Daily AncestorSutler
A sutler was a civilian merchant who followed an army and sold food, tobacco and small goods to soldiers in camp.
Sutlers traveled with armies or set up near forts and sold from tents or wagons. Soldiers bought extra food, tobacco, writing paper and other goods the army did not issue.
The term is common in Civil War records and earlier frontier-fort records. A sutler needed a license from the commanding officer and often held a monopoly on goods such as tobacco and coffee. A sutler was a civilian, not an enlisted soldier.
As seen in a recordCivil War regimental papers and frontier fort records
Abner Lowe, sutler, 14th Regt. N.Y. Vols.
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Sutler." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/sutler. Last checked 2026-10-01.