So unpopular was the British army and navy among Americans that, even in a popular war [King George’s War], the imperial forces had to resort to a draft of the most vicious kind. Army recruiters adopted ruses to sign up future soldiers. According to British law, taking a coin from a recruiter was equivalent to signing a contract, so recruiters bought men drinks and gave those who got drunk coins to buy more: When they woke up the next day, they had a hangover that would last for years. Colonial leaders who wished to protect their young men taught them to just say no to offers of liquor. Sheriffs sometimes locked up on false charges of indebtedness men who were irresolute, just to keep them out of the way when recruiters roamed.
Author’s Note:
Army procurers sometimes resorted to kidnapping, a procedure seen as equivalent to naval impressment.
Source:
Olasky, Marvin. “The War to End All Wars.” Fighting for Liberty and Virtue: Political and Cultural Wars in Eighteenth-Century America. Crossway Books, 1995. 104. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Jennings, Empire of Fortune, 303.
Further Reading:
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