This historical essay contrasts American Revolutionary War military discipline with British practices, challenging the mythology that American troops were inherently more virtuous than their British counterparts.
Craig argues that both armies used brutal punishments. American soldiers faced "nine and thirty lashes" or up to 100 lashes with a cat-o'nine-tails whip. A fifer named Samuel Deweese described how after 50 lashes, "the back of the sufferer would be all cut and like a jelly." Unauthorized punishments also occurred, as when a captain beat a soldier with a rattan stick without court martial.
However, Craig notes an important distinction: British soldiers sometimes had legal recourse. George Dawson successfully sued British officers for assault and false imprisonment in 1763, receiving substantial damages — nearly four years' pay for one officer.
The essay culminates with the trial of Colonel Francis Fuller for the death of soldier Adam Cluff in 1737. Despite witness testimony describing how Fuller struck Cluff with his fist and jabbed him with a musket, resulting in Cluff's death within days, Fuller was acquitted. A coroner ruled Cluff died from "Paralytic Fever" rather than trauma.
American mythology overlooking such brutality obscures how both armies disciplined troops harshly, though British soldiers possessed greater legal protections than their American counterparts.