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The Militia and the Continental Army
There were two main groups of soldiers who fought on the American side during the Revolutionary War.
One group was the militia. The militia was made up citizens who were ready to fight in case of an emergency. Most cities and communities in the colonies had a militia in order to fight off Indian war parties and bandits. Most of the men between the ages of 16 and 65 were members of the militia. They only trained a few times a year.
The other group of American soldiers was the Continental Army. The Continental Congress established the Continental Army as the first real army of the United States. They made George Washington the commander. The army was made up of paid volunteers who enlisted for a period of time. At first the enlistments were for shorter periods like six months. Later on in the war, the enlistments were as long as three years. The soldiers in the Continental Army trained and drilled as fighting men.
How many soldiers were there?
As many as 150,000 men fought as part of the Continental Army over the course of the Revolutionary War. However, there were never nearly that many serving at the same time. The largest the army was at one time was around 17,000 soldiers.
Were the soldiers paid?
When soldiers signed up for an enlistment period they were promised to receive a bounty at the end of the time. The bounty was either money or land. They also received a monthly salary: privates earned $6, sergeants $8, and captains $20. Soldiers had to buy their own uniforms, gear, and weapons with their own money, however.
Who joined the Continental Army?
People from all walks of life and from all the different colonies joined the Continental Army. This included farmers, tradesmen, preachers, and even slaves. Some slaves were offered their freedom for fighting. Many poor people saw the bounty of land as a way to better themselves.
How old were the soldiers?
The soldiers were of all ages from young boys to old men. The majority of the soldiers, however, were ages 18-24. Young boys in the army worked as messengers, water carriers, and drummers.
Medicine and Disease
During the Revolutionary War more soldiers died from disease than from combat. Soldiers had a poor diet, worn out clothes, damp shelters, and lived in unsanitary conditions. Diseases such as smallpox and typhus killed thousands of soldiers.
Hospitals and medicine were not very good at this time in history. An injured soldier was often better off if he was left to heal by himself rather than being treated by a doctor.
What if you were taken prisoner?
Perhaps the worst thing that could happen to a soldier was to be taken prisoner. The British treated their prisoners terribly. Over 8,500 American soldiers died while in prison, that's almost half of all the American deaths during the war. The British barely fed the prisoners and kept them in crowded disgusting conditions. Many prisoners were held in prison ships near New York City. Getting sent to one of these ships was practically a death sentence.
QUESTIONS :
1. Imagine you are a Soldier in the Revolutionary War, What would you be thinking about for your future? (family, freedom, and sacrifice)
2. During the War who had the most advantages weigh out all the options and put your personal thoughts?
1. If I was a soldier in the revolutionary war I probably would not know what to think. As many advantages as the British had I am sure I would think about leaving the army to go home to my family if I was a colonist. If I was a British I probably would have thought we got this, and not have any doubts.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that the British had more advantage than the colonist. I believe this because they had a whole country supporting them, and all the goods they needed. The colonist only had thirteen colonies. Also the British was about five times bigger than the colonist
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If I was a soldier during this war, I would be thinking about a lot of things actually. My mind would be going through all of the horrifying moments that I've seen. But, I would also be thinking about my family. After all I've left them to fight in this war. I left them with no man to take order in the house, no man to hunt for food and trade to gain items for our needs. But, I left to fight for my families freedom. So we can be free from the rules and taxes from the Mother country. Our future will hopefully be bright. Just back to the old taxes that we could pay.
ReplyDeleteThe continental Army was made up of farmers, tradesmen, slaves, and preachers. In my opinion, the continental army would have less of an advantage because they were made up of people who wasn't trained in the proper way, whe. The British were the most powerful empire, and had the biggest army, who was well trained. 171
If I were a Colonial soldier in the Revolutionary War, I would be looking to the future to see if it was really all worth it in the end. If you got captured, you were sent to a prison in absolutely horrendous conditions were you would most likely die. However, if you help win the war but die in one of these prisons, you can die knowing you helped give your family a better life apart from British control.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in the Revolutionary War, the British had a much larger advantage over the Colonists. They had better soldiers, doctors, weapons, supplies, and almost anything you could think of for a war, but the Americans still won. Granted we had some help from France. Still, this showed that anyone can win a war, even if you are a bunch of colonies fighting the most powerful country in the world.
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This weeks blog post is about being a soldier during the revolutionary war.
