Chapter IVRECREATION IN CAMP
If there must be a certain proportion of work and play in every one's life to make for efficiency, then the soldier of the Revolutionary War was far below normal in the scale of efficiency for recreation in any organized form is found to have been entirely lacking.
But before too severe a judgment is placed upon this lack of recreation the conditions the soldier left at home must be studied. Recreation as such had not been a part of his daily routine. It has been estimated that nine-tenths of the people lived in rural districts leaving only one-tenth for the cities,114an estimate which no doubt is true. The people had never thought of the problems of bad housing, congestion, or recreation. They had had the whole of nature for their home and the whole of the frontier to wrestle with.
Speaking of the people a generation or two later, Dr. F. L. Paxson says inThe Rise of Sport, "The fathers of this generation had been sober lot unable to bend without breaking, living a life of rigid and puritanical decorum interspersed perhaps with disease and drunkedness, but unenlivened for most of them by spontaneous play."115
Thus in studying the life of the soldier at home before he went into the army camp, even the slightest traces of twentieth century recreation are found to have been lacking, but that does not mean that those people never forgot their work. It would behard to find a more hospitable group. They were never too busy to entertain. There was the occasional jollification with rum or beer, the card party, the ball, the concert, the theater, and of a more rural type the picnic and the "corn husking".116
The conditions in camp were different than those at home. The problems of bad housing, congestion and recreation were then factors to be considered. There was the small unsanitary and poorly ventilated hut with twelve to sixteen men and sometimes even more crowded into it. When the troops first went into winter quarters there was plenty to do in the way of exercise for there were logs to cut and huts to build, but those were soon completed and the men were crowded together with nothing to do.
Something had to happen, the monotony of the dreary days had to be broken. This was brought about in several ways.
Often the punishments ordered by the court martial were administered publicly in camp just to enliven the common routine. When a man was sentenced to death, but had been pardoned by those in charge, the force of going through the punishment was carried out.The condemned man was brought to the side of his newly dug grave, he was bound and blind-folded, the firing party got in position, the fire lock even snapped, and as might have been expected, the culprit sometimes died of the shock.117
The hanging of a man was a gala day in camp and the place of hanging was almost as popular as an amusement park of today; "Five soldiers were conducted to the gallows according to their sentences. For the crimes of desertion and robbing the inhabitants, a detachment of troops and a concourse of people formed a circle around the gallows and the criminal were brought in on a cart sitting on their coffins and halters about their necks"118
It was frequently stated in the sentence given by court martial that the punishment whatever it was, riding the wooden horse, riding the rail, receiving the biblical "Thirty-nine" lashes, or running the gauntlet,119was to take place at some time when all the soldiers were together as at the beating120of the retreat or at the head of the regiment.121Punishments ordered by court martial in that way served two purposes. They furnished amusement for the soldiers at the same time the purpose for which they were intended, that ofmaking an example of the misbehavior of one of the soldiers.
While the Virginia riflemen were in camp at the siege of Boston there was a practice which served both as a source of amusement and as a display of marksmanship. There were two brothers, one of whom would place a board five inches wide and seven inches long with a bit of white paper in the middle of it about the size of a dollar, between his knees while the other at about sixty yards distance would shoot eight bullets through it without injuring the brother.122
The duel was another common practice which seemed to furnish amusement besides deciding the honor of some individual.123
Hunting, too, was a means of cheering the dreary days, but this too was often "Killing two birds with one stone", for often the soldiers went hunting to provide the regular rations, but at other times it was done just for the sake of the sport to be found in it. The following is taken from a New York paper of December 12, 1785. "A Fox hunt. The Gentlemen of the army with a number of the most respectable inhabitants of Ulsler and Orange purpose a Fox Hunt on the twenty third day of this instant to which all Gentlemen are invited with their hounds and their horses. The game is plenty and it is hoped the sport will be pleasant * * * "124.
Along with the hunting frays went fishing125and nutting126trips which added a little variety to the ordinary camp scenes. There were several days celebrated by the Americans at that time which meant a holiday for the soldier with perhaps an extra allowance of rum127or meat. Some of those days were Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, May day, Commemoration of the French Alliance, or a celebration following a victory. The celebration usually consisted of a parade, a sermon by the chaplain followed by a banquet and perhaps a dance for the officers, and extra rations for the privates.128
Another celebration mentioned by several diaries and one which seemed to be a joyful occasion was as one writer said "and (we) convert(ed) the evening to celebrate as usual wives and sweethearts which we do in plenty of grog".129
There were a few games which served to shorten some of the long dreary days for the soldier, some of them were; fives,130shinny,131goal,132ball133and a kind of football.134No description of theabove games has been found, but to judge by the context they were all outdoor games.
