Wikipedia suggests that the setting of the song is most likely either the War of the Spanish Succession or the Seven Years War.
The singer asks his lover to come to the war in 'High Germany', where he will buy her a horse and marry.
So how much communication (presumably via leave or post) would a soldier of this period have with their home? And was it possible for people follow their spouses to war? It seems a very strange practice today. I am aware that some tourists visited Crimea during the Crimean war, perhaps this is related.
Here is a link to a performance of the song if you are interested, and the lyrics here:
*“Oh Polly love, oh Polly, the rout has now begun, And we must go a-marching to the beating of the drum. Go dress yourself all in your best and come along with me; I'll take you to the war, my love, in High Germany.”
“Oh Willy love, oh Willy, come list what I do say, My feet they are so tender, I cannot march away. And besides, my dearest Willy, I am with child by thee, Not fitted for the war, my love, in High Germany.”
“I'll buy for you a horse, my love, and on it you shall ride And all my delight shall be a-riding by your side. We'll stop at every alehouse and drink when we are dry, We'll be true to one another, get married by and by.”
Oh, cursed be them cruel wars that ever they should rise And out of Merry England press many a man likewise. They pressed my true love from me, likewise my brothers three, And sent them to the war, my love, in High Germany.
My friends I do not value nor my foes I do not fear, Now my love has left me I wander far and near. And when my baby it is born and a-smiling on my knee I'll think on lovely Willy in High Germany*
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and answer my question!
For English armies, operating on the continent, the 18th century actually saw a marked decline in the proportion of wives and sweethearts accompanying the British army on campaign. At least official ones departing with the forces from England - the accruing of local 'wives' by soldiers abroad on campaign was something rather different.
According to Hurl-Eamon, large numbers of wives on campaign was seen as more of a hindrance than a boon by the increasingly professionalised armies of the period.^(1) In previous centuries, Lynn makes clear that the weak logistical systems for many armies, meant that wives accompanying their soldiers were often an essential part of provisioning the army, foraging for food on campaign while the men stayed in the ranks.^(2) Perhaps this is why the Army of Flanders of the early modern period spoke of the numbers of 'mouths' when talking of the strength of the army, rather than the numbers of soldiers, recognising that for logistical purposes, more than the soldiers had to be taken into account.^(3)
However, by the late 17th century, soldiers who married without permission from their company officer faced substantial punishment, although the continued presence of wives on campaigns, even in smaller numbers, possibly attests to the sporadic and unequal application of these rules, and also possibly the the very real necessity of small numbers of women accompanying the regiments on campaign despite the growing 'bachelor culture' within the army.^(4) The Duke of York's edict at the dawn of the nineteenth century in 1800, that no more than six wives per company could accompany the army, was a reflection on the need to balance comforts of the soldiers, to the military necessity of campaign. By comforts I mean cleaning, sewing, cooking, limited medical care, etc, that the army wife was expected to undertake for the men of her husband's unit.
However, the lot of these soldiers wives was a hard one, and wider society looked down on common soldiers in the period, and associated their wives as lowly women, so the social pressure to remain at home and not be tempted by a soldier was high. As such, the beguiling of a woman willing to marry a soldier and follow him to the wars in the song should probably be seen more as a song about a soldier's ability to woo and charm a lass, despite the attendant dangers, and therefore a warning rather than a good idea. A fantasy on romance of soon-to-be separated love perhaps.
As for the contact with home, in the period very few soldiers were literate, and fewer even of these would have had literate spouses. Common soldiers therefore wrote home very infrequently, either due to lack of ability, or if literate - the difficulty in locating writing materials while on campaign (and usually unpaid), and no certain, organised method of getting the letter back home. The dangers of campaigning - infrequent food, poor sanitation, lack of hygiene, 'rough' soldiers, not to mention the dangers of enemy action of reversal of an army's fortunes, meant that following an army on campaign was not the first choice for many women.
If you are interested further I am afraid the only book in detail I could recommend which fully covers your query in of itself is the Hurl-Eamon one listed below, which as an OUP publication is likely to be quite expensive.
References