Dear Samuel,
I just received a letter from our brother Robert’s wife Mary. It seems that Robert has left his position with the local militia and enlisted in General Washington’s Continental Army. Now I understand your thinking about the importance of militias, but before you start your analysis of the situation, as I know is your predilection, let me first inform you of what it is apparently like to be a soldier in the nation’s army.
First, unlike the militia, the army’s leadership is comprised of men that are of have dedicated their self to the life of soldiering. That is to say they are professional soldiers devoted to making the army the nation’s primary form of defense and security (Klinger, 2008). What this means on the one hand for the average soldier such as Robert, is that they get training and instruction to be professional fighting men and were paid for their services. On the other hand, this meant that much more is expected of soldiers, including dedication, self-sacrifice, and bravery. Needless to say failure to abide by these rules often resulted in strict disciplinary actions.
It is important to note that perhaps such dedication and discipline is needed as the majority of the men, or should I say young men, teenagers and boys that make up most of the army must get used to a number of adverse conditions including poor clothing, unsanitary living conditions, barely nutritious food that sometime is spoiled, and perhaps most importantly low pay that is often paid late if paid at all. It is interesting to note as our family is of German descent, Robert has been confronted with prejudice and suspicion as a result of the fact the Hessian soldier’s that fight for the Red Coats.
Mary writes that the majority of the soldiers are mainly from the lower classes, that is to say they are not men or children of the upper or middle classes or men that have good work. There are even a number of slaves that Mary has seen in the ranks. There does not seem to be any reason that someone with such life conditions would give such a comfortable and profitable life to be a soldier (Geist, 2004). The only exception seems to be that a fair amount of the senior officers are upper class. In addition to the harsh conditions, perhaps another reason that the soldiers are composed mainly of the people with less means is that generally, once a person joins, they are required to stay in service for up to three years.
Now you may ask why or how does Mary know about the and why is she writing instead of Robert. Well, interesting, the family of the soldiers is allowed to travel with them. Moreover, wives and family are often employed by the army to cook, clean and provide medical care.
Sincerely,
X
References
Geist, C. (2004). A common American soldier. Retrieved from https://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Autumn04/soldier.cfm
Klinger, C. (2008). Who was the American soldier during the American Revolution? A historian’s perspective. Retrieved from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/revolutionarywar/articles/americanrevolution.aspx
