bwanabill  | 12 Mar 2015 1:02 p.m. PST |
This is something that I hope all the age of sail followers will find very interesting. This morning I saw a document in a special temporary exhibit at the US National Archives in Washington DC. It's a discipline report from the frigate USS United States for the period November 1847 to February 1848. 77 floggings within a three month period! I think that's pretty amazing! Many of the offenses were alcohol related. All the floggings were 12 lashes except for two. One man got only 9 lashes and another got only 6. Lucky guys! |
| Pictors Studio | 12 Mar 2015 1:05 p.m. PST |
If you are interested in the subject, Melville has a primary source book on the subject. You can even have it read to you while you paint your fleet: link |
| bwanabill | 12 Mar 2015 1:18 p.m. PST |
Thanks! I am going to do that. I should also point out that if anyone wants to see this document there is a free e-book on iTunes that covers the entire exhibit. I have not yet downloaded it but I did search for it and I found it. The exhibit is called "Spirited Republic." If you search on that you will find it. |
| 79thPA | 12 Mar 2015 1:18 p.m. PST |
It's a lot, but it's not. The United States was damn near a third rate ship of the line, and that's less than a flogging a day for a 500 plus man crew. |
| vtsaogames | 12 Mar 2015 1:28 p.m. PST |
Sounds like 55 shades of grey. After reading Aubrey-Maturin, 12 lashes sounds light. Those books mention hundreds of lashes. Daniel Morgan was given a sentence of 4 or 500 lashes by the British Army during the French & Indian War. He claimed the flogger lost count and that he owed the British one more. |
| John the OFM | 12 Mar 2015 1:44 p.m. PST |
But, did the morale improve? That's the important thing. |
| Mako11 | 12 Mar 2015 2:44 p.m. PST |
Arrr, and I thought Cap'n Bligh was bad. Surprised there wasn't a mutiny on that ship, though no doubt perhaps that is part of what all those floggings were about. |
| coryfromMissoula | 12 Mar 2015 2:56 p.m. PST |
I'm not so sure on the mutiny angle – 19th century workplaces were not the safest of places and I suspect a warship even more dangerous. I have seen letters from miners and railroad workers in the 19th century complaining when mercy was shown to drunkards or careless workers as their next accident might cost the guy next to them his hand or even his life. |
| vtsaogames | 12 Mar 2015 8:51 p.m. PST |
On the other hand, NAM Rogers in "The Command of the Ocean" said that the cleanliness of British warships during the prime of fighting sail made the death rate from disease on warships lower than that of Britons ashore. |
| Red Line | 13 Mar 2015 5:51 a.m. PST |
IIRC HMS Nereide under Captain Corbett was amongst the worst for floggings in the British fleet. |
| GROSSMAN | 13 Mar 2015 10:59 a.m. PST |
The floggings will continue until morale improves… |
paints brigs for the British fleet.
