Soldiers were untrained and lacked standards, equipment, and discipline when the Continental Army was formed

Soldiers were untrained and lacked standards, equipment, and discipline when the Continental Army was formed. They lacked the discipline that one would expect from an army. The tally of how many soldiers George Washington had was delayed by a little more than