[The following reflects punishments meted out to recaptured deserters from the Confederate army during the American Civil War.]
As Newton knew, the most feared punishment other than execution was the brand. Offenders who were branded with a “D” on their cheek had “the mark of desertion forever scar [their] face.” The procedure typically took place at the field hospital, so Newton knew the details: an orderly heated coals in a metal bin, and when the branding iron – made specifically for deserters – was sufficiently hot, the orderly gave it to the doctor on duty, who pressed it into the man’s cheek. There was a sizzling sound, followed by the acrid-sweet smell of burning flesh and blood, and then a long wail.
Another corrective was to be clapped in shackles and fetters while they were red-hot, which also caused scarring. A blacksmith was ordered to “iron him securely, sir,” and the glowing metal was placed around wrists and ankles, burning through cloth and boots. The chain threaded through the prisoner’s shackles was about ten inches long, forcing him to walk in an enfeebled shuffle.
Some measures were calculated merely to haze and humiliate. Stragglers were marched through the camps under guard with boards tied to their backs, on which were written slogans such as “I am a coward” or “I am a shirker from battle.” Others were tied hand and foot astride the neck of cannon, where they were exposed and on view for as long as sixteen hours. As absences became more frequent, such measures became an accepted, routine part of camp life.
Source:
Jenkins, Sally, and John Stauffer. “The Swamp and the Citadel.” The State of Jones: The Small Southern County That Seceded from the Confederacy. Anchor Books, 2010. 94-5. Print.
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