drumhead court-martial

noun

a court-martial held, usually on a battlefield, for the summary trial of charges of offenses committed during military operations.

a military court convened to hear urgent charges of offences committed in action

First recorded in 1825–35; so called from the use of a drumhead as a table during the court-martial

C19: from the use of a drumhead as a table around which the court-martial was held

A drumhead court-martial sentenced the young Virginian to receive one hundred lashes on the bare back.

In the back of his head there formed a little picture—a drumhead court-martial, a provost guard, a tree and a rope.

So they contended, and both were brought before the drumhead Court Martial.

Summary procedure made it easy to decide that the sentence of drumhead court-martial was death.

We then took six of the leaders, and, holding a drumhead court-martial, sentenced them to be hanged.

April 18, 2024petrichor

[pet-ri-kawr]

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