E. Wayne Carp’s “To Starve the Army at Pleasure” endeavors to further integrate the history of the American Revolutionary War into the broader aspects of politics and society. Carp analyzes the difficulties of supplying the continental army with lead, camp equipage, and medical aid. He also analyzes the relationship between administrators of the continental army and eighteenth century political culture. Carp’s contention is that the American Revolutionaries organized and administered the logistical operations of the war on the same principles that governed their understanding of politics, namely the suspicion associated with Real-Whig Ideology. He believes the impact of American political culture on the continental army resulted in failures, which in turn had an impact on…show more content… The author uses letters from staff officers to their superiors to detail the difficulties they incurred while trying to supply men they could not find sometimes. He brings forth General Washington’s letter to congress pleading for a standing army to illustrate right from the start that Real-Whig Ideology did not work in times of war. This lead to reform of the army, but congress was not willing to give unbridled control over the war effort to the army, insisting on selecting themselves to decide who would fill positions. This angered Washington, who in another letter to congress wished to be able to select his own subordinates because Washington understood that in times of war trust is more important than merit. Despite the reformations made by congress, there were still major problems involved with supplying the army. The author credits the unwillingness of ordinary citizens during the third and fourth years of the war to help because they were not being paid by congress and if they were they were being paid with fast depreciating continental currency. He gives an account of a wagon driver who would often works