ReplyDeleteTo be completely honest, I'd hate to be the revolutionary war. This is mainly becuase with my luck, I would be the first to get shot. But in all seriousness, I would be scared for my family (saying I would have a wife and kids). If I was to get seriously hurt or wounded, they wouldn't have advanced medical procedures and medicine like we have today. This means that I could die and put my family at risk. It would be too hard for my wife to raise the children, be a single mom, work the farm, and etc. My future and my familes future would be at serious risk if I were to get hurt.
Personally, I think that the colonists (continental army) were favored in this war. Although they had unexperienced soldiers, they had the best and most strategic general, George Washington, and they had a major ally with France. The turning point in the war was when France joined, becuase they were such a big help. The British troops were very well trained, but the Continental Army had George Washington.
To wrap this up, I would hate being a soldier and I think that the Continental Amry deserved to win the war.
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If I where a soldier in the war I would be thinking about my family. I would honestly fight as hard as I could ju to get back to my family. I couldn't imagine what I would put my family through if I died. I would look down from heaven and ask God to bless my husband with another woman.
ReplyDeleteIn this war I believe that the British had a very much larger advantage of winning. This is only because of the supply of ammo they had.
If I was a soldier in the Revolutionary war my future thoughts would be how I would treat my family and how I would take care of them and hope that I wouldn't die so I could go back home to my family and friends I love and care about. During the war the British had more advantages because they had a strong enough army to fight the other army with. I think this because I have learned more than people think I have learned about the Revolutionary war and the continental army and the British army and who knows what our country would be like if Britain still controlled us. WC 111
ReplyDelete1.) if I was a soldier in the war , I would be very worried about my family , wanting to make sure I could stay for them. I would fight hard for God , and do the best that I could . I'd also want to live, but everything that is done, is done through God's will.
ReplyDelete2.) The British really had the most advantages, they were the strongest and the richest countries at this time. They had more ammo, more guns , they had a lot more ships , and more soldiers. However in my opinion, America had smarter generals , and we used what we had wisely. (110 words)
2. The British had the most advantages because their way of war was way better than Americas way. We were old time i.e. And very new to the whole thing so that didn't help
ReplyDelete1. If I was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, I would be thinking mainly of my family. My family would mean everything to me, and I wouldn't want to leave them. Another thing that I would think about often is freedom. Obviously soldiers didn't have the best living conditions, and being captured by the British was basically a death sentence. I would be waiting for the day that I could leave these conditions and come home to my family.
ReplyDelete2. Clearly, the British had the biggest advantage. They had the best army and were the biggest empire in the world. They had tons of well trained men and enough clothes and food, while the colonists didn't have any of those things. However, the colonists did have a few advantages over the British. For one, they had a better fighting style. They didn't fight "properly" like the British. They just ran around and used their surroundings to help them fight. Also, they knew the land better than the British.
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1. If I was a solider in the Revolutionary war i would think about many things. There are two things that I would probably think about the most. The life I had before I went into the war and the life I had afterwards. My biggest concern with being in war is how my family would survive with out me being the bread winner. How my wife would feel raising the kids on her own.
ReplyDelete2. During the war I think that the British had the most advantage because the were the biggest in just about everything. But that did not stop us from winning.
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If I was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and I had to think about my future of only three things I would probably choose Family. Family is probably one of the most important things in your entire life and if you are a soldier and you are very far away from them, you will start to think of them and all the memories you had with them. During the war, the British probably had the most advantages since they were the strongest and their prisons were terrible an many people would die in the prisons. But the Americans were weak but somehow pulled it out the bag and beat the British.
ReplyDelete(112 words)
The thoughts I would have as a soldier would be based off of my family. I would always think how my children are growing up and if they were having fun. If school was going well for them, or if they made any new friends, or if they were getting bullied. I would also think of how my husband was doing. If work was going well, and if he was doing fine. If him and the kids were happy right now and nothing bad is happening in their lives without me there. Since, all of that would be going through my head, I would probably write them letters or attempt to. I would promise that'll be able to go home safe. They don't have to worry about me and they can worry about themselves. I would defiantly come home to them. Or if I couldn't go home to them I would defiantly sacrifice my self for their freedom and love. Even though I wouldn't want to live a life without them, I would pray for the right answer, and even if that answer was to die for them I would.
