c. 1914
A muleteer in World War I was a mule driver/handler employed by an army’s transport services to move supplies (and sometimes evacuate wounded) using pack mules, especially where roads were poor and wheeled vehicles couldn’t operate. Muleteers were therefore part of the logistics “tail” of the armies—getting ammunition, food, water, and equipment forward to positions. Given how horrendous conditions could be on the French and Belgian fronts after rains between 1914 and 1918, these men performed a critical function.