The British leaders, no less than Washington himself,
were humane men, and ignorance and inadequate equipment will
explain most of the hardships, though an occasional officer on
either side was undoubtedly callous in respect to the sufferings
of the enemy.
Food and clothing, the first vital necessities of an army, were
often deplorably scarce. In a land of farmers there was food
enough. Its lack in the army was chiefly due to bad transport.
Clothing was another matter. One of the things insisted upon in a
well-trained army is a decent regard for appearance, and in the
eyes of the French and the British officers the American army
usually seemed rather unkempt. The formalities of dress, the
uniformity of pipe-clay and powdered hair, of polished steel and
brass, can of course be overdone. The British army had too much
of it, but to Washington's force the danger was of having too
little. It was not easy to induce farmers and frontiersmen who at
home began the day without the use of water, razor, or brush, to
appear on parade clean, with hair powdered, faces shaved, and
clothes neat. In the long summer days the men were told to shave
before going to bed that they might prepare the more quickly for
parade in the morning, and to fill their canteens over night if
an early march was imminent.
Pages:
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161