History of Northampton, Massachusetts, from its settlement in 1654;

CHAPTER XXVIII.
REVOLUTION—SMALLPOX—DEATH OF REV. MR. HOOKER.
Composition of the DuRiNG the first two yeai's of the war, so
^'y- strong was the aversion to a standing army,
that the forces in the field were composed of
the militia of the several states, enlisted for short terms,
and commanded by oflQcers from their own localities. To
all intents and purposes, the colonial army was but a gath-
ering of militia squadrons, owing allegiance to the state
which paid their wages and supplied their equipments.
Patriotism, the governing motive in the earlier enlistments,
was the principal bond of cohesion, and that was greatly
weakened by a senseless spirit of state jealousy, which
everywhere prevailed. Hampered by this unsatisfactory
system, Washington urged upon Congress the advisability
of forming an army, enlisted from all the states, under the
control of that body. ^ Consequently, in 1777, Congress
provided for the organization of the Continental army,
whose term of service should not be less than one nor more
than three years. In January of that year, the General
Court of Massachusetts passed a resolve for raising Continental
troops, voluntarily if possible, by draft if necessary,
and assigned the quotas to the several towns. The number
required was equal to one seventh of all the male inhabitants
over sixteen years of age, at home and abroad. They
were to serve either till the 10*'' of January, 1778, for three
years, or during the war, as they might choose at the time
of enlistment. Those engaging for less than three years
were not entitled to a bounty, and all who refused to serve
were fined £10.
1 Fiske's American Revolution, vol. 1, pp. 243, 248.
39 1