Continental Infantryman of the American Revolution

Work, drill, and entertainment provided distraction, but these activities did not correct an underlying problem. The infantry could shelter themselves, but they could not feed themselves. Winter weather halted wagons and delayed delivery of supplies and clothing. Congress's efforts to create a commissary system produced erratic results. More importantly, the lack of money, the key determinant of the Continental infantryman's condition, limited what supplies might be purchased....The currency collapse paralleled conditions in the Main Army's winter camps. The Marquis de Lafayette described the army at Valley Forge: ""The unfortunate soldiers were in want of everything; they had neither coats nor hats, nor shirts nor shoes. Their feet and legs froze until they were black and it was often necessary to amputate them.""