A campaign desk is an antique desk

Desk

A desk is a furniture form and a class of table often used in a work or office setting for reading or writing on or using a computer. Desks often have one or more drawers to store office supplies and papers. Unlike a regular table, usually only one side of a desk is suitable to sit on . Not all...

 of normal size which was used by officers and their staffs in rear areas during a military campaign

Military campaign

In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...

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The campaign desk was usually the private property of the officer, as was his uniform and other military implements. It was in general handcrafted by a master cabinet maker according to the officer's wishes or following traditions for such desks. The desk forms varied greatly, but nearly all had as a common trait several features which made it easy to transport them from one campaign posting to another.

For instance, a campaign desk version of a traditional pedestal desk

Pedestal desk

A pedestal desk is usually a large free-standing desk made of a simple rectangular working surface resting on two pedestals or small cabinets of stacked drawers of one or two sizes, with plinths around the bases. Often, there is also a central large drawer above the legs and knees of the user...

 form would have strong but removable fittings making it easy to break up the desk in three pieces: two pedestals and one desktop surface. Each piece would have brass or iron handles mounted on it to facilitate handling.

Campaign desk variations of the antique writing table

Writing table

A writing table has a series of drawers directly under the surface of the table, to contain writing implements, so that it may serve as a desk...

 seem to have been rather frequent. This form was usually in one piece, with strong handles and two pairs of folding legs.

A smaller version of such a transportable writing table could be considered to be more a field desk

Field desk

A field desk is a portable desk which is meant to be used in rear areas near a battlefield and moved around rather frequently in difficult conditions. It is in contrast to the campaign desk, which is usually heavier and meant for areas further in the rear....

 than a campaign desk, since it could be moved frequently from one battlefield's rear area to another's as the war went on.

Any campaign desk is in a sense also a portable desk

Portable desk

The portable desk has not one but many forms. In a sense, the portable desk is a long-lost ancestor of the portable computer, and the modern laptop could be considered an atavistic grandchild of the 19th-century Lap desk....

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