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Osprey Men at Arms #18
George Washington’s Army
This book examines the uniforms, equipment, history and organization of George Washington's Army. The chronology of the American Revolution (1763-1776) is summarized, and its major personalities introduced. Uniforms are shown in full illustrated detail.
50 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 1972
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About the author
Peter Young
317 books4 followersBrigadier Peter Young, DSO, MC & 2 bars was a British soldier & WWII veteran. He served with the Commandos during that war, ultimately commanding a Brigade. After the war, he commanded a regiment on secondment to the Jordanian Arab Legion. After his retirement from the army, he became a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and eventually also a well-respected author of books on Military History, particularly with reference to the Second World War, the English Civil War & the Napoleonic Wars.
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February 26, 2026
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S ARMY is one of the earliest Men-At-Arms titles put out by the Osprey company. They started to publish these books in the early 1970s. Based on the content and being rather short as far as page count goes, I think the target audience were the groups who played wargames with miniatures in the decades before computer games came on the scene. I believe some of these clubs still thrive in England.
This title was great! It starts off with a chronology of the war. A general background of the times, weapons, tactics and people are included.
The American officers and generals of note are listed. Washington had a military background from the Virginia militia and Seven Years War. He was with General Braddock when he was killed on the Monongahela in 1755. When he was selected to command the Continental Army he had not led troops for twenty years. "For six years he labored through hardships, shortages, discouragement, treachery, minor victories and some severe defeats to keep his army in being. Not unlike General Eisenhower in World War II he had the personal courage and quiet determination to bring the best out of a team - a balance of qualities rather than any specialized genius."
General 'Mad Anthony ' Wayne, Benedict Arnold, Gates, and Greene each have a short paragraph about them. The Frenchman Lafayette is mentioned as is Rochambeau, and Pontgibaud's observations are quoted. Speaking of Lafayetta he said, he "incurred great expense, purchasing with his own money all that was necessary to clothe, equip, and arm his men." A young Pole by the name of Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko was one of Washington's first engineers. Henry Knox, a bookseller, loved to read about military history and eventually became Washington's chief of artillery.
Colonel Henry Lee, the father of General Robert E. Lee, mounted raids. Indeed, the best American generals seemed to have been the ones leading guerrilla forces such as Marion 'the Swamp Fox' and Ethan Allen. Morgan's 'Virginians' could march 40 miles in a day and could shoot a squirrel's tail off at 100 yards 'without damaging the critter in the slightest.' It was Morgan who beat Tarleton at Cowpens, which was the inspiration for the final battle in the Mel Gibson movie 'The Patriot.'
The Prussian Von Steuben is mentioned naturally. His value is belittled by some, probably for teaching soldiers in the snow at Valley Forge how to march and the manual of arms. I must digress here a moment to point out that while a Kentucky rifleman could pick off British officers at 150 yards, their enemy could fire four rounds per minute, even if only accurate out to about 60 yards. The thing was, the British infantry could charge with fixed bayonets, regardless of loss, forcing the Americans to flee. Steuben taught the Americans not only how to fight in formation but to use the bayonet as well. This was one reason why sergeants carried halberds and officers carried spontoons. Getting back to Von Steuben, "he would 'even visit the sick in their cabins, which was hardly a common practice among generals of his day,' and after Yorktown he is said to have sold his horse in order to have the means to entertain some captured British officers."
Artillery was not used to the extent as in European battles, partly because of the lack of roads and nature of the warfare. Washington's men did somehow struggle to move some light cannon across the Delaware and into Trenton. These were put to excellent use when the Hessians tried to form up into their battle formations. In those days civilians were paid to move cannon about but once they got close to the battlefield the guns were unhitched and moved forward by the gun crews. Mary Ludwig Hays was a camp follower whose husband was on a gun crew. She was bringing water to them during a battle when her husband collapsed from heat. She took over swabbing out the barrel between shots.
Most of those fighting for independence wore buckskin or flannel hunting shirts for lack of anything better to wear, though they turned out to be quite practical. Unless they were wearing homemade moccasins they wore shoes fastened on with a huge buckle that could be worn alternately on either foot to extend the wear.
Smallpox and typhus ran rapidly through the Continental Army until vaccinations became routine. In an age when mangled limbs were frequently amputated, and no anesthetics were available, one literally would 'bite the (lead) bullet' during the 'surgery' and the washing with hot tar to cauterize the wound.
Slaves were used to dig entrenchments, which are explained in detail, while some gave military service in place of their owners. Free Negroes served as well. Edward Hector, who was a volunteer in the Third Pennsylvania Artillery, was ordered to abandon his ammunition wagon after the defeat at Brandywine. Disobeying orders, he drove his precious wagon away and even stopped to pick up discarded muskets thrown down by retreating troops. Another of note was Austin Dabney who fought on at his gun even though injured.