ReplyDeleteThe British had a lot more advantages then the Americans, but the Americans had George Washington on their side. So, I think even with the advantages the British had the Americans had another advantage as well. Who won in the end though? The Americans did everything they possibly could and that ambition made them win and having George Washington on their side.
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If I was a solider in the revolutionary war I would be thinking about one day returning to my family and trying to not think about what could happen to me. I would probably worry about my children growing up without me and how their lives were going without me. I would think about how my wife and my whole family.
ReplyDeleteI think the British had mad the most advantages mostly because they had more soldiers, more supplies. They also had a whole country supporting them. The British had the biggest and best army and navy with well trained soldiers.
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If I was a soldier I would be thinking about for my future as my life and my family's life. Another would be the fact that I am sacrificing my life and family's for freedom from Great Britain.
ReplyDeletePersonally I think that they were even since they both had advantages and disadvantages. On think that Britain had was the fact that they had a large navy base and was the top power of this time. The patriots however had an advantage on territory, and that the British where fighting from across the ocean and there navy was not very useful. (Word count 100)
I would think about what I would do after the war. I wouldn't think about the dying is scary. I would think about my family also when the war was over. I would be happy to see them after the war was over. I would think about the diseases that I might get it from not showering or proper hygiene because you wouldn't have a shower or a sink to clean up in. I would also think about the money I would make from being in the war.
ReplyDeleteThe British was more powerful than the Americans. The British had more supplies and weapon. They also had back up from other countries if they needed it. The Americans didn't have it or people but they knew they land better then the British did
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I personally would have way too many thought if I was in the Revolutionary War. If we win the war and it was completely over, I would have some things to do. I would obviously go straight home and visit with my family and friends and let them know I was safe.
ReplyDeleteI think the militia (British) had a better chance. The reasons and or options are because they had access to a lot of supplies. They also had well trained men, polite men, weapons, good shelter, and much much more!!! I personally would have thought that would have one. The end.
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ReplyDeleteIf I were a solider in the revolutionary war I would probably be thinking about my family. My family would be my number one concern and always on my mind. Especially if having children they would always be on my mind. They were definitely be not hard to think about it.
ReplyDeleteDuring the war the British had advantages. We don't have that many advantages. The British knew how to fight and also had a ton of weapons on top of that they were actually well fed and well we really weren't. we also have no idea how to fight and barely enough weapons.
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1. If I were a solider in the army I would be thinking about how hard I want to fight for not just my freedom but the other people's freedom as well. I also would be think about the next time I get to see my family members. I would also be thinking about the sacrifice that others have done for our country. It takes a lot to sacrifice your life for someone else because that person also has a family.Then there are some that are willing to sacrifice their life for there country. If this were me I would sacrifice my life because I'm doing it for a purpose and my purpose is for my family and other people and my country.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the British had a bigger advantage because they had more experience, and had more money, and supplies. They also were more well trained and proper in their way of fighting. They also didn't know how to deal with gorilla warfare.
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1) If I was in the war I would be looking forward to going home and seeing my family. The only thing I would be nervous about would be if when I left they needed more people and as soon as I told my family i was coming they would call me back.
ReplyDelete2) I feel lie the British had ore power than than the Americans. The British had more experience and many more weapons. They also had other countries that were allies and would come in and help them. The americans only had other Indian tribes. While fighting the Americans won more Battle.
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1. If i was a soldier back then I probably would have been fighting for freedom because of this would have probably been think about the future and the next generation this is because if you were thinking about the future generation and your children you would want them to be free. Most people want to do this so that there children would have a better life so they would have a chance to do something great in there life.
ReplyDelete2. I want to say the colonies but i think that England actually did. I believe this because they were the mother country they had control over everything even some other countries. So because of all of this they had the advantage even if they didn't know the terrain of they underestimated the colonies they had more power more weapons well pretty much more everything. So because of this they had the advantage in the war. There is e point that they did win the war in the end but if you are looking at the reason they won it would be because they had the advantage.
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1. The pros and cons--one of the things that I would be thinking about for the future would be my family. what would my decisions reflect on their future.I would be scared that I would be injured/die and I would leave them to fend for themselves. Even though I would be serving my country probably. There would be small bits of me that would be concerned with the future. And what it held.
