In the early days of the French republic the loss of experienced officers, the influx of volunteers and the revolutionary attitude towards discipline caused enormous problems. There were continual problems with troops stopping to pillage when they should have been fighting, but the political correctness of the time meant that the generals were not allowed to criticise the men and took the rap for failures. (Furnes 1793) The more intelligent representatives en mission were calling for a new disciplinary code from quite early on, more for the sake of the army than of the civilians.

regards,

Susan