ABSTRACT
In the following letters written by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, the commanding general of the Continental Army expresses his belief that native-born Americans should be given priority in recruitment, sentry duty, and other critical military situations. To do otherwise, he said, would undermine the morale of native-born troops. In addition, Washington suspected that foreign-born troops, who did not have family in North America, would have less allegiance to the patriot cause than native-born troops and would be more likely to desert the army.
