Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1896 — Military Punishments 1646. [ARTICLE]

Military Punishments 1646.

The military punishments of that day were terrible. The Duke of Cumberland’s general orders contain on three consecutive days sentences of eight hundred, five hundred and eight hundred lashes for thieving, • “mutinous expressions,” and “insolent behavior.” Three days afterwards a sentence of “one thousand” lashes is recorded; it is fair to say the man deserved to die; but death would have been a merciful punishment. A martinet of that day might be and was a terrible tyrant to his men. Strange, out-of-the-way punishments were inflicted for trifling offenses, without adding one iota to the efficiency of the army. The soldier might either be “picketed” or made to ride the “wooden horse.” In “picketing.” the culprit’s naked heel rested on a sharpened stake driven Into the ground, his right wrist and right leg being drawn up as high as they could be to a hook fixed in an adjoining post. The whole weight of the body rested on the sharpened stake, which, though it did not break the skin, inflicted exquisite torture; the only means of alleviation was to rest the weight on the wrist, the pain of which soon became unendurable. Soldiers were frequently sentenced to stand on the “picket” for a quarter of an hour; and in the cavalry it was often inflicted by order of the colonel, without authority of court-martial. The back of the “horse” was formed of plonks so arranged as to form a sharp ridge eight or nine feet long. The legs (six or seven feet in length} rested on a stand moving upon wheels; to complete the resemblance a rough wooden head and tail were added. The offender was placed on the back with his hands tied behind him; and to increase the punishment a heavy musket was not infrequently tied to his legs. This punishment, which might be Inflicted by sentence of court-mar-tial, or by order of the colonel of a regiment, wrought so much injury to those subjected to its discipline, that it had to be (discontinued. Francis Grose tells us that, so late as 1760, the remains of a wooden horse were standing on the parade at Portsmouth.