quartermaster

quartermaster, officer who superintends arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops. In Europe the office dates back at least to the 15th century. During the late 17th century, when the minister of war of King Louis XIV of France reorganized the army, he created a quartermaster general’s department that dotted the countryside with strategically located and defended magazines of food, forage, ammunition, and equipment. By the 18th century in some continental countries, the duties of the quartermaster had expanded to incorporate many attributes of a modern chief of staff, such as directing and coordinating marches and deployments and drafting operational orders.

In Great Britain and the United States, by contrast, the quartermaster remained a specialized administrative and logistical functionary. In the United States the quartermaster, usually a commissioned officer, was a member of the Quartermaster Corps until 1962, when it was absorbed by other agencies. In the British army the quartermaster general’s staff is a coordinating branch under the control of the General Staff.