<P> Food supplies were frequently in terrible condition, infested with mould, weevils, worms, and maggots . Provisions were frequently destroyed by rats, and their containers were too fragile to sustain a long ocean voyage or the rigors of campaigning . The climate was also against the British in the southern colonies and the Caribbean, where the intense summer heat caused food supplies to sour and spoil . British troops stationed in America were often on the verge of starvation . </P> <P> Life at sea was little better . Sailors and passengers were issued a daily food ration, largely consisting of hardtack and beer . The hardtack was often infested by weevils and was so tough that it earned the nicknames "molar breakers" and "worm castles", and it sometimes had to be broken up with cannon shot . Meat supplies often spoiled on long voyages . The lack of fresh fruit and vegetables gave rise to scurvy, one of the biggest killers at sea . Rum was issued as part of a daily ration and was a popular drink among soldiers and sailors alike, often mixed with fresh water to make grog . </P> <P> Discipline in the armed forces was harsh, and the lash was used to punish even trivial offences, nor was it applied sparingly . For instance, during the Saratoga campaign, two redcoats received 1,000 lashes each for robbery, while another received 800 lashes for striking a superior officer . During the Napoleonic Wars, one soldier received 700 lashes for stealing a beehive, while another, whom had received only 175 strikes of his 400 - lash sentence, spent three weeks in hospital from his injuries . The practise could often be a contentious source of resentment; during the Battle of Quatre Bras in 1815, the commander of the 92nd Foot was shot and killed by a soldier whom he had recently flogged . Flogging was a common punishment in the Royal Navy, and came to be associated with the stereotypical hardiness of sailors . </P> <P> Despite the harsh discipline, a distinct lack of self - discipline pervaded all ranks . Soldiers had an intense passion for gambling, reaching such excesses that troops would often wager their own uniforms . Soldiers drank heavily, and was not exclusive to the lower ranks; William Howe was said to have seen many "crapulous mornings" while campaigning in New York . John Burgoyne drank heavily on a nightly basis towards the end of the Saratoga campaign . The two generals were also reported to have found solace with the wives of subordinate officers to ease the stressful burdens of command . During the Philadelphia campaign, British officers deeply offended local Quakers by entertaining their mistresses in the houses they had been quartered in . Despite such issues, British troops are reported to have been generally scrupulous in their treatment of non-combatants . This is contrasted by Hessian diaries, who wrote of their disapproval of British conduct towards the colonists, such as the destruction of property and the execution of prisoners . </P>

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