"Where do we start?"
"We start from where we stop.I think we spoke of Conway cabal.
"Yeah" as both were sitted at the riverbank some paces away each on sat on golden stones near the river.
"On January 1778 Hamilton rejoined his colleagues at Valley Forge though still debilitated from illness shuddered at their condition and their shallow sloven state."
"I think the army don't have ammunition right?"
"So demoralized that's one and then dearth of ammunition was terrifying situation.Also dearth of blankets,tents and orher logistics.Several hundreds of decomposed horses,bruised feet of emaciated soldiers and suffocated at the same time with small pox,typhus,scurvy, bombarded with hideous sights, every where.Washington's staff was heavily hit logistics inadequacy and morale nosedived to the barest minimum and with such worrisome penury fed them with cornmeal must for breakfast.They experienced more or less a famine in the camp and he admitted this axiom when he says "For some days past there has been little less than a famine in the camp."He also earlier concluded if the logistics situation did not improve he predicted 2,500 men nearly a quarter of the army would soon be gone and perished by famine, hunger, diseases,or cold.Washington held a play Addison's Cato,his favorite ancient Roman play to boost the fallen spirit of his men.The story of a self sacrificing Roman stateman was staged at Valley Forge.He had invoked through the play the spirit of stoicism or the spirit of resilient to psyche up his tired men.
They waded through the pressure of public service during the period especially in the stone house of Isaac Potts in whose name the forge was named.He was already depressed by Conway cabal worsened by sullen state of his men."
"And he became more temperamental as usual "
"Exactly.Martha Washington also commented on the ugly situation during the period ,when says "The General is well but much worn with fatigue and anxiety".He vented his frustration on Hamilton and managed to survive their somehow turbulent chaotic relationship.He loved field command as opposed to Washington's domestic demand of an aide and could not afford to sacrifice or loose him for the field command.Considering the fact that he wrote most of the pointed pleas to congress for Washington requesting for supplies and pressing logistically and aptly shared Washington's frustration.He had exerted his fierce command sometimes authorizing fellow colonel to collect wagons saying "exert yourself upon this occasion.Our distress is infinite."
He had a lot of introspection on the misery that enveloped them.Worsened by their dependency on Britain for their supplies from textiles and sufficient clothes for patriots.Infact virtually every thing colonies rely britain excessively including munitions.He had mastered the peril of printing too much paper money and the inherent inflationary dangers for doing so.He was forced to accept depreciated face value of paper money issued by Congress and states.Famers and merchants rejected to sell their food to broke army but rather sell it to the wealthy,well fed public in Philadelphia."
"So valley forge was experiencing terrible situation "
"Exactly very scandalous situation where the entire army were starving and seriously starving.Imagine soldiers starving despite the fertile farmland in America at the time.He complained to New York Governor George Clinton head of commissary department in mid February about the terrifying situation when he says for days there were no provisions.Everywhere deserted and soldiers threatened to be mutineers.Yet they exhibited high degree of uncommon patience"
: It is indeed to be wondered at that the soldiers have manifested so unparalleled a degree of patience as they have.If effectual measures are not speedily adopted I know not how we shall keep the army together or make another campaign."
He was so saddened by profiteering motives that tends to undermine the whole revolutionary effort and complained bitterly to Clinton.Grieved piteously at how the Congress was deceived to accept every petty rascal who came along boasting of military prowess.Apalling similarly that the Congress was turn to shred begging the states for supplies and logistics .The strategic option for state militia in lieu of strong central government seems to undermine the whole revolutionary campaign .Unfortunately Clinton became his betternoire led the resistance that Jeffersonian camp later adopted to undermine the beautiful efforts undertaken by him and Washington to create the united states.
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