Becoming Men of Some Consequence Jeffersonian America Jan Ellen Lewis, Peter S. Onuf, and Andrew O’Shaughnessy, Editors Becoming Men of Some Consequence youth and military service in the revolutionary war John A. Ruddiman university of virginia press charlottesville and london University of Virginia Press © 2014 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper First published 2014 isbn 978-0-8139-3617-8 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 library of congress cataloging-in-publication data is available from the Library of Congress. Contents Acknowledgments vii Introduction 3 “The Eyes of All Our Countrymen Are Now Upon Us”: 1 Ambition, Coercion, and Choice in Joining the Army 17 “We Were Young Men with Warm Hearts”: Manhood 2 in the Continental Army 57 “Feared by Many, Loved by None”: Relationships 3 between Soldiers and Civilians 90 “To Quit the Service of Their Country”: Young Men’s 4 Decisions to Leave the Continental Army 117 “Yield the Tribute Due to Merit”: Young Veterans 5 after the War 147 Conclusion 179 Notes 191 Bibliography 233 Index 261 Acknowledgments I can hardly begin to count my debts of obligation and grati- tude accumulated during this project. All shortcomings and errors are mine alone, and without the support of key institutions and assistance from my mentors, colleagues, friends, and family, I could not have done this work. This project has carried me to a great many institutions, and I am pleased to thank their librarians and staff. Kathy Ludwig at the David Li- brary of the American Revolution provided crucial early guidance. Con- rad Wright of the Massachusetts Historical Society offered key advice at several stages of this project. Stephen Nonack of the Boston Athenaeum kindly encouraged my work. Linda Showalter of the Marietta College Special Collections provided crucial assistance from afar. Ellen Clark at the Library of the Society of the Cincinnati generously welcomed me into that remarkable archive. I also would like to thank the librarians of the American Antiquarian Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, the New-York His- torical Society, the Library of the New York State Historical Association, the Phillips Library of the Peabody Essex Museum, the Rhode Island Historical Society, the Virginia Historical Society, and Manuscripts and Archives at Yale University. It was marvelous to explore their collections, and I thank them for permission to cite materials under their care. Numerous institutions have generously supported my work. I am grateful to have received funding from the David Library of the American Revolution, the Society of the Cincinnati Fellowship at the Massachu- setts Historical Society, the Mellon Fellowship at the Virginia Historical Society, the Washington College Research Fellowship at the Boston Ath- enaeum, a fellowship from the Library of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Salvatori Fellowship of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, as well as a grant from the William C. Archie Fund and a valuable research leave from Wake Forest University. Early America is a field rich with brilliant historians. I count myself lucky to have learned from their scholarship, example, and advice. Joanne Freeman has guided and encouraged me across this project. After George Washington’s death, Alexander Hamilton grudgingly admitted that the old man “was an aegis very essential to me.” I am proud to note that Joanne remains a mentor very essential to me. Her enthusiasm for the wonders of the archive continues to inspire me. My work in this book has benefited immensely from the counsel of Jon Butler and John Demos, as well as the insights and advice of Adam Arenson, Benjamin Carp, Caroline Cox, Kathleen DuVal, Holly Mayer, John McCurdy, John Murrin, Lindsay O’Neill, and Wendy Warren. Thoughtful and challenging suggestions by Richard Holway of the University of Virginia Press and its anonymous readers also greatly improved this manuscript. I am beyond fortunate that Wake Forest University has become my academic home. My students are enthusiastic and my colleagues wise and encouraging. In particular, I would like to thank Lisa Blee, Michele Gil- lespie, Michael Hughes, and Monique O’Connell for reading drafts and offering advice, and Simone Caron, Robert Hellyer, Jeff Lerner, and Tony Parent for their counsel. If I may spread my gratitude farther afield, allow me to offer thanks to Ben Waterhouse and Catherine Keyser, old friends, fellow teachers, and comrades-in-arms through many campaigns. Finally, I thank my family. My sisters, Jillian and Jayne, have listened patiently to history stories their whole lives. My endlessly encouraging parents, John and Joan, have always supported our education and endeav- ors. At last, let me offer my gratitude to my wife Kate for her persistent questions, patience, and love. viii Acknowledgments Becoming Men of Some Consequence Quebec Fishkill Newburgh West Point Stony Point Montreal Morristown New York Princeton Hallowell Monmouth Ticonderoga S Valley Forge Trenton Germantown N Brandywine Philadelphia Saratoga I IROQUOIA Ipswich Cooperstown A Albany T Brookfield Boston N Providence U Danbury O Newport M New York Fort Pitt Carlisle Trenton Philadelphia N A Winchester I H C Richmond Yorktown A L A P Guilford Court House P A Kings Mountain Cowpens Camden Wilmington Charleston 0 100 200 miles Towns and battles in Revolutionary America. Introduction They sought out the old fortune-telling woman in the war’s fifth summer. Twenty-three-year-old Dr. Zuriel Waterman, his older brother George, and their younger friend Jonathan Rice had already seen their Rhode Island home become the seat of war, first with the British occupation of Newport in 1776, then in the ill-fated attempt to dislodge the king’s forces in 1778. War had brought new opportunity and demands: after two months of medical instruction in 1777, Zuriel had entered the service of the armies of the United States, working for a brief spell as a surgeon in a New Hampshire regiment, then turning out again with the local militia in 1778. Yet life went on despite war’s disruptions, and these young friends thought it would be a lark to get a sense of how their lives could unfold. The fortune teller spoke about wives and war. Zuriel described her as “an old fat woman,” about fifty or sixty years old, and naturally “very sagacious, [and] enquiring about people.” He painstakingly recorded her predictions in his journal, revealing both the gist of their questions and the fortune teller’s intuition about the expectations of these young men. George, she said, was “to have 2 Wifes & 6 Children, to be married in 3 years, to have very good fortune in the latter part of his days.” She also sensed he “had many private enemys,” and “she describ’d one to him very right.” She told young Jonathan Rice he would “have very good luck as he enter’d his 21st year,” enjoy “very good luck upon the water,” marry in three years, and share his life with “1 Wife & 6 children.” As for Zuriel, he was “to have 2 Wifes if not 3; [with] 4 or 5 children.” Not only did he have “but few enemies,” Zuriel recorded, he would have “very good luck in a little time [and] to have every thing to my wish & be settled down when I am 27 years old.” Zuriel also noted the old woman’s assurance “that I have seen the girl I am to have”—a tall lass, slender and fair, merry and sociable—“& will see her again ’fore long.” “She further told me that I should have good luck upon the water in a little Voyage, or a privateering but not to go on long voyages or continue going to sea.” She anticipated that Zuriel Water- man would be as good as his name and “have an offer to go a privateering in 3 weeks, or 3 days; or in 2 weeks or 2 days.” Indeed, the following month Zuriel sailed on the privateer sloop Industry out of Pawtuxet. These predictions—and Zuriel Waterman’s detailed record of them— suggest the path of these young men’s thoughts and the expectations so- ciety held for them. First, the men looked to their domestic futures for glimpses of a respectable manhood fulfilled by marriage and children. Pre- dictions about merry and sociable mates were certainly welcome, but more importantly, these fortunes offered the young men tactical advice on how to advance in life. They craved secret information about their standing in the community and sought any tips about hidden enemies who could un- dermine their reputations or block their advancement. Most importantly, no matter however lightheartedly they asked, they sought guidance about whether military service might lead them safely to prosperity and respect- ability. As young men in their early twenties, Zuriel, George, and Jonathan sought the resources and relationships that marked the transition to the next stage of their lives. To achieve those goals they were ready to balance the opportunities and dangers of war with delicacy and some nerve.1 * * * The American Revolution required decisions about allegiance and action. At the heart of this generation-long upheaval lay the War of American Independence—a crucible in which the struggle over liberties burned down to the essence of sovereignty and power.2 For eight years of war, mobilization and fighting seared politics, society, and culture. Though the Revolutionary experience was immensely diverse—the war was long, its campaigns widely scattered, the forms of military service varied, and the rebelling states mismatched—the youth of its soldiers provides a connect- ing thread and offers insight into the communities that sent them to fight.