There were four major mutinies in the Continental army in the Revolutionary War (1775-83). The men who joined these mutinies had serious grievances: They were poorly supplied and owed back pay. On December 25, 1779, two regiments in the Connecticut line assembled on the parade ground at Morristown, refused to obey their officers, and threatened more violent action. Officers called upon a veteran Pennsylvania brigade to arrest the ringleaders and force the rest of the men back to duty.
A year later, two other mutinies occurred. The men from the Pennsylvania line rebelled at Morristown on December 31, 1780. They had been unpaid for almost a year, and many of them were poorly clothed and fed. They also complained that their enlistments had run out and that new recruits were paid large bounties. Perhaps stimulated by additional rum to celebrate the new year, they decided to take matters into their own hands. When officers attempted to restrain them, they were roughly handled. The next day, under the command of a committee of sergeants, the Pennsylvania line marched with baggage and artillery toward Philadelphia. The mutineers got as far as Trenton before they were intercepted by loyal troops from New England. Authorities then negotiated with the Pennsylvanians, allowing those who claimed their three-year enlistment was up to go home, and promising pay and supplies for the remainder. In the meantime the New Jersey line decided to revolt at Ringwood, New Jersey, on January 20. This time there was to be no compromising. General George Washington declared that “unless this dangerous spirit can be suppressed by force there is an end to all subordination in the Army, and indeed to the Army itself.” New England soldiers were ordered to surround the New Jersey men, who were then mustered without their arms. Twelve men were selected as a firing squad and were compelled to shoot two of their leaders. This action quelled further mutiny.
The final mutiny took place in June 1783, just as the army was about to be demobilized. Some recruits from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, marched on Philadelphia. In the capital they were joined by other soldiers who wanted their pay. The disgruntled troops surrounded Congress and briefly held them hostage, but no serious harm was threatened and the representatives left the building unmolested. Before loyal soldiers could arrive, the mutinous crowd dispersed. Angered by this affront to its dignity, Congress left Philadelphia and reconvened at Princeton.
See also Independence Hall.
Further reading: E. Wayne Carp, To Starve the Army at Pleasure: Continental Army Administration and American Political Culture, 1775-1783 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1984); Lawrence Delbert Cress, Citizens in Arms: The Army and Militia in American Society to the War of 1812 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1982); Charles Royster, The Revolutionary
People at War: The Continental Army and the American Character, 1775-1783 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1979).
World History
