ABSTRACT
In 1776, the most immediate concern for Washington and the Rebel cause was finding a way to defeat British arms. To secure pubic support, maintain soldier morale, and have any hope for receiving foreign recognition and aid, the Continental Army had to show that it possessed some chance of success. And it had yet to do so. British arms appeared invincible. Even if they could prove their mettle, the task before them would remain daunting. One battle victory would not win the war. The Rebels had to supply and train an army, and find a way to defeat an enemy that possessed numerous advantages: skilled generals, great naval superiority, an organized army, the ability to hire mercenaries, and plenty of armaments. For the Rebels, conducting a guerilla-style war, where soldiers lived off the land and were politicized to fight, was not an option. General Charles Lee had recommended this to the Continental Congress, but Washington insisted on meeting the British on their terms. He would construct an army to fight in a traditional European style. Soldiers should fight because they feared the consequences of not following their officers’ orders. Politicizing the “rabble” was considered dangerous. Moreover, success of arms in a traditional manner, Washington believed, would earn respect for the American cause in Europe. Rebellion of colonists from their mother country was a radical enough measure in the eyes of European governments without compounding it further by political and social radicalism among the people. The tension of defining what the Revolution meant to Americans proceeded through the course of war and after.
