well.

1. No non-commissioned officer's or soldier's wife is to suttle or sell liquors without permis­sion; and leave will be granted to such as are particularly recom­mended by commanding officers of com­panies, and who will pay due attention to all orders concerning them. That no sutler offer to harbour any body in the line of the regiment without the Major's leave.

2. No more than one grand sutler and five petty ones will be allowed; and any sutler who refuses to change the men's money, or ask reward, shall be drummed out of the camp.

3. No Soldier's wife is upon any ac­count to keep a shop, without permission in writing signed by the Commandant, or Deputy Com­mandant of the Town, for which they must be recommended by the Officer Commanding the Corps to which they belong. The General is con­cerned that no recommendation will be given to any women without a certainty that she will not make a bad use of it, by selling spiritous Li­quors.

4. Whereas the great Drunkenness that prevails among the Soldiers, proceeds from the Soldiers wives being allowed to keep little Shops out of the districts of their Regiments, the Commanding Officers will give directions that they are not permitted to live out of the quarters of the Regiment they belong to.

The army tried as they might to regulate the shopkeepers however it was found unsuccessful as the documentation exists that those existing sutlers found selling rum or blatantly ignoring the orders stated above, had their licenses revoked or drummed out of camp.

1. Two Nurses from each British Regiment in the Country to be sent to the General Hospital immedi­ately.

2. A Discreet active Woman from each corps to be ordered to attend the sick of their respective Corps in the General hospital, where they are to be sent to morrow morning at six o'Clock, to prepare the rooms for the reception of the sick.

3. It is again recommended to send a good nurse from each Regiment with the men, such as are encumbered with children, are by no means proper for that duty.

4. Any women who may be wanted as nurses at the General hospital, or to do any other business for the service of the Garrison, and shall refuse to do it, will immediately be struck of[f] the provi­sion list. Complaint having been made that Women decline serving in the Hospital Ships, The Commander in Chief determined not to allow any Woman to remain with the Army, that refuses to take a duty of this necessary Office.

5. An experienced, careful woman must be constantly employed to attend in the Regimental hospital, as a Nurse, whose wages should be paid, either by the Surgeon when he has an * allowance for it, or from the savings of the sick Men's Pay; when neither of these will answer, it must be a charge in the Non-effective account: an orderly Man, or more if neces­sary, should be appointed daily from the Companies, in turn, to assist in the attendance of the sick.

6. No sick soldier can have his wife em­ployed as one of the nurses; and if any of the nurs­es husbands are taken ill, such nurse must be dis­missed, or her pay discontinued till the recovery of her husband; but married men of good char­acter, who live near the infir­mary, and who have careful wives, if they are taken ill, may be allowed to remain in their lodgings, at the discretion of the Sur­geon.

7. You [the regimental surgeon] are to appoint a head nurse (and the others to be under her) and the great­est attention must be paid that she is of exceed­ing good character, sober, healthy, and experi­enced in her duty, and in every other respect quali­fied for the employ­ment.