Lashed for Stealing Shoes, Spain.

During the Peninsular War, the following extract appeared in the Commander's Orders for Spain and Portugal on 19 September 1809:

At a General Court Martial held at Badajoz by order of His Excellency Sir Arthur Wellesley, the court proceeded to the trial of ... [amongst others] John Miggins, 87th, Michael Kiggan, 87th ... . For plundering His Majesty's stores of Shoes while on an escort from Lisbon with the said stores; to which the prisoners pleaded not guilty ... are of the opinion, they are each and every one of them guilty of the charge preferred against them, being a breach of the Articles of War; and by virtue thereof, sentence them to receive a punishment of 500 lashes each.

... John Miggins and Michael Kiggan, of the 87th regiment, are to receive their punishment from the drummers of the 88th regiment, [Connaughts] and are afterwards to be sent to the hospital at Elvas.

To read more about the punishment of lashing, click on the Articles of War.