Why do you think a soldier in the Contienental Army might consider deserting?

Answer 1

Because he was hungry, had not a decent meal since he could remember, never got the rations he had been promised, and knew there was no prospect of this changing. He was cold. At Valley Forge the army did not even go into winter quarters until almost Christmas. There was already a foot of snow on the empty plain selected for a camp, and he had to go Into the Woods, cut trees and drag them back, to erect his own cabin, and all these were not built until the end of January. Two years later at Morristown the winter was even worse and conditions more grueling. If he was lucky he was wearing rags, if not, he was nearly naked. Chances are he was barefoot. He had not so much as seen a paymaster in months, not even one doling out the basically worthless paper money of congress. He knew his army lacked everything in the way of equipment and supplies, frequently being desperately short of gunpowder or flints, without which he could not fire his weapon. His officers were not always the best, though most meant well, and almost every time he fought a large battle, he lost. What medical care there was was just as likely to kill as cure you. And the Army insisted on strict discipline, and he might be flogged, hanged or shot for any trivial offense, or for no offense if his officers or NCOs took a dislike to him. The wonder is that any men stayed. Washington's army was about to disband at the end of 1776, as the men had all been enlisted for that one year. This was what impelled Washington to cross the Delaware, and strike his blow at Trenton the day after Christmas. That startling success gave the men some satisfaction. But they were still counting the hours until they could head home. Washington wanted to follow up with another move, and so had the men assembled and spoke to them. He had sent to Philadelphia, where Robert Morris, the "financier of the Revolution" received word from Washington that a supply of hard money (silver and gold coins) was absolutely indispensable to keep the army from dissolving. Morris came through and Washington was able to offer all men who would stay ten dollars of real money. No one stepped forward. Washington tried again. He said you have done all we asked of you, and more than could be expected, but we know not how to spare you. If you will stay, you will have the chance to render more important service than you ever will have again. This last appeal, plus the $10 in cash, kept the army in existence and allowed Washington to march to his victory at Princeton, and free New Jersey, which had been overrun. At the end of the war the Continentals got a final screwing, as there was no money in the Treasury to pay them the months, or years, of back pay they had coming. They were given "certificates", showing to the penny how much they had coming, and they were allowed to keep their muskets, and were sent off home. Waiting outside the camp was a class of speculators who had immediately sprang into existence, willing to offer the men three cents on the dollar, maybe five cents if they felt generous, for their certificates. Since no one knew when, or if ever, these certificates would be paid, and they were all penniless, without the means to feed themselves as they walked home, many accepted whatever offer they could get. Ten years later, during Washington's first term as president, the issue of the certificates arose. Some were for paying the then current holders of the certificates what they had paid to acquire the certificates, plus some interest, and then hunting up the old soldiers to pay them the rest. Another faction led by Hamilton, who wanted to see the immediate creation of a "moneyed class" with sufficient funds to invest in "capital projects", wanted to see the current holders of the certificates paid the full face value. Hamilton's faction carried the day, the speculators got a tremendous windfall from Uncle Sugar, and the old soldiers got nothing. If they lived until about 1820 they could apply for an insultingly small pension.

Answer 2

The Continental Army was all the militia, minutemen, etc. of the Original Thirteen Colonies joined together under the command of George Washington.