ReplyDelete2. Who had the most advantages in the war. Well, to start off the war Britain had the most advantages because The Britons were on a hill and they could see all the ports and they could shoot down. But it was very hard to shoot from below. And the Americans were struggling at first because they were literally fighting an uphill battle. The war went on and it's switched. The Americans were having more success than the Britons and the Britons we're struggling. The struggle was forced upon the Britons because they were so worried about being proper and they did not know how to guerrilla warfare fight.
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1. The pros and cons--one of the things that I would be thinking about for the future would be my family. what would my decisions reflect on their future.I would be scared that I would be injured/die and I would leave them to fend for themselves. Even though I would be serving my country probably. There would be small bits of me that would be concerned with the future. And what it held.
ReplyDelete2. Who had the most advantages in the war. Well, to start off the war Britain had the most advantages because The Britons were on a hill and they could see all the ports and they could shoot down. But it was very hard to shoot from below. And the Americans were struggling at first because they were literally fighting an uphill battle. The war went on and it's switched. The Americans were having more success than the Britons and the Britons we're struggling. The struggle was forced upon the Britons because they were so worried about being proper and they did not know how to guerrilla warfare fight.
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If I were a soldier during the revolutionary war, there would be several thoughts going through my mind. Assuming I have a family at the time of fighting, I would really try to be careful so that the rest of my family wouldn’t have to suffer. I would also be concerned about freedom. One of the major outcomes of the war was independence from Britain, and that’s really what needed to happen. Fighting in the militia was a huge sacrifice to America’s cause, so it really would make me feel rather proud of myself for assisting the area with its needs.
ReplyDeleteI think both sides had fair advantages for several reasons. For one, Britain had the strongest navy in the world at that times, very wealthy, and had a lot of people. On the other hand, however, British soldiers had to travel by ship to get to America and the continental army already knew the land better than the British soldiers.
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if i were a soldier in the revolutionary war, i probably wouldnt be doing much thinking. i would just hope i survive to be with my family and watch my kids grow. i i would try my best to stay alive because i know how hard it is to loose a loved won.
ReplyDeletei think that in the revolutionary war, the britsh had the advantage because they obviously would have more improved and educated weapons. they also had great strategies and technique. england was also the most powerful country in the world. although america did win, the british were suspected to win.
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1.If I was a solider in the Revolutionary War, I would think about how my choice would effect my family. I am fighting to protect them but I have also left them to hope that I'll return. But instead of dwelling on the things that would only make me sad, I would think of what I'm fighting for.
ReplyDelete2.At first, one would assume that England had the upper hand because they were the strongest empire in the world at the time. They had a very strong and experienced military when the colonists didn't have an organized military because the British military was their military before the revolution. Overall,even though they ultimately didn't win,the British had the upper hand. (120 words)
1. If I were a soldier in the revolutionary war I would feel that every decision that I made would always find a way to affect my family. Every decision I make will of course affect my future with my family, job, life, and other things. I would also be torn between fighting for the country and staying to protect my family. I would also just feel obligated to fight for my family, would miss them dearly. I would want my family to be free of all these awful taxes.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the British had more advantages. Mostly because the British were known around the world as the strongest. It was also known that they were extremely advanced. I would also think that they would be advanced weapon wise.
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1. Imagine you are a Soldier in the Revolutionary War, What would you be thinking about for your future? (family, freedom, and sacrifice)
ReplyDeleteIf I were to think about my future while a soldier in the Revolutionary war than the only thing I would be thinking about is that I hope I would still be there and not die in war. Now I would probably be thinking about the government and how our country would be set up but for the majority I would just not try to die. You can’t think about the future if you die in the present.
2. During the War who had the most advantages weigh out all the options and put your personal thoughts?
During the war, I would have to say that England had the most advantages for the majority of the time. Well, that is until the French showed up to help us. Before the French showed up, the British outnumbered us, had more resources, actually had a navy, had the best military in the world at that time, and had better weaponry. The one thing we did have was the ability to do guerrilla warfare which worked out pretty well.
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1. If I was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, my main concern would be to fight for my freedom and live to say I did. I would also be concerned for the safety of my friends and family who might also be fighting in the War with me or are doing their best to stay out of action and not die.
ReplyDelete2. Although Britain had the vast wealth and the large army, the colonists knew the land better and, eventually, had the French on their side. Both sides had different advantages, but in my opinion, the colonists had a bit of a bigger advantage.
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