Stranded mercenary invalids were commonly killed by resentful French peasants

Evidence

Whether it was the hot, late summer, or the strange food, or the strong red wines, there was a steadily lengthening sick-list and since invalids left behind were likely to be knocked on the head by the justifiably irritated peasantry the long unsoldierly trains of wagons, loaded with plunder, were further burdened with men unfit to march. — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 377

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 377
• XREF: connects to: Mercenary peoples were absorbed and erased by the absolute state; Collective responsibility led French units to execute innocent Arab farmhands — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 360; Mutineers who chose to leave the camp were fired upon and slaughtered (+1 more)