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Article: The Continental army in 1776.(United States)
- Article from:
- Cobblestone
- Article date:
- October 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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General George Washington was very worried. In the waning months of 1775, many of his Continental soldiers would complete their military service and leave for home. Most had no interest in continuing to serve in cold winter camps, fighting a larger and better-supplied British army.
By February 1776, Washington commanded fewer than 10,000 Continental army soldiers. Some of these men were sick, and many were not properly clothed or armed. The American public wondered why Washington was not being more aggressive toward the British when, on paper, 20,000 men had been recruited to serve. But Washington found his actual army so small that he told one associate, "I have ...