Word: militiaization
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Congress had speedily reinforced the fewer than 1,000 able-bodied American troops besieging Quebec, a notable military victory might still have been won. But the British had already sent their own reinforcements before 6,000 Continental regulars and militia finally arrived in Canada in May. The besiegers fled southward. Even after they had united with the fresh troops, a large contingent of the American forces was routed midway between Quebec and Montreal. After struggling to He aux Noix below St. John's, they began dying by the hundreds from smallpox and dysentery. Of that fine force, fewer than...
...chief reached the Army outside Boston on July 2, 1775. He found that it had fewer than 50 cannons, hardly any powder, few trained gunners or engineers, little pay and no order at all. The men had been recruited from the Connecticut. Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Hampshire militia to meet the alarm sent out after Lexington and Concord. By tradition, they elected their own leaders, and many refused to serve with men from other parts of New England...
Despite his formidable military appearance, Washington's actual military experience was relatively slight and occurred long ago. As a novice of 22, he headed an unsuccessful militia effort, skirmishing with the French near the Ohio River, and he then spent three years patrolling the western frontiers against marauding Indians. In 1755, at the disastrous battle before Fort Duquesne, he served as an aide to the ill-fated General Edward Braddock. Washington had two horses shot from under him (and four bullet holes shot into his hat and coat) while trying to rally the men. He was cool in action...
Until last year the youngest brigadier in the Continental Army was a forger of ship anchors in Coventry, Rhode Island. He has little formal education but used to study Euclid and military history beside his forge at night. Though raised a Quaker, Greene helped form a militia troop to resist British tyranny. When other members of his troop thought he should be disqualified from command because of a game leg, Greene characteristically offered to serve as a private. But his talent as a leader, especially in acquiring and organizing supplies, was quickly noticed. He progressed from private to general within...
...this year, however, the Congress and General Washington have banned Negroes (slaves and freedmen alike) from the Continental Army-the only official exceptions being black men who have already served. The various colonies have followed suit, except for Virginia, which still permits all free men to serve in its militia. The immediate reason for the ban is to discourage slaves from leaving their masters and thus to help ensure the wholehearted commitment of the southern colonies to the war. Although the new Declaration of Independence speaks ringingly of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, such rights do not apply...