Chapter 2470 Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army

Is it necessary to incorporate the militia?

This crucial issue was discussed for three consecutive days, and the representatives of the Continental Congress still could not reach a consensus.

On April 10, the frontline militiamen who waited for no results finally couldn't bear it anymore, and once again sent a fiercely worded letter in the name of the "Soldiers Committee".

In this letter, the militiamen showed the upright nature of the northerners, asking whether the gentlemen of the "Continental Congress" should fight for freedom and independence?

Are their high-sounding slogans a real revolutionary program, or are they just talk, purely for fame?

Is it reasonable for soldiers with crude weapons to bleed and die at the front, with little clothing and clothing, while respectable gentlemen hold meetings in the safety of the rear, procrastinating, and doing nothing?

If the "Continental Congress" could not give an answer, the frontline militias would lose their reason to continue fighting, and they would simply disband their troops, go back to their homes, farm and work, and make a living.

Instead of putting your head on your belt and working for the incompetent people in the Continental Congress, you might as well accept your fate and be an obedient citizen of King George!

This gunpowder-flavored letter aroused strong repercussions in the Continental Congress. Joseph Adams, the revolutionary leader of Jotunheim, couldn't sit still.

"Don't think that if the war is not at your doorstep, it's none of your business. Gunshots may sound in your courtyard at any time! Don't fight against the enemy now, and it will be too late when Master Fei finds you!"

Adams also recommends:

"Assemble all the militias in Jotunheim, Midgard, and Yalfheim as soon as possible, and reorganize them into a unified force with unified command."

As the patriarch of the Sons of Liberty, Joseph Adams was the undisputed central figure in the Continental Congress, whose acerbic rhetoric sometimes made people uncomfortable, but it had to be admitted that he was the most visionary of all the participants one of the characters.

It was Adams who first realized that the future of the revolution was independence; it was also he who saw most clearly that only by turning "local wars" into "civil wars" could the independent revolution in the New World have the possibility of victory.

On April 16, 1626, under the impetus of Joseph Adams and other radical representatives, the Continental Congress finally decided to unite the militias of Jotunheim, Midgard, and Yalfheim into the "Continental Army". Ordered recruits to replenish the force.

The next question is, who will be the commander-in-chief of this continental army?

At the meeting on April 17, the delegates initially elected the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army to be Dandridge Custis, who had shown outstanding commanding skills in previous wars.

With the support of his daughter and son-in-law, Sir Custis stood up from his seat with difficulty, bowed to thank the representatives of the conference for their kindness, and then delivered a short speech, resigning from the post of commander-in-chief on the grounds of being seriously ill, and turning to Recommend a more suitable military leader candidate to the "Continental Congress".

At this time, many representatives at the meeting believed that Sir Custis wanted to recommend Baron Benedict Laval, who was second only to himself in military influence.

"In my mind, there is only one person who can take on this important task... Ser Custis said calmly, "This gentleman is from Alfheim..."

When Baron Laval heard this, his face suddenly became a little stiff.

"He was among us, his military experience, his social standing, his wealth, his talents, his character and his beliefs were impeccable, and he could unite us better than anyone else."

Sir Custis didn't care about Laval's change of expression, and continued to nominate calmly:

"This gentleman is... Colonel George Vassar!"

As soon as Dandridge Custis finished speaking, the representatives from Yalfheim stood up and applauded. With unconcealable joy on their faces, they enthusiastically supported the election of their fellow countryman, Colonel Vasa, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

"I object!" Benedict Laval couldn't help but protest loudly, "I respect Colonel Vasa's character very much, but unfortunately his past experience has proved that he is not an excellent general! We need a commander who can lead the troops to victory, not a model gentleman!"

Representatives of public opinion in Midgard, except for a few old friends and subordinates of Sir Custis, such as Sir Nichols, nodded in favor of Lord Laval.

In their view, Baron Laval far surpassed George Vasa, the "conquerable general" in terms of military qualifications and past record, so of course Laval should be elected as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

As for the representatives in Jotunheim, led by Joseph Adams, they had obviously passed their breath in private and collectively supported George Vassar.

The two sides were in dispute, and Sir Nichols, the chairman of the assembly, proposed a vote. The result was that the camp supporting George Vassar won by five votes.

The minority obeyed the majority, and the Continental Congress finally approved the appointment of George Vassar.

Baron Laval was deeply humiliated and walked away.

Looking at the back of Laval leaving angrily, a touch of regret appeared in Sir Custis' eyes.

Of course he knew that, purely in terms of military command ability, Benedict Laval was an unmatched general in the New World today, even in the entire Vales world, he was worthy of the title of "Famous General".

The Sir knew that time was running out. After his death, frankly speaking, there was only Laval, the only remaining famous general on the east coast of the New World, and his son-in-law, George Vassar, might be able to grow into a man with an overall perspective. He is a marshal with leadership qualities and is widely loved by soldiers, but his tactical command ability will never catch up with Laval.

This is a gap in talent, and there is no way to make up for it.

According to Sir Custis's ideal, Vassar served as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, and Laval served as the chief of staff, assisting Vassar in making suggestions.

It's a pity that Laval is too proud and has a fiery personality. He has always refused to be inferior to others. The Ferguson can only give up the idea of ​​matching him to cooperate with Vasa.

As an officer, George Vassar's biggest blemish was that he had lost too many battles, giving people the impression of a "commonly defeated general". Sir Custis recommended him as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, which was indeed a bit hard to convince.

However, he did not do this for personal gain, and he deliberately promoted his son-in-law, and he did not have a personal grudge with Laval, as people talked about in private, and took the opportunity to suppress Laval. Consensus reached after deliberation.

...

(one more chapter)

·Historical data: The selection of Washington as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army was mainly a decision based on politics rather than military affairs

At that time, the first task facing the Continental Congress was to assume the political responsibility of leading the North American militia in the War of Independence, and appoint a commander-in-chief to command it.

John Adams realized that it would be difficult to win the War of Independence without mobilizing the manpower and material resources of other colonies, especially the southern colonies such as Virginia, which is the most populous and powerful.

The leaders from the south did not want the army to come from the north, and the commander-in-chief also came from the north. They preferred Washington, the commander-in-chief of the militia in colonial Virginia, to be the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

John Adams enlisted the support of his cousin Samuel Adams to nominate the 44-year-old Washington. Most agree, few still have reservations. After Adams and others will do the work, it was finally passed unanimously.

Colonel Washington, who had commanded 700 Virginia militiamen, was immediately promoted to general and went to Boston to take over 20,000 untrained militiamen.