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N0KFQ > TODAY 08.11.14 17:03l 54 Lines 2409 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 39581_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Nov 8
Path: IW8PGT<IZ3LSV<I0OJJ<N6RME<CX2SA<N9PMO<N3XPD<KQ0I<N0KFQ
Sent: 141108/1455Z 39581@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.61
Nov 8, 1775:
Washington seeks to make militias into a military
On this day in 1775, General George Washington seeks to resolve
several problems facing the army: how to encourage experienced
troops to enlist, how to assemble a capable officer corps and how
to overcome provincial differences and rivalries. Describing the
problems, he wrote, "Connecticut wants no Massachusetts man in
her corps. Massachusetts thinks there is no necessity for a Rhode
Islander..."
Just as the British had discovered the difficulties of waging war
with obstreperous Yankees for soldiers during the Seven Years'
War, Washington, the Virginia planter-cum-soldier, was
unimpressed upon meeting his supposed army outside Boston after
being appointed commander in chief of Continental forces in 1775.
He saw "stupidity" among the enlisted men, who were used to the
easy familiarity of being commanded by neighbors in local
militias with elected officers. Washington promptly insisted that
the officers behave with decorum and the enlisted men with
deference. Although he enjoyed some success with this original
army, the New Englanders went home to their farms at the end of
1775, and Washington had to start fresh with new recruits in
1776.
Washington fought an uphill battle for military order until
Friedrich von Steuben arrived at the Continental Army encampment
at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778. The Prussian military
officer commenced training soldiers in close-order drill,
instilling new confidence and discipline in the demoralized
Continental Army. Before von Steuben's arrival, colonial American
soldiers were notorious for their slovenly camp conditions. Von
Steuben insisted on reorganization to establish basic hygiene,
ordering that kitchens and latrines be put on opposite sides of
the camp, with latrines facing a downhill slope. Just having
latrines was a novelty to the Continental troops, who were
accustomed to living in their own filth.
On the merit of his efforts at Valley Forge, Washington
recommended that von Steuben be named inspector general of the
Continental Army; Congress complied. In this capacity, von
Steuben propagated his methods throughout the Patriot forces by
circulating his "Blue Book," entitled "Regulations for the Order
and Discipline of the Troops of the United States."
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
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