The Rush that Never Rushed
the men who had previously enlisted at the cut rate of $4, $6.66, and $10. To keep them in good humor, and in service, Congress granted a back bounty of $100 each.
Under these increasing bounties our armies in the field steadily decreased from 89,661 in 1776 to 29,340 in 1781. During that period we had employed nearly four hundred thousand men. Fewer than 30,000 now remained in the ranks. Desertions became so numerous that early in 1779 it was necessary for Congress to recommend a punishment of fine and whipping, think of it—whipping—for all who should knowingly harbor a deserter.
So much for this Revolutionary rush to arms which didn’t rush. The scramble for men was like the Irishman’s idea of a fox hunt. Seeing the scarlet hunters racing and chasing, and trying to catch the fox, he remarked, “Begod, the dom baste is hell to catch, and ain’t worth a dom after you catch him.”
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