20. The Continental Army also provided written instructions individually to men of all ranks
By the time of the Franco-American victory at Yorktown, which effectively ended the hostilities of the Revolutionary War, the soldiers known as Continentals were members of a professionally officered army, with written instructions (by von Steuben) as to how they should comport themselves at all times. Since a significant portion of the Continental Army was unable to read, the instructions were read to them by an officer or non-commissioned officer. A soldier was instructed to “dress himself with a soldier like air”, and to “wash his linen and cook his provisions”. They were instructed to “acquaint himself with the usual beats and signals of the drum, and instantly obey them”.
The Continental Army began disbanding before the British evacuated New York, but enough regiments remained in place along the Hudson River for the Army to be led by the only commander it had throughout its existence, George Washington, into New York on November 25, 1783. Efforts by the troops to obtain their back pay and other promised inducements met varying levels of success. In 1818 Joseph Plumb Martin applied for a war pension for his service during the Revolutionary War and succeeding in obtaining a pension of $96 per year (about $1,800 in 2018). His service with the Continental Army had included the Battles of Long Island, Harlem Heights, Germantown, Monmouth Court House, and Yorktown, as well as others during the war. Only at Yorktown had he seen the Continental Army clearly prevail.
Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“The Gunpowder Shortage”. Jimmy Dick, Journal of the American Revolution. September 9, 2013″
“The Siege of Boston”. Donald Barr Chidsey. 1966
“The Continental Army”. Robert K. Wright, Center of Military History, U.S. Army. 1983. Online
“General George Washington: A Military Life”. Edward G. Lengel. 2005
“Supplying Washington’s Army”. Erna Risch, Center of Military History, U.S. Army. 1981. Online
“1776”. David McCullough. 2005
“A Narrative of a Revolutionary War Soldier: Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of Joseph Plumb Martin”. Joseph Plumb Martin.
“Frequently Asked Questions: Morristown National Historical Park”. National Park Service. Online
“The Magnificent Fraud”. Thomas Fleming, American Heritage Magazine. February/March 2006
“Battle of Stony Point”. Michael J. F. Sheehan, George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Online