Has there ever been a revolt or mutiny by US ground troops in the history of the US?

Answer 1

I will answer this in some ways but you have to email me for some issues and details. Not that it is "top secret" but that it slides into issues of race and religion and it is so complicated.

First you say "ground troops" that narrows this down.

We have had in every war but in the last twenty years I doubt such as I am talking about.

Most incidents were - combat refusals - versus outright mutiny, although some were just that, many have been "lost" to history.

I should make one issue clear: I do not believe that all were "revolts" or even "mutiny" but as I stated some were "close" by a legal standard. more important many of the events were "justified" by the moral and military standards of the time they happened in.

My expertise in well military medical corps history but there is a link to what you are asking. Whenever someone writes a book or A&E TV does something close to these issues I used to get a call or letter.

1866: ? Sand Creek, Colorado A Regular Army officer, refuses to send his men, and they concur, into a battle against Native Americans who were all women, children and the elderly. The issues became the classic case of military law as to an "unlawful order", it was presented al Lt Calleys courts martial for his Vietnam actions. As I live, no bs, an hours drive away, well I know about it.

A textbook on military law will detail several actual instances of mutiny and such. Men have been executed since the Civil War
and the most famous cases are in the War with Mexico. The army hanged a lot of Irish Catholics. Who knows what we call all that.

Military executions for mutiny were recorded as such as: sadly most all were Black American soldiers. As to the total executed, well perhaps over 200.

We had say a few dozen episodes in each WWII area of operation, by the Army. A few in Korea and then Vietnam. But no real mutiny, no group shooting officers and fellow troops, although we did come close.

The military "JAG" offices and libraries have all the details.

But as I said most were troops up against a nasty enemy and the sad fact that the officer or officers in command were well: losers.

I was witness to an incident in August 1969 that made world wide headlines, Que Son Valley, 196th Light Infantry Brigade,
it was a total mess, and the "troops" were correct. The Army just relieved the young "LT", the Battalion CO was dead, hence the failure of command. The issue was "how many of the GI's should die to retrive bodies?".

Your question is allied to "Why do we remove so many officers in combat?"

Answer: because some, a few, are useless in combat. Both for being to aggressive and as well for being not so.

Good Question.

Answer 2

I don't think that there has ever been a full on revolt, but there certainly have been pockets of individual or small group resistance. Vietnam and the Civil War both come to mind as conflicts in which there was small-scale front line refusal or outright desertion, particularly in the Civil War, but nothing violent that I can think of.

Answer 3

there have really only been a few. and like others had said, none had every really been major.

the only major one I am really familiar with was actually not ground forces, it was the men loading munition ships at port Chicago near Vallejo California in 1944.

the men mutinied because of the horrible and unsafe conditions they were placed in. and to emphasize the point a munitions ship exploded, killing hundreds of people including 200 African American sailors assigned to loading the ships.

Several men refused to work until the conditions were made safe, and until they received proper training. many of them were put on trail for mutiny and 50 were convicted.

The real outcome of the tragedy and following mutiny was desegregation and improved training the Navy gave all its personnel.

Answer 4

Believe it or not the generals directly below George Washington were on the verge of revolt when George himself gathered them and with a speech was able to calm them. The American revolution is the only revolution the can be classified as a true revolution. Other than that extremely close call, no, not that I'm aware of at least.

Answer 5

Its approximately 3 or 4 to a minimum of one, yet once you element in kit production and meals production, in accordance with what your interest is, the ratio can get to be 10 or 20 to a million once you upload the civilians that truthfully make the kit.

Answer 6

Yes, the Whiskey Rebellion following our war of independence and during the revolution a couple of NCO's were shot for desertion.

Answer 7

No, our Military leaders nor our Military has never revolted against our Government.

Answer 8

Nothing major. Thats why the discipline in basic training

Answer 9

In the military, the penalty for mutiny is death.

Answer 10

I think the only thing you could remotely count is the civil war.