The diversions discussed so far in this chapter have all been outdoor games, but the real test came when the soldiers were crowded into the huts during the winter months with nothing to think of but their own miserable conditions. Since no one had thought of organizing the soldier's leisure time he had to invent something for himself. The first things thought of, naturally, were the amusements which had existed at home. Card playing came to his mind, but in the army the game of cards or any other game of chance was absolutely forbidden by order of congress and the commander-in-chief. "Any officer, non-commissioned officers, or soldier who shall hereafter be detected playing at toss up, pitch and hustle or any other games of chance in or near the camp or villages bording on the encampments shall with out delay be confined and punished for disobedience of orders * * * The general does not mean by the above order to discourage sports of exercise and recreation, he only means to discontinuance and punish gaming".135In another order Washington said, "Men may find enough to do in the service of their God and their country without abandoning themselves to vice and immorality".136
Dancing had been another form of entertainment at home but that too was usually impossible because of the lack of room. That was especially true at Valley Forge and other camps, but at Morristown, however, a large room in the commissariat store house was reserved for dancing,137lodge meetings, and the like for the masons had chapters in the army camps.138
At home the soldier had also had his friends and dinner parties, now he had soldier friends, but the only way for him to keep in touch with former friends was by letters and that was a very irregular and uncertain way for mail could only be sent from camp or brought to camp when some one was going home on a furlough or new recruits were coming into camp.139The nearest the soldier came to his social dinner and evening at home was the rallies from barracks to barracks when every body who could sing sang.140
As for the officers in camp, their leisure time was better provided for. They lived in better quarters, generally, at least larger ones. They, too, had the advantage of being entertained at the homes of the people living in the vicinity of the camp. Even if one's imagination must be drawn upon in order to make the recreation of the private seem recreational, at least, there was a side of camp life which presented a more pleasant picture "If our forefathers bled and suffered they also danced and feasted."141The letters anddiaries of the young officers tell of the gaiety of the war. Even in midst of the gloom at Valley Forge there was drinking from cabin to cabin and dinners in honor of visiting foreigners. No sooner was the army in winter quarters than the ladies began to appear, for Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Greene, and Mrs. Knox made it a practice to spend the winters with their husbands. Mrs. Washington was in the habit of saying that she always heard the last cannon fired in the fall and the first one in the spring.142
As soon as the wives appeared, the gaiety began among the families of the officers, the dinner was the favorite method of bringing the families together. "General Greene and his lady present their compliments to Colonel Knox and his lady and should be glad for their company tomorrow at dinner at two o'clock".143Often the dinners were in name rather than in reality, for officers and privates suffered alike when food was scarce, but the social time did not depend entirely upon the supply of food. One such dinner is described as having been potatoes with beech-nuts for dessert.
The usual round of pleasure for the officers was dancing, dinners, teas, sleighing parties, horse-back parties, or the celebration of some day or event. Of the dance General Greene wrote on March 19, 1779, "We had a little dance at my quarters a few evenings past. His excellency and Mrs. Greene danced three hours without onesitting down upon the whole we had a pretty little frisk".144Another such affair is described as follows: "There were subscription balls in the commissary store house at which Washington in black velvet, the foreign commanders in all their gold lace, General Steuben being particularly replendent and the ladies in powdered hair, stiff brocades and high heels made a brilliant company."145
In the large it can be said that, the recreation of the American soldier during the Revolutionary War, was invented to supply the need felt rather than an institution thought out before. Some of the practices would hardly be classed as recreation, but they helped to break the monotony and that was the object desired whether it was by enjoying a fellow soldier's punishment or playing an innocent game of ball.
