Prévôts-généraux

It is difficult to see any relevance whatsoever in the years of military experience demanded of these men, for after their appointment they became executive pen pushers, slaves to their paper-work. Operations in the field were carried out, organised, and directed by their lieutenants. The prévôts devoted their lives to administration, which meant in practice correspondence on matters of finance – compiling claims for expenses on behalf of their cavaliers, justifying them to higher authority, complaining when the money was not forthcoming:

The prévôt of the Auvergne was equally obliged to devote his energies to increasing the effectiveness of the force by trying to make it financially viable, and like Barret de Ferrand, du Deffan resorted to emotional appeals on behalf of ‘those unfortunate cavaliers … who are in no state with their pay to be able to afford these extraordinary expenses’ and ‘these unfortunate cavaliers most of whom get into debt buying a horse … and who are wretched thereafter for the rest of their lives’.