Today in Johnson City History, Monday, June 30, 2025

Lewis and Clark, the Windsor Hotel, an unusual frog and more

Friday, June 30, 1775: Two hundred and fifty years ago today, according to https://lewis-clark.org/, “The first U.S. Articles of War, which comprised a comprehensive set of military laws concerning personal conduct and loyalty, were modeled on recently written Massachusetts articles. They were authorized by the Continental Congress on June 30, 1775, a few months after the Continental Army was officially established. The 69 Articles defined most offenses in terms of standards of personal conduct, principally on the part of officers. Penalties for petty offenses, especially by commissioned officers, consisted mostly of cash fines. More serious crimes such as mutiny, sedition, or disobedience of orders, were punishable at the will of a court martial. The severest penalty for a commissioned officer in most cases was to be “cashiered,” or expelled from the army. Corporal punishment—of enlisted men only—was limited to 39 lashes. Only three crimes were punishable by death.”