Not all colonists wished for independence. The book says some two thirds were loyalists. The native American Indians supported the British, but as was so often the case with native subjects of the Crown, they were alienated and not used to their full potential.
Considering what they were up against, and how things worked out, it must have been Divine Providence that ensured that the Thirteen Colonies broke free from British rule.
This title was great! It starts off with a chronology of the war. A general background of the times, weapons, tactics and people are included.
The American officers and generals of note are listed. Washington had a military background from the Virginia militia and Seven Years War. He was with General Braddock when he was killed on the Monongahela in 1755. When he was selected to command the Continental Army he had not led troops for twenty years. "For six years he labored through hardships, shortages, discouragement, treachery, minor victories and some severe defeats to keep his army in being. Not unlike General Eisenhower in World War II he had the personal courage and quiet determination to bring the best out of a team - a balance of qualities rather than any specialized genius."
General 'Mad Anthony ' Wayne, Benedict Arnold, Gates, and Greene each have a short paragraph about them. The Frenchman Lafayette is mentioned as is Rochambeau, and Pontgibaud's observations are quoted. Speaking of Lafayetta he said, he "incurred great expense, purchasing with his own money all that was necessary to clothe, equip, and arm his men." A young Pole by the name of Colonel Thaddeus Kosciuszko was one of Washington's first engineers. Henry Knox, a bookseller, loved to read about military history and eventually became Washington's chief of artillery.
Colonel Henry Lee, the father of General Robert E. Lee, mounted raids. Indeed, the best American generals seemed to have been the ones leading guerrilla forces such as Marion 'the Swamp Fox' and Ethan Allen. Morgan's 'Virginians' could march 40 miles in a day and could shoot a squirrel's tail off at 100 yards 'without damaging the critter in the slightest.' It was Morgan who beat Tarleton at Cowpens, which was the inspiration for the final battle in the Mel Gibson movie 'The Patriot.'
The Prussian Von Steuben is mentioned naturally. His value is belittled by some, probably for teaching soldiers in the snow at Valley Forge how to march and the manual of arms. I must digress here a moment to point out that while a Kentucky rifleman could pick off British officers at 150 yards, their enemy could fire four rounds per minute, even if only accurate out to about 60 yards. The thing was, the British infantry could charge with fixed bayonets, regardless of loss, forcing the Americans to flee. Steuben taught the Americans not only how to fight in formation but to use the bayonet as well. This was one reason why sergeants carried halberds and officers carried spontoons. Getting back to Von Steuben, "he would 'even visit the sick in their cabins, which was hardly a common practice among generals of his day,' and after Yorktown he is said to have sold his horse in order to have the means to entertain some captured British officers."
Artillery was not used to the extent as in European battles, partly because of the lack of roads and nature of the warfare. Washington's men did somehow struggle to move some light cannon across the Delaware and into Trenton. These were put to excellent use when the Hessians tried to form up into their battle formations. In those days civilians were paid to move cannon about but once they got close to the battlefield the guns were unhitched and moved forward by the gun crews. Mary Ludwig Hays was a camp follower whose husband was on a gun crew. She was bringing water to them during a battle when her husband collapsed from heat. She took over swabbing out the barrel between shots.
Most of those fighting for independence wore buckskin or flannel hunting shirts for lack of anything better to wear, though they turned out to be quite practical. Unless they were wearing homemade moccasins they wore shoes fastened on with a huge buckle that could be worn alternately on either foot to extend the wear.
Smallpox and typhus ran rapidly through the Continental Army until vaccinations became routine. In an age when mangled limbs were frequently amputated, and no anesthetics were available, one literally would 'bite the (lead) bullet' during the 'surgery' and the washing with hot tar to cauterize the wound.
Slaves were used to dig entrenchments, which are explained in detail, while some gave military service in place of their owners. Free Negroes served as well. Edward Hector, who was a volunteer in the Third Pennsylvania Artillery, was ordered to abandon his ammunition wagon after the defeat at Brandywine. Disobeying orders, he drove his precious wagon away and even stopped to pick up discarded muskets thrown down by retreating troops. Another of note was Austin Dabney who fought on at his gun even though injured.
Not all colonists wished for independence. The book says some two thirds were loyalists. The native American Indians supported the British, but as was so often the case with native subjects of the Crown, they were alienated and not used to their full potential.
Considering what they were up against, and how things worked out, it must have been Divine Providence that ensured that the Thirteen Colonies broke free from British rule.
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