7. Myth: Soldiers of the Continental Army Were Always Under-equipped and Poor
Fact: Washington had to send guards to depots containing supplies because they had more equipment than they knew what to do with.
The soldiers of George Washington’s army are usually depicted as nearly starving, ill-clad, and poorly equipped in comparison to their British adversaries. While this was true in the case of several units of the army in the early years of the war, by 1779 the Continental Army was so well equipped with warm clothing and weapons from France that Washington was forced to detail troops to guard storage depots where supplies were cached for future use. The distribution of supplies remained a problem for the Americans until Washington wisely appointed the highly capable Nathaniel Greene as Quartermaster General of the American army.
Despite the improvements implemented by Greene, disbursement of supplies and clothing continued to be plagued by incompetent junior officers and by congressional interference. Even before the establishment of the United States Congress under the Constitution, the governing body developed the habit of creating committees to discuss issues and otherwise do nothing, a practice which they retained into the twenty-first century. The Continental Army was denied the supplies (and pay) to which it was entitled not because they did not exist, but because the political leadership and bureaucracy of the fledgling nation were often utterly incompetent.