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           Newsletters of Spanish Colonial America
           Copyright © 1996-97 all rights reserved

             
                                by Richard Collins

                          The 18th-Century Recruit

         Acquiring soldiers through voluntary enlistment was much more common during the Age of        Enlightment than any other means.

           Recruiting parties were established and sent out to recruit. An enlistment bonus was paid on         the spot to the new enlistee, and he generally took an oath at that time. Some countries,        emptied their prisons and sent the inmates to the army. Overall though, records show that the European volunteers were representative of a cross section of civilians suffering in a poor economy.

           The desired professional soldier was a man of early middle age. (The average age of the Spanish soldier was thirty-five years.) Physical appearance was more important than morality and mental aptitude. Constant drilling and the slow, labored movement of the Line of Battle could be taught to even the densest soldier.

        A soldier from the countryside were considered to be toughened by the toil of farming and the elements.  A large man was thought to be better able to carry the weight of equipment a soldier needed.

       The recruit's training was not harsh, but was gently delivered to the individual until he had a thorough knowledge of the School of the Soldier.

       The much touted discipline was harshly delivered to the soldier if he failed to keep his military appearance or perform his drill or duty. However, that discipline generally was not given out unwarranted. The military philosophy of the period believed in complete subordination, but did not promote abuse.

       The thinking of the time was that with the huge numbers of soldiers moving as one into combat, even one soldier who failed to hold his rank or who panicked could upset the careful order of battle.

       Training the new soldier well was expected to take from three to six years and only then could he consider himself a veteran.

      (The Military Experience in the Age of Reason, Duffy, Atheneum, N.Y. 1987)



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