Justice in Uniform: Judge Advocates Established for Army
William Tudor got the worst job in the Continental Army: prosecuting fellow soldiers while Britain still controlled Boston. Washington needed someone to handle courts-martial on July 29, 1775—desertion cases were piling up, discipline collapsing. Tudor, a Harvard-educated lawyer, became America's first Judge Advocate at $34 a month. He'd prosecute 32 cases in his first six months, including death penalty trials for men who'd fought beside him. Every army since has needed lawyers to judge its own.
July 29, 1775
251 years ago
What Else Happened on July 29
Nebuchadnezzar II’s forces breached the walls of Jerusalem, systematically dismantling the First Temple and deporting the city’s elite to Babylon. This destruct…
The Praetorian Guard broke into the palace and found two emperors arguing. Pupienus and Balbinus had ruled Rome together for 99 days, spending most of it feudin…
Twelve years old and they handed him a collapsing kingdom. K'inich Janaab Pakal became ajaw of Palenque on July 29, 615, after enemies had sacked the city and k…
Twenty-two thousand residents of Thessaloniki were chained together and marched to slave markets across the Caliphate—the largest single human haul from a Byzan…
King Rudolph II and Margrave Adalbert I crush dethroned Emperor Berengar I's forces at Firenzuola, ending his bid to reclaim the Italian throne. This decisive v…
Emperor Basil II annihilated the Bulgarian army at the Battle of Kleidion, then ordered the blinding of 15,000 prisoners, leaving one eye to every hundredth man…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.