114.Sherrill,French Memories of 18th Century America, p. 181.115.Paxson, F. L., "The Rise of Sports."Miss. Valley Hist. ReviewVol. IV. p. 143.116.The facts pertaining to society at home has been collected from books of travel of the period just previous to the war; Chastellux,Travels In America; Sherrill,French Memories of 18th Century Americaand others.117.Belcher,The First American Civil War, Vol. II, p. 83.118.Thacher,Military Journal, (April 20, 1779) p. 158.119.Barton,Journal(Aug. 22, 1779) p. 7., Hearts,JournalSept. 9, 1785.120.Hearts,Journal(Sept. 9, 1785) p. 68.121.Coits,Orderly Book, (July 10, 1775), p. 43.122.Virginia Gazetta, 1775 quoted Hart & Hill, p. 229.123.Thacher,Military Journal(Feb. 1779) 155.124.New York Packet, Dec. 12, 1782, quoted inAm. Hist. Mag.Vol. III p. 389.125.Elmer,Journal(June 24, 1779) p. 81, Livermore,Journal(May 27, 1779) p. 180.126.Military Journal of Two Private Soldiers, p. 77.127.Clinton,Order Bookquoted by Headley, p. 265.128.McHendry,Journal, (Dec. 9) p. 211, and (Sept. 25, 1779) p. 207. Blake,Journal, (July 5, 1779) p. 39; Linermore,Journal, (July 5), p. 182; and (Sept. 25, 1779), p. 188; Norris,Journal, (July 5, 1779), p. 225., Hardenberger,Journal(Sept. 25, 1779) p. 184.129.Burrows,Journal, (Oct., 2, 1779) p. 50, Elmer,Journal, (July 3, 1779) p. 84.130.Shute,Journal, (June 13 and 14, 1779) p. 268.131.Ibid., (July 23, 1779) p. 264.132.Lyman,Journal, p. 118.133.Ibid. andMilitary Journal of Two Private Soldiers, p. 70.134.Fitch,Journal, (Sept. 14, 1775) p. 57.135.Washington,Orderly Book, quoted by Ford,Writings of Washington, Vol. III, p. 155.136.Washington,Orderly Book, quoted by Ford,Writings of Washington, Vol. III, p. 429.137.Trevelyan,American Revolution, Vol. IV, p. 54.138.Penn. Archives, Vol. II, p. 18.139.Fitch,Journal, (Dec, 5, 1775), p. 88.140.Humphreys,Catherine Schuyler, p. 177.141.Humphreys,Catherine Schuyler, p. 167.142.Ellet,Domestic History of the Am. Rev., p. 40.143.Greene,Life of Greene, Vol. I, p. 193.144.Greene,Life of Greene, Vol. II, p. 161.145.Humphrey,Catherine Schuyler, p. 176.
114.Sherrill,French Memories of 18th Century America, p. 181.
115.Paxson, F. L., "The Rise of Sports."Miss. Valley Hist. ReviewVol. IV. p. 143.
116.The facts pertaining to society at home has been collected from books of travel of the period just previous to the war; Chastellux,Travels In America; Sherrill,French Memories of 18th Century Americaand others.
117.Belcher,The First American Civil War, Vol. II, p. 83.
118.Thacher,Military Journal, (April 20, 1779) p. 158.
119.Barton,Journal(Aug. 22, 1779) p. 7., Hearts,JournalSept. 9, 1785.
120.Hearts,Journal(Sept. 9, 1785) p. 68.
121.Coits,Orderly Book, (July 10, 1775), p. 43.
122.Virginia Gazetta, 1775 quoted Hart & Hill, p. 229.
123.Thacher,Military Journal(Feb. 1779) 155.
124.New York Packet, Dec. 12, 1782, quoted inAm. Hist. Mag.Vol. III p. 389.
125.Elmer,Journal(June 24, 1779) p. 81, Livermore,Journal(May 27, 1779) p. 180.
126.Military Journal of Two Private Soldiers, p. 77.
127.Clinton,Order Bookquoted by Headley, p. 265.
128.McHendry,Journal, (Dec. 9) p. 211, and (Sept. 25, 1779) p. 207. Blake,Journal, (July 5, 1779) p. 39; Linermore,Journal, (July 5), p. 182; and (Sept. 25, 1779), p. 188; Norris,Journal, (July 5, 1779), p. 225., Hardenberger,Journal(Sept. 25, 1779) p. 184.
129.Burrows,Journal, (Oct., 2, 1779) p. 50, Elmer,Journal, (July 3, 1779) p. 84.
130.Shute,Journal, (June 13 and 14, 1779) p. 268.
131.Ibid., (July 23, 1779) p. 264.
132.Lyman,Journal, p. 118.
133.Ibid. andMilitary Journal of Two Private Soldiers, p. 70.
134.Fitch,Journal, (Sept. 14, 1775) p. 57.
135.Washington,Orderly Book, quoted by Ford,Writings of Washington, Vol. III, p. 155.
136.Washington,Orderly Book, quoted by Ford,Writings of Washington, Vol. III, p. 429.
137.Trevelyan,American Revolution, Vol. IV, p. 54.
138.Penn. Archives, Vol. II, p. 18.
139.Fitch,Journal, (Dec, 5, 1775), p. 88.
140.Humphreys,Catherine Schuyler, p. 177.
141.Humphreys,Catherine Schuyler, p. 167.
142.Ellet,Domestic History of the Am. Rev., p. 40.
143.Greene,Life of Greene, Vol. I, p. 193.
144.Greene,Life of Greene, Vol. II, p. 161.
145.Humphrey,Catherine Schuyler, p. 176.