- Demobilization is the process in which soldiers/troops are discharged from the military service.
- Soldiers had been waiting for their pay between the 2 years between surrender at Yorktown and signing of Treaty of Paris.
- Most serious problem lay among the officer corps who had been promised life pensions at half pay in exchange for enlistment during duration of the war.
- They petitioned Congress and they demanded that the pensions be converted into bonuses equal to five years of full pay.
- The demands were not efficient until George Washington took a stand. He addressed the assembly and made an offhand remark:"I have grown gray in your service and now find myself growing blind”.
- This statement made the greatest impact and showed that General Washington had sacrificed the most during the war. Congress then decided to convert the pensions to bonuses, since they realized the officers had sacrificed a great amount.
MAL and VL
13 comments:
george washington is like mvp of the revolutionary war!
Wow, you realize George Washington could have been military dictator of the country easily, so great was his popularity... you can see how much respect everybody holds for him since the military officers had almost gone to arms for pensions and he single-handedly changed their minds. Even Congress pitched in to compromise and pay the bonuses. Every time I take out a dollar and put his face into a vending machine facing right, I'll remember what a great guy he was. Seriously though, what tremendous influence on early America.
I didn't realize that George Washington did so much during his lifetime! He really had an effect on people! Very impressive.
Well George Washington was just an overall great General and will never be forgotten for all his contributions. He holds respect for almost everyone!
Just need some perspective sometimes... I suppose Washington was fed up with the Congress too, since they had been ignoring his requests almost the entire war. But things got done eventually.
A lot of Americans no this mans name, and revere him without even knowing what he did. Knowing the truth about him makes him no less worthy of legend.
I guess I only knew that Washington was the first president and led the Continental Army. I had no idea how big of an impact he had on the Revolution and how much the country respected him. I thinks it's amazing that he single-handedly was able to get bonuses for his men. He was a very influential guy.
I think George Washington was the prefect man to lead this country. Even when faced with the prospect of suprmere power, a power that croupts many, he turned it down and did the thing that was the best for the country and for many generations to come.
I respect George Washington, he was a great military general who accomplished great things.
I find it interesting how certain members of the Continental Army were willing to desert their duties despite the remainder of a British presence in the United States. Granted, the war was largely over, and the majority of fighting had ceased, but still, the period following the Battle of Yorktown (1781) and the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783) could be considered a time of present danger to the citizens of America.
I think that this demobilization incident could have turned ugly very quickly. If George Washington hadn't been so wise in his actions, the officers may have rebelled right after the close of the war, and things may have ended differently. Thankfully Washington brought logical and emotional reasoning to the officers and the officers ended up getting their bonuses anyway.
The thought of Washington having the opportunity, influence, and power to become a dictator is, to me, unbelievable. Who knew that such a small comment could cause such an uproar?
George Washington, what a guy. I picture him as the aged, run-down, saddened leader whose passion has run out but is still the same in principle. He seemed to always stand for the correct moral choice. And his influence was immense. So much so that he could have easily claimed the title of dictator. The demobilization was one of a long line of post-revolution issues, but Washington's handling of it is incredible.
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