Drumhead court-martial

This article is about the summary form of military justice. For the formal application of military law and justice, see court-martial.
An example of an illustration from the Thirty Years' War showing a drum used as a table at military executions

A drumhead court-martial is a court-martial held in the field to render summary justice for offenses committed in action. The term is said to originate from drums used as improvised tables and drumheads as writing surfaces at fast-track military trials and executions.[1]

  1. ^ Definition from Brewer's Dictionary