- quartermaster
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—quartermasterlike, adj. —quartermastership, n./kwawr"teuhr mas'teuhr, -mah'steuhr/, n.1. Mil. an officer charged with providing quarters, clothing, fuel, transportation, etc., for a body of troops.2. Navy. a petty officer having charge of signals, navigating apparatus, etc.[1400-50; late ME quarter maister. See QUARTER, MASTER]
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Officer who oversees arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops.The office dates at least to the 15th century in Europe. The French minister of war under Louis XIV created a quartermaster general's department that dotted the countryside with strategically located stockpiles of food, forage, ammunition, and equipment. By the 18th century his duties in some European countries included coordinating marches and deployments and drafting operational orders; in the U.S. he remained a specialized administrative and logistical functionary until 1962, when the Quartermaster Corps was absorbed by other agencies.* * *
▪ army officerofficer 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 (United Kingdom) 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.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
