General Orders, 10 July 1775
General Orders
Head Quarters, Cambridge, July 10th 1775
Parole Frederick.Countersigns: Counter-sign. Gloucester.
The General Court Martial of which Col. William Prescott was president, having tried William Pattin of Col. Gridley’s regiment, and found him guilty of “threatening and abusing a number of persons, when prisoner in the Quarter Guard:” The Court sentence the prisoner to ride the wooden Horse, fifteen minutes.1 The General approves the sentence, and orders it to be put in execution at the head of the regiment.
David Wells soldier in Col. Gridley’s Regimt tried by the abovementioned General Court Martial for “sleeping upon his post when sentry,” is acquitted by the court.
No non Commission’d Officer, or soldier, but such as are guilty of capital Offences; to be confin’d in the Main Guard; All those guilty of crimes triable by a Regimental Court Martial, to be sent to the Quarter Guards of their respective Corps, to be tried by regimental Court martial.2 The General Court Martial, whereof Col. William Prescott is president, to set again this day at the usual hour:3 All Evidences and Persons concerned to attend the court. Whenever a General Court Martial is ordered, it is expected that the Evidences and persons by whom the prisoners are confin’d, do punctually attend to support the accusation, as they will answer the contrary at their peril.4
The Colonels of the Massachusetts regiments, to order one subaltern from each Company in their respective Corps, forthwith upon the recruiting service; proper Instructions will be given by the Adjutant General to the Officers ordered upon that service.5 They will therefore call at Head Quarters as soon as possible to receive their Instructions. The General recommends it to the Colonels to send active and vigilant Officers upon this service, and those who are most in esteem with people in the District they are sent to recruit in.
Varick transcript, DLC:GW.
1. The wooden horse consisted of a sharp ridged rail supported by four tall legs. The prisoner was seated on the rail with his hands tied behind his back and weights attached to his feet for the time prescribed. The use of this painful and potentially injurious punishment was not specifically prohibited by the Massachusetts articles of war but the Continental articles of war did not include it among the authorized punishments (, 2:119).
2. Both the Continental and Massachusetts articles of war provided that “the commissioned officers of every regiment may, by the appointment of their Colonel or commanding officer, hold regimental courts-martial for the enquiring into such disputes or criminal matters as may come before them, and for the inflicting corporal punishment, for small offences” (, 2:117 also in , 126–27). Regimental court-martials were specifically authorized to handle cases involving the sale or waste of military equipment and stores, absences without leave from camp or parade, drunkenness, and abuse of people bringing provisions into the camp. More serious crimes, such as mutiny, desertion, dueling, plundering, sleeping on guard duty, giving false alarms, and treasonous correspondence, were reserved for general court-martials.
3. General court-martials held during the previous week met at 10:00 a.m. Both the Continental and Massachusetts articles of war prohibited “any proceedings or trials [to] be carried on, excepting between the hours of eight in the morning, and three in the afternoon, except in cases which require an immediate example” (, 2:117 also in , 126).
4. Court-martials were permitted by the Continental and Massachusetts articles of war to punish at their discretion anyone “called to give evidence, . . . who shall refuse to give evidence” (, 2:120 also in , 129).
5. Horatio Gates’s recruiting instructions, dated 10 July 1775, were printed as a broadside ().