Disciplining the “scum of the Earth”
HistoryExtra podcast
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What's the Average Literacy Rate in the British Army?
Being literate during this period is as simple as being able to write your name. So we can't really say exactly how many people could read and write. One historian has described the way in which military justice works in this period as terror and torture as public spectacle. If you overstep the line, not only will I kind of shame your unit by saying, look, we had this guy who was from the 34th Regiment and he deserted, shame on this individual. And equally, when people are punished, that's done on parade. It's a public process.
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