Life As a Continental Soldier

Life as a Continental Army Soldier

During the American Revolution, the opposing sides were the Militia and the Continental Army. As a Continental Army Soldier, you were part of the first real army of the United States. George Washington was the Continental Army’s leader, or Commander. According to www.duckters.com, “The army was made up of paid volunteers who enlisted for a period of time. At first the enlistments were for shorter periods like six months. Later on in the war, the enlistments were as long as three years. The soldiers in the Continental Army trained and drilled as fighting men.”

One of the issues of the Continental Army was that they had an enlistment trouble. Many times, “slaves, British outcasts, prisoners of war, or pardoned criminals” were recruited to fight during the war. According to www.battle1777.saratoga.org, “The lack of enthusiasm for enlisting occurred for a number of reasons. The colonists' previous experience with a regular army was that with the British, who were not very well liked, as the Boston Massacre had shown. Farmers did not want to leave their fields untended for long periods of time. States competed with the Continental Congress to keep men in the militia. The pay was low and uncertain, especially in a period of inflation. No pension system existed to compensate a soldier or his family for injuries or deaths in the line of duty.”

If you were a soldier of the Continental Army, there were about 150,000 other soldiers throughout the Revolutionary War. Although, the highest it was at once was about 17,000 soldiers. You were, of course, paid for your services in the continental army. Privates of the Continental Army earned six dollars a month, sergeants received eight, and captains twenty. When you signed up for the enlistment period, a bounty of land or money were promised to you. Many of the soldiers were of eighteen to twenty-four years old.

During the Revolutionary War, many more soldiers died of diseases than of actual war combat. Diseases would spread through entire soldier campsites rather quickly. Like www.ducksters.com stated, “Soldiers had a poor diet, worn out clothes, damp shelters, and lived in unsanitary conditions.” Because of the time period, medicinal conditions were not good, and sometimes worsened an injured soldier, rather than heal. According to www.shmoop.com, about 10,000 Americans died from disease in the Revolutionary War. This site also stated “When there was no food at all, soldiers went hungry for days at a time before finding turnips, nuts, or other subsistence. When soldiers did receive real beef or other meats, they rarely had cooking utensils to use. Nevertheless, raw meat was preferable to nothing at all.”

If you were taken prisoner by the British, you were barely fed. You were kept in horrific conditions. Many of these places were near New York City. Specifically, held in prison ships. Death sentences were pretty much the same as being a British prisoner. Over 8,500 American soldiers died during British captivity. According to www.shmoop.com, 18,152 Americans were captured by British soldiers.

If you were a Continental Army soldier, you would know that most of Continental soldiers were normal Americans. People such as farmers were among those of the army. About 20 percent of white Americans were loyal to Britain during the revolution. This was about 500,000 Americans. This showed that most of what we now call the United States disagreed with Britain.

Being in the Continental Army came with many risks. Of course there is the fear of death during war or combat. Also there is fear of fear. You want to be brave, or at least give the appearance of bravery. Being in the Army is a sign of bravery and strength. As a Continental Army soldier, seen as weak, afraid, or cowardly gave the impression of a weak army, a weak Continental Army, a weak country. This was not something the British Militia could witness. Besides fear of death and fear of fear, there was fear of captivity. Being captured by the British militia was no joke. The British were, again, ruthless and horrific. They treated American captives inhumanely.

According to www.ducksters.com, “It is thought that many of the soldiers would have deserted due to the poor conditions except for the leadership of General Washington. Many wives, mothers, and children followed the army. They sewed clothes, cooked meals, tended the sick, and washed the laundry. Many of the Germans who came to American to fight for the British stayed after the war ended.” Also according to this site, “The militia was made up citizens who were ready to fight in case of an emergency. Most cities and communities in the colonies had a militia in order to fight off Indian war parties and bandits.”

As a Continental Army soldier, many sacrifices had to be made. You were forced under many severely disturbing and uncomfortable situations. Many of your fellow soldiers died due to diseases or simply due to war, and some were captured. You lived life not knowing whether that day would be your last. Ultimately, fighting for what Americans believed in and deserved was what kept you motivated. While fighting under the leadership of George Washington you won the war and defeated the British, so every sacrifice was for the greater good of America.

CITATIONS

Life as a Revolutionary war soldier. (2014). Retrieved October 11th, 2015.

The Revolutionary War Statistics. (2013). Retrieved October 12th, 2015.

A common American Soldier. (2015). Retrieved October 12th, 2015.