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Patriots who wanted to fight could enlist in Washington’s Continental Army or join their state militia. The militias were less organized and less disciplined. But they provided crucial support for the army in many battles.
Minutemen were special groups of militia that formed just before the Revolution. They were ready to respond to a British attack “in a minute.” Boys as young as 14 could join the army with their parents’ permission. There was no upper age limit. Loyalists—colonists who stayed loyal to Great Britain—either joined the British army or formed their own militias.
▲ Because many British felt sympathy for the American cause, King George III found it hard to raise troops to fight across the Atlantic. As a solution, he paid soldiers from small German states to fight. Many came from Hesse-Cassel, so they were all called Hessians.
▲ The army was closed to women. But a few, like former indentured (bound by contract) servant Deborah Sampson, dressed up as men and joined. Once, Sampson hid a serious thigh wound so she wouldn’t have to undress and reveal her identity. She later caught yellow fever. The doctor discovered she was a woman. To her surprise, she was given an honorable discharge, probably because of her courage on the battlefield.
The well-dressed British soldiers were called redcoats after the color of their jackets. Americans from the northeast colonies jokingly called them lobsterbacks, because cooked lobsters are bright red. ▶
◀ Soldiers in the Continental Army had to provide their own shirts, pants, socks, and shoes. When their shoes wore out, many tied rags around their feet. At Valley Forge, bloody footprints in the snow showed how soldiers suffered.
◀ The British tried to get slaves to join their army by promising them freedom. Some slaves who joined the British became free. Others didn’t. At least 5,000 free African Americans fought on the Patriot side. One was Lemuel Haynes. He later became the first black in America to serve as the pastor of a white congregation.
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▲ Flintlock muskets with sharp bayonets were standard weapons in both armies. When the trigger was pulled, a piece of flint (very hard rock) hit a piece of metal. This made sparks. These set the gunpowder on fire. The explosion fired a ball out of the muzzle. For accuracy, soldiers waited until the enemy was near before firing. After firing several times, soldiers charged the opposing forces with their bayonets.
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About 20,000 Patriot women followed their husbands to war. They cooked, did laundry, and nursed the sick. A few went with their men into battle. The legend of Molly Pitcher may be based on several of these “half-soldiers.” Mary Hays, called Molly, carried water in large pitchers to soldiers fighting on the battlefield. On June 28, 1778, at the Battle of Monmouth, Molly helped her husband with the cannon. An enemy shot tore off part of her petticoat, but she kept going!
Both British and American soldiers carried various items. In the Continental Army, five or six men slept in the same tent. They also cooked meals, or “mess,” together. They became known as messmates. Each group of messmates was issued an iron pot to cook food over an open fire. They didn’t get a lot of food. Since the pots were very heavy, they were often thrown away during long marches. ▶
