Experiences Of Men And Women In The First American Army By Bruce Chadwick

In the First American Army by Bruce Chadwick, he writes of the many stories and experiences of the men and women that fought in the revolutionary war. The examination of these experiences creates an overwhelming feeling of great determination for the colonist’s freedom and liberty from the opposing military of Great Britain. Chadwick also writes of the many disease epidemics that occurred. In addition to that he includes copious examples of the hardships of war and what the numerous enlisted soldiers, doctors, lawyers, ministers, and officers endured while living in the camps of the Colonial Army. Overall, the experiences of the men and women that fought reveal their bravery and how much they wanted liberty. The experiences of the men and women of the First American Army reveal that they all had a rough time during the war, even the Commanding Generals of the army. One example was the major smallpox epidemic that hit. The pain and suffering of those afflicted with smallpox took a heavy toll on the clerical duties of ministers such as Reverend Robbins (Chadwick, 120). Robbins also said before the epidemic hit that he and the troops did not fear the British but the smallpox disease. This disease took a toll on the American Army infecting more than a third of the two thousand five hundred troops. The epidemic got so bad that they

An example would be the love of a soldier for a woman back home. No one showed this more than Lieutenant McMichael. He wrote his wife Susanna love poems that expressed his great love for her. Most of all the soldiers had these desires for a companion during the war. They even had prostitutes that followed some of the regiments to keep the “lonely men satisfied.” The other linking theme is a major one; it is the love for ones country. One of the youngest troops John Greenwood showed this more than any. While he was playing his fife in a tavern a man shouted this “Why are you really going