The Saber and Scroll Journal Volume 9, Number 3, Winter 2020 | Page 85

Why Washington Matters : How General George Washington Saved the American Revolution
vidual of significant influence and notoriety . General Varnum wrote : “ The Congress is a baseless fabric . My fellow citizens are totally destitute of the law of equality . That is requisite to support a republic . Only an absolute monarchy or a military state alone can save us from the horrors of subjugation .” 6
All of this weighed heavily on Washington ’ s mind . Instead of responding to Varnum directly , he sought out Secretary at War Benjamin Lincoln , who previously served as a major general in the Continental Army and was Washington ’ s second in command throughout the Yorktown Campaign . Washington wrote : “ if these men who , have spent the flower of their days in establishing the freedom and independence of their country are sent home without a one filing of money , great discontent will arise . The patience and long-suffering of this army are almost exhausted .” 7 With a year passed since the end of the Yorktown Campaign and very little activity among the Continental Army , the frustration among the soldiers and ranking officers continued to grow . Washington was well aware of this and stressed to Lincoln that he was particularly concerned because the army was about to go into winter quarters once again , and he knew the misery of winter quarters . The Continental Army had come through miserable times before in the Revolution , such as at Morristown and Valley Forge , but the winter of 1782 to 1783 seemed different .
Unlike previous winters , there would be no campaign in the coming spring during which the army could look forward to securing American independence . Keeping these men together and preventing a mutiny weighed heavily on Washington . During the winter , several Continental Army officers , including some regimental leaders and members of the senior staff , gathered without Washington ’ s permission . They drafted a memorial and asked the general ’ s permission to take it to the Congress in Philadelphia . This made Washington uneasy ; it was a violation of military protocol and could be seen as a challenge to civilian authority , which Washington had always respected . Nevertheless , the situation was so dire that he feared the consequences if he prohibited his officers from taking their memorial to Philadelphia .
Colonels Ogden and Brooks and General McDougal were assigned to deliver the memorial to Congress . It began by asking the Congress , “ as the head and sovereign to hear our plea . We have borne all that men can bear in further experiments on our patients may have fatal effects .” 8 Congress accepted the memorial and gave it to a committee that deliberated for weeks . In the meantime , those previously mentioned nationalists , Morris , Morris , Madison , and Hamilton , began to devise a plan . They saw an opportunity to use the disgruntled army against the states and the Congress and force them to give greater power to the Congress . The army would demand their pay from Congress , but the only way for Congress to deliver would be if the states sent money and increased the power of the central government . Under the Articles of Confederation , the Congress was forbidden
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