The Unpopular History of the United States by Uncle Sam Himself/Chapter 8

by Harris Dickson

VIII

A STRANGER COMES

During the entire Revolutionary War of eight long years, we never whipped the British in but two fights which had the slightest effect in driving them from this continent. Only one of these battles did we gain unaided. At Stillwater we captured General Burgoyne with 5,791 men, the Continentals and militia numbering about 17,000, with a total force present and fit for duty of 13,020. Of these 9,090 were regular Continental soldiers. So that we outnumbered the British at Stillwater about two and a half or three to one. Our only other decisive victory was the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, which we shall discuss presently.

In spite of increasing bounties, and Washington’s constant pleading for a good army, his force in New Jersey when the campaign opened in March, 1777, was reduced to 3,000 men of whom 2,000 were militia engaged for no longer than the last of March. And yet the total forces of men employed by us during that year was 68,720 men.

Our wrangling, disjointed Government was just about as futile and disorganized as were our forces in the field. The Articles of Confederation, which created a loosely hung partnership of Colonies, went into effect in July, 1778. This formed a League of Friendship for common defense, the jealous purpose of which was evidently to safeguard the sovereignty of the States, and not to provide a strong Federal government. Individualism again, and not team work. The Continental Congress had no power to carry on war, to enlist a soldier, to levy taxes, nor to enforce a requisition for money or for men. Instead of vesting the war power in a central government, which alone could insure its vigorous exercise, Congress was nothing more than a consulting body of diplomats with authority to entreat but not to compel. No measures could be taken for common defense except such as were separately sanctioned by nine of the allied sovereignties. My son, I have always heard that a kind-hearted Providence watched over children and fools and the United States. We needed it. But, listen to your Uncle Samuel. Providence has a mighty big job on its hands right now, and we had better learn to crawl and stand ourselves.

Just imagine what a gabfest the Congress and state legislatures must have had when to the vacillations and delays of Congress itself were added the interminable debates of nine State legislatures. It makes me cuss to think about it. That’s why our impotent Congress passed the buck to George, appointing George Military Dictator. It is not strength, but weakness, which creates dictators over a republic. Here was Washington, preaching the equal rights of all men, yet by his solitary power raising armies and paying them, ruling millions of free men who struggled to attain an ideal of constitutional liberty. Mighty bad precedent, wasn’t it, my son? But it was up to somebody to do something, and Congress couldn’t.

They got their business in such a jam, before making Washington dictator, that the Commander-in-Chief could not even secure the promotion of an officer serving under him, an officer of known ability and skill. It was a marvel that his army muddled along at all. The Washington monument ought to be twice as high.

This year of ’78 brought a very significant factor to our shores, far more significant than anybody dreamed of at the time. A stranger came, the Prussian Baron Steuben, ex-officer of Frederick the Great. Steuben brought a knowledge of organization and discipline gained from his great master. He was appointed Inspector-General of the army, and set about getting things into shape. A fluent linguist, Steuben swore in fourteen different languages, which was none too many for those recruits. He straightened out even the three months’ men, put them under rules, and kept them under. He boiled and stewed and roasted those raw recruits until your Uncle Samuel began to get action for the money he was paying. And, my son, we are using to-day much of what we learned from Baron Steuben, using it to fight against the Prussian system which Frederick the Great created.