Book Description

Professor Scott's "Handbook of Military Law" is of comparatively ephemeral interest. It was intended mainly to meet the needs of the members of the Students' Army Training Corps in the colleges of the United States, all of whom in the fall of 1918 were required to take a three months' course on military law and practice, including three subjects: Military law, international military customs, and army administration. Professor Scott compiled this brief introduction to military law by making extracts from the Manual for Courts-Martial in connection with the more important Articles of War. He also includes the Selective Service law and a couple of judicial decisions dealing with military jurisdiction. —Northwestern University Law Review, Volume 14 * * * * *This little book is published by Harvard University for use in the Students' Army Training Corps in the course on Military Law and Practice. In view of the demobilization of this corps, the book remains as one of the monuments of an interesting period in the history of American colleges. It may still be of value to any one interested in the subject of military law and unable or unwilling to examine the official manual for courts martial and the articles of war, the acts of Congress and the decisions of the courts which constitute the original sources of information. Professor Scott has obviously devoted much time and thought in making the selections for this book and in arranging his material. —University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Volume 67 * * * * * Professor Scott's little book makes no pretense at being more than a presentation of the Articles of War and the more important passages of the Manual for Courts-Martial in concise form, together with the Selective Service Law and two recent judicial decisions, one relating to the definition by Congress of the various classes of persons who are subject to military law, and the other to the power of Congress to compel military service. It would seem that it might be improved by an index, but it is otherwise well fitted for its object. The term "Military Law" in the title of Colonel Wigmore's Source Book must be understood in a different sense than that in which it is used in the Manual for Courts-Martial. The work in question treats less of the Articles of War and military law proper than of martial law, the laws of war, and, in brief, every topic relating to war which a lawyer might wish to investigate. The author has brought together statutes, judicial decisions, regulations, general orders, and opinions of the Judge-Advocates General. More than half of the collection consists of material originating in the past three years. Originally intended for class room use in the Students' Army Training Corps, it is at least doubtful whether so heterogeneous a collection of authorities will prove as useful to any other single class of persons, but it contains much matter not readily accessible in the average law office and may well answer the purpose of ready reference. —Columbia Law Review, Volume 19