"Quebec 1775" Topic

"In 1775, five years before Karl von Clausewitz was born, the Second Continental Congress was already applying the Prussian's dictum that war is only a continuation of national policy by other means. Early in that session the Congress made two commitments that were to change the colonies' form of resistance from rebellion to all-out war. The first was to appoint a committee to draw up the organization of a Continental army. Then, on 15 June, George Washington was named "to command all the Continental forces, raised or to be raised, for the defense of American liberty." At the same time it appointed Washington general in chief of the army, Congress appointed other officers. Four were named major generals: Artemas Ward, Israel Putnam, Charles Lee, and Philip Schuyler.

Washington assumed command of the army when he arrived at Boston on 3 July. By then the action at Bunker Hill had established in everyone's mind the idea that pitched battles were to be the realities of the future, so Washington set about preparing the army for that type of warfare. That meant instilling discipline, an uphill fight in the face of the conviction so endemic to New Englanders that any man was as good as another. This concept, inspiring as it may have been in a town meeting, had an opposite effect on Washington's efforts to build a force that would stand up in battle. Organizing a disciplined army occupied Washington's attention for a long time after his arrival…."

link

Main page
link

Part II here

Amicalement
Armand

no link attached for Part II

Sorry… I missed… search Main page in Part I…

Amicalement
Armand