A Stranger Comes
9,090 were regular Continental soldiers. So that we outnumbered the British at Stillwater about two and a half or three to one. Our only other decisive victory was the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, which we shall discuss presently.
In spite of increasing bounties, and Washington’s constant pleading for a good army, his force in New Jersey when the campaign opened in March, 1777, was reduced to 3,000 men of whom 2,000 were militia engaged for no longer than the last of March. And yet the total forces of men employed by us during that year was 68,720 men.
Our wrangling, disjointed Government was just about as futile and disorganized as were our forces in the field. The Articles of Confederation, which created a loosely hung partnership of Colonies, went into effect in July, 1778. This formed a League of Friendship for common defense, the jealous purpose of which was evidently to safeguard the sovereignty of the States, and not to provide a strong Federal government. Individualism
[43]
