Slave Soldiers and Islam_ The Genesis of a Military System - Daniel Pipes

32

TheIslamicateContext

India,

mobilizedtheWestGothicarmy,paid

theRomansoldiers

their
wages,

beatdrums

in both

early

Islamic timesand

the

AmericanCivilWar,dug

trenchesandhauled

supplies

inPeru,

caredforhorses

in

Muscovy,

or

generally

supplied

"corvfielabors

in
and

aboutthe

camps.

’’3

InancientAthens,

"slaves

helppre-

pare

thefood, actas

guides,

rescue woundedmen,serve

as

atendantstogenerals,carryimportantmessages,

butitisascar-

riersofbaggage,

shield-bearers,andcaretakersingeneral

ofthe

armor

of

hoplites

that

they

aremostfrequently

mentioned.

’’38

In the AmericanWar of

Independence,

"the

typical Negro

servedwith

the

infantry.

Oftenhewasanon-arms-bearing

in-

fantryman,

detailedfor

duty

asanorderly

or

assigned

tofunc-

tionsin
support

ofcombat

operations.

’’39

Slavestended

tobe

assigned

theless

pleasant

duties:

"Americansoldiersgenerally

disliked
assignment

to

the

wagon,commissary

orforage

services,

henceitwas

notunusualfor

Negroes

tofindthemselves

enrolled

inthese

departments.

’’4

Although

slavesin

supportpositions

usually stayed

behind

thelinesanddid notenterthebattle,

sometimes

thebattlecametothem.When

theirsidelost,

they

hadtodefend

themselves;

41

ifitwon,

they

might

"scourthebat-

tlefield

for

enemy

soldierstoexecute,"asin

Peru.

4

Even when slaves

participated

in the fighting

itself,

they

tendednotto

join

the

regulararmy

butfilledawidevariety

of

ancillary

functions.

Theyfrequentlyspied

and

piloted;

a

they

Philological

Association

97

(1966):

35-44,agrees.

M.Chantraine,"Kaiserliche

Sklavenimr6mischenFl6ttendienst,"

Chiron

(1971):

253-65;

J.

M.Libourel,

"GalleySlavesin

theSecondPunicWar,"

Classical

Philology

68

(1973):

116-19;

I.Bie2ufiska-Mowist,L’Esclavage

dansl’Egyptegrkco-romaine.

Premibre

pattie:

Priodeptolmaque

(Breslau,1974),pp.81-82.

Atlantic:AR,

p.

ix.

37. India:Chanana,p.

41.WestGoths:Rothenh6fer,

p.

25.Rome:Barrow,p.

148.Early

Islam:MDh,4:43.U.S.:AR,

p.

77.Peru:

Bowser,

p.

309.

Muscovy:

Hellie,

Enserfment,pp.

290

n.

119,

368 n.167.Corve:Westermann,

p.

37;Pares,

p.

254.

38.

Sargent,p.

203.

39.AR,

p.

75.

40.AR,p.

77;also

Hay,p.

36;Goveia,

p.

219.

41.Greece:Garlan,

pp.

45-48;Sargent,p.207.

42.Bowser,

p.

9.

43.Rome:Barrow,p.

148.U.S.:AR,

pp.

94-97,142-44(Britishuse);CW,pp.

87-88.