Can anyone direct me to a resource for British army field manuals for the early 1800s? If this post isn't allowed, I will delete it.

by Krinks1

Sorry if this isn't allowed, but I'm doing some research for a pet project, and would like more info that might be in field manuals. I'm looking for an artillery manual, as well as documents that would outline things like different offences and punishments under British military law.

If this isn't allowed, I will delete this post.

Thanks in advance.

Bodark43

Would 1839 be early enough? There's F.A. Griffith's Artillerist's Manual over on GoogleBooks:

https://books.google.com/books?id=dG0EAAAAQAAJ

This site seems to be a decent portal for other manuals.

PM_ME_PENIS_PICTURES

documents that would outline things like different offences and punishments under British military law.

Short Answer: Mostly flogging and lashing. Most common offences; petty thievery, "cowardice", plundering and in some rarer cases out right murder. It is falsely reported that the Royal Artillery would be exempt from most harsh punishments however this is simply an outright lie as we will see

Long Answer: So for the other things I can't really help but this is one thing I could certainly have some input on. As a huge nerd for this Era there are actually several books that i've read through that iirc DO in fact go into detail on Martial Punishment in the British army(Early 1800's).

From an arguably "Primary source": " The Autobiography of Sergeant William Lawrence A Hero of the Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns. -William Lawrence"

  1. "Likewise one of our cavalry men was here flogged for making away with his horse's corn to selfishly buy himself grog; and well deserving of punishment he was,"

  2. "I being the chief but not the only evidence against him[A man caught Breaking ranks], and being sentenced to three hundred lashes as a punishment for absenting himself from the field of action, he was tied up and received every lash."

  3. "he[The SAME poor fellow from before] transgressed and was flogged for a fourth time, and when he came out of hospital the colonel ordered his coat to be turned, and a large sheet of paper to be pinned on it with the words, "This is a coward, a very bad soldier, and one who has been whipped four times;"

From a secondary source: "AN ANALYSIS OF THE CAMPAIGN AND COMBAT EXPERIENCES OF THE BRITISH SOLDIER IN THE PENINSULAR WAR, 1808-1814. -Edward James Coss, M.A"

  1. "On campaign, self preservation caused the redcoat to risk a flogging in order to procure food with the frequency and in the amounts denied him by the army; "

  2. "We [the Royal Artillery] have superior pay, superior clothing, little marching, always riding with the guns on expedition, &c. Then you always have marching money, no musket or kit to carry, just a sword such as you see the party wear. Besides there is no flogging in the Royal Artillery" - A statement from a recruiter to an enlistee which he soon finds to be false

  3. "The first man I saw punished [flogged] my heart was like to burst. It was with difficulty I could restrain-"