A Most Undisciplined and Profligate Crew by James Kirby Martin
Term Paper II
Phat Tran
Houston Community College
HIST-1302
Professor Rodolfo C. Villarreal
06/21/2019
The article explained events in the past, historians have studied that there were two
Continental armies, the first army was based on an assembly of huge landowners who were
unfamiliar with weapon, inexperienced, and wild, the another Continental army was based on the
first army but with more experiences, skilled in battlefield, and a new recruitments soldiers. The
idealism of the first Continental army was their minds and honorable pledgee to the homeland
was the key to defending against the British attacking and able to chase the British away.
However, the first Continental army quickly got overwhelmed and defeated, due to the army was
outnumbered by British and lack of skilled arms in the battle of British attacking against New
York.
After the defeat, the first Continental army changed their focus on the second Continental
army with George Washington as the leader, because of the shorted of recruitments, there was
more tough training, an important focus on command and control army. The second continental
army run into numerous difficulties, such as hunger, and poor equipment, and the soldiers
weren’t paying enough to support their own life. These struggles started the protests, rebellions,
leaving the army. Because the second Continental army consisted generally of poor lower-class
people, a peasant from many places, and the jobless. The second Continental army also used
property and financial encouragements to recruit these lower classes for their services in the
army. The second Continental army was rougher civilian people than the first Continental army,
not only the more reliable but also effective with a correctly training and guided.
The protesting had triggered the soldiers of the Continental army to marched for
Philadelphia to seek the same benefits that new inexperience’s soldiers were receiving, because
of mistreated by their leader who didn’t provide them with feed and clothe and extend their three
years contract to a longer period. Most of the soldier did not want to leave the army. However,
the demand for payment, clothing, and rights to remain or leave the army. After arriving at
Philadelphia, the soldier pleads their situation to Congress for their demand for them to remain in
the army. At the time George Washington needed the manpower for the war coming up, so the
Congress ends up granting more solid request in order to keep them in the army during the
Revolutionary War.
In the article, the author argued the reason soldiers decided to protest was because of the
government decided to forget or avoid the soldier needs and that is the governed fault. The
protest was the soldier message seeking for needs; however, the message was misunderstanding
the soldier demanding for luxurious things. Instead, they just requesting assigs on increase in
their necessary requirements such as food and clothes. This event occurring during the time
where the United States of American was just become independent from England’s governor or
support, learning to keep thing under control by establishing a government system but still a
weakness. At the time of the soldier, the protest had gained a lot of attention from citizens; for
this reason, commander George Washington struggled to convince the soldiers to stop the
protest. In contrast, Commander George Washington didn’t have to bother about food and
clothes, he couldn’t understand the other soldier lack of basics needs. And that he had
overlooked that the soldiers had a need in order to survive, and he never sees from their point of
view because he had everything at any time he desires. As a result, the government had decided
to take action into consideration solving the problem by agreeing to the soldier requirement,
providing food and clothes for all soldier, in order for their services in the future. Or else they
would all be quitting from the army, that could be troublesome during the time the United States
just regain independent from England, and there are many things the United States need to learn
to keep the country and builds an army to defend upcoming war occur.
My point of the view in the article is there is a huge communication gap between the two
Commander George Washington and the soldier. Both sides did not get their message thoroughly
in order for others to understand their desire. Because George Washington is a commander, he
already in possess a load amount of status and money. So, it would be hard for him to understand
what the soldier has to go through, mainly most of the second Continental was based on peasant
and lower classes people who did not have much. On the other hand, George Washington had
everything handed to him anytime he needs compare to the soldier who works hard and desire
for basic needs such as food and clothes. Without, proper food to eat and clothes to protection
they could suffer from the weather such winter time where is cold and hard to find food supply
for the entire army. In my opinion, the government should provide food and clothes for the army
from the beginning, for them to feel secure from being hunger or lack of protection. I also agree
with George Washington opinion about the soldier demand sometime could be too much to
handle, sometimes they didn’t realize to the reason of serving in the army was for service
protecting the country and not a shelter base.
The next reason I think the protest break out was that the US government didn’t keep
their promises when recruiting for people to join the army, like the deal that soldier released after
three years in services. However, many soldiers criticize the three years contract had been
extending to long periods.
My last point of view about events, during the conflict between the soldier and
government, happen. It is the chance for most people who were not involved in the fight to make
something of their own, the slaves could take the opportunity to reclaim their freedom rights, and
the poor could try to attain a land of their own. While the government is busy dealing with the
soldier protest, and when the conflict had finally finished those people could have a much better
life before. At the same time, the protesting soldier gets their request accepted.