Publication

1996 - University of South Carolina Press, Columbia, S.C, South Carolina

Language

English

Word Count

76,750 words, Guess

Page Count

307 pages

Identifiers

  • Open LibraryOL973182M
  • ISBN-101570031088
  • OCLC Control Number34564764
  • Library of Congress Control Number96010074
  • LibraryThing56442
and 1 more
  • Goodreads5067956

Classifications

  • DDC973.3
  • LCCE259 .M39 1996

Description

Belonging to the Army reveals the identity and importance of the civilians now categorized as camp followers, whom Holly A. Mayer calls the forgotten revolutionaries of the War for American Independence. These merchants, contractors, family members, servants, government officers, and military employees provided necessary supplies, services, and emotional support to the troops of the Continental Army. They served in virtually every imaginable capacity, from lifting spirits with food, drink, and dances to nursing the sick, digging ditches, and spying on and fighting against the enemy. Mayer demonstrates that by making encampments livable communities - a matter of some significance given the years it took to achieve independence - these civilians played a fundamental role in the survival and ultimate success of the Continental Army.

First Sentence

Soldiers alone do not make an army.

Excerpt

Soldiers alone do not make an army.

Subjects

Topics

HistoryArmed ForcesUnited StatesMilitary lifeCamp followersUnited States. Continental ArmyUnited states, history, revolution, 1775-1783

Places

Times

Other Editions

  • Belonging to the Army: camp followers and community during the American RevolutionUniversity of South Carolina Press1996-01-01

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