Young folks' history of the United States . y , 1775, and the next day stood under the great elm in commandCambridge (still known as the Washington Elm) to take °l^^^command of the Continental army. No doubt therewas great curiosity to see this famous officer; and wecan imagine with what eagerness the soldiers looked athim. When they looked, they saw a man forty-threeyears old, more than six feet tall, broad and vigorous,with large hands and feet, rather clumsy in his move-ments, yet with great dignity of bearing, and with anoble and commanding countenance at all times. Hewas dressed
Young folks' history of the United States . y , 1775, and the next day stood under the great elm in commandCambridge (still known as the Washington Elm) to take °l^^^command of the Continental army. No doubt therewas great curiosity to see this famous officer; and wecan imagine with what eagerness the soldiers looked athim. When they looked, they saw a man forty-threeyears old, more than six feet tall, broad and vigorous,with large hands and feet, rather clumsy in his move-ments, yet with great dignity of bearing, and with anoble and commanding countenance at all times. Hewas dressed in a blue coat with buff facings, buff small IQO Conditionof theContinen-tal army. YOUNG FOLKS UNITED STATES. clothes, an epaulet on each shoulder, and a black cock-ade in his hat. And when Washington looked, in turn, ujDon his army,he saw, to use his own words, a mixed multitudeof people, under very little discipline, order, or govern-ment. They were armed with fowling-pieces or mus-kets, hardly any two of which were of the same WASHINGTON TAKING COMMAND OF THE ARMY AT CAMBRIDGE. Few of the regiments had any uniform : they werecollections of men in their old coats or their shirt-sleeves, and many of them wearing leather small-clothes. Those who came from a distance had usuallysome similarity of dress, to distinguish them on themarch; and many of the riflemen who soon arrivedfrom Virginia wore hunting-shirts of brown Holland, WASHINGTON TAKES COMMAND. I9I double caped over the shoulder, in imitation of theIndians; and having embroidered on the breast, incapital letters, Liberty, or death. But, in general, theaspect of the Revolutionary army was not at all that ofdisciplined soldiers. And when General Washingtonwent round among the camps and forts, which spreadfrom Cambridge to Charlestown, he found anything butmilitary regularity and neatness. Some of the troops,especially those from Rhode Island, had regular linesof tents; while others lived in little huts, made ofb
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