The Revolutionary War Soldier
Editor’s Note: In preparation for the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution, the Four Rivers Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) Member William Sanders is sharing messages of the impact of the war on today’s society.
Toby Keith wrote a song a few years ago entitled 'AMERICAN SOLDIER'. Look it up on YouTube with the lyrics; if it doesn't make your eyes water, you have something wrong with you eyes. Although it says “soldier,” it honors everyone who served in all the branches. This column seems more appropriate than ever, as our nation is now involved in another war. This month I am going to try and contrast the American Soldier with the British Soldier in the American Revolution.
On the American side, the most youthful ages ranged from 18 to 25, with the youngest being 14. There was no lying about their age to the draft board – they just went. Some older volunteers were in their 60's and 70's. While the British were from 17 to 25, their youngest soldiers were 12. Many were in their 40's, joining the British Army as a second career.
The size of the Continental Army is believed to have been between 230,000 and 250,000 men. When you add in the militia, it may have been as many as 375,000 men. As I have shared before, it was never that big at any given time, because individuals served multiple hitches. Hitches are not something you have on the bumper of your truck. They are periods of enlistment. Boy, I bet their DD214's must have been a mess. The British Army's highest number was 149,282 men, this included all personnel (cooks, clerks, and the colonel's driver).
We lost 25,000 during the war – 6,800 to 8,000 KIA (killed in action), 17,000 to disease ( smal lpox , dysenter y, typhus, malaria, and influenza); 25,000 were wounded, which is amazing considering how they lined up eyeball to eyeball and shot at each other. This casualty report is hard for me to get my head around, because only 80 years later, we had another war – the American Civil War – which lasted only 4 years, half as long and 620,000 died.
So, they lost as many as we did. We gave as good as we got. Why did we not whip them sooner? Why did it drag out for 8 years? Were their generals too cocky and arrogant? Was TEA TIME their downfall? I don't know, maybe. One thing I do know is that their army was made up of Professional Soldiers. One of them was my Great-Great-Great Grandfather. I actually have ancestors that fought on both sides. Not in the Civil War, just this war. In the Civil War, 80 years later, my family was Gray through and through. The one that fought on the British side was a German Hessian (a mercenary-someone who fights for pay). He was captured and changed sides.
We are going to take a deep dive here into what the British Army looked like. They were volunteers and career soldiers. The military life was all they knew, unlike our men who were farmers and merchants. To get into their army, you had to be fit before you enlisted, not get fit at basic training. Most of them were very experienced with 5 to 15 years service under their belts. Their training put us to shame, with new recruits receiving 6 months to 2 years training, before they came to the colonies. Pensions were given to those with 20 years service, with many who enlisted during the Revolution receiving land grants in Canada. If anything was their downfall, I think it was to fact that around 20% brought their wives and children with them to the colonies. We just wore them down, and outlasted them.
How smart were the British compared to us? The literacy rate of our men was between 70 and 80%. While we don't have a percentage for the British, we know that most of their men could either read or write. For those that could not, regimental schools were formed to teach reading, writing, and basic math.
As I end this column, I want to speak a few minutes about Iran. You might have a friend, neighbor, or relative somewhere over there right now. Whether you agreed with us being over there or not is your opinion, and you have a right to it. The main thing I want you to think about is that there are mamas and daddies that have sons and daughters over there. There are children that have parents there. Wives have husbands there, and husbands have wives there. Every time you hear or think about it, say a prayer for them, till this is over. Pray that they will come home safely to the ones they love, and who love them.
