Maintaining order in the military is very important. Here is how the U.S. Navy did it in 1848. This list of punishments for delinquent squids appeared in Horace Greeley’s The Tribune Almanac for the years 1838 to 1868 (1868).
For bad cooking --- 12 strokes of the whip
For stealing a major’s wig --- 12 strokes of the whip
for skulking --- 12 strokes of the whip
For running into debt on shore --- 12 strokes of the whip
For tearing a sailor’s frock --- 9 strokes of the whip
For filthiness --- 12 strokes of the whip
For striking a schoolmaster --- 12 strokes of the whip
for drunkenness and breaking into the liquor closet --- 12 strokes of the whip
For noise at quarters --- 6 strokes of the whip
For bad language --- 12 strokes of the whip
For dirty and unwashed clothes --- 12 strokes of the whip
For being out of hammock after hours --- 12 strokes of the whip
For throwing overboard the top of a spittoon --- 6 strokes of the whip
For taking bread out of oven --- 9 strokes of the whip
for neglecting mess utensils --- 12 strokes of the whip
For taking clothes on shore to sell --- 12 strokes of the whip
For skylarking (running up and down the rigging of a ship) --- 6 strokes of the whip
for being naked on deck --- 9 strokes of the whip
[…]
Here is a list of chapter headings from the Pentagon’s report on abuses at the Navy’s Tailhook Association convention in 1991: “Streaking,” “Mooning,” “Ballwalking,” “Leg Shaving,” “Belly/Navel Shots,” “Chicken Fighting,” and “Butt Biting.”
Source:
Stephens, John Richard. “Eyewitness Reports.” Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 37. Print.
Further Reading:
Same punishment for very differently serious crimes.