Military camp journals (yevmiyyet) reveal the army’s daily operational performance

Evidence

In contrast to the very monolithic picture of power that comes across from reading these sources, the Archives, fortunately, also contains very valuable information in the form of the “journals” (yevmiyyet, lit. daily accounts) from the military camps and war fronts that include such documents as roll calls, inventory lists, courts martial, pay rolls and descriptions of marches and of battles. By relying on this diverse array of official documents it is possible to present an integral view of the army which not only avoids the usual concentration on the person of Mehmed Ali that often characterizes the historiography of Egypt during his reign, but also allows one to have a closer look at the every-day performance of that army and the manner in which the soldiers reacted to their officers’ commands and orders. — Khaled Fahmy, All the Pasha_s Men_ Mehmed Ali, his…, 27

Categorization

• SEED: The yevmiyyet journals — roll calls, pay rolls, courts martial — suggest an essay or research thread on reconstructing ordinary soldiers’ lives from administrative records.