The soldiers of the Continental Army suffered extreme hardships. They were usually undersupplied while they experienced the terror of combat, fighting for what George Washington called the "great cause." The close of the war brought further anxiety as promised payment was long in arrears and the under funded Congress would soon no longer require their urgent protection. The officers of the Continental Army formed the Society of the Cincinnati to perpetuate their brotherhood and maintain an organization to press Congress to fulfill its promises.
Dr. William M. Fowler Jr.
William Morgan Fowler, Jr. is a professor of history at Northeastern University, Boston and an author. He served as Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society from 1998 through 2005.
William Fowler is the author of a number of books dealing with American history including: Under Two Flags: The Navy in the Civil War; Silas Talbot Captain of the Old Ironsides; co author America and The Sea; William Ellery: A Rhode Island Politico and Lord of Admiralty; Rebels Under Sail: The Navy in the Revolution; Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy, 1783-1815; Samuel Adams: Radical Puritan; Empires at War: The French and Indian War and The Struggle for North America, 1754-1763.
Dr. William M. Fowler, Jr., professor of history at Northeastern University, recounts the cold abandonment continental soldiers faced once they finished their campaign for American Independence. Despite extreme sacrifice and valor, Fowler declares that soldiers returned home to loss and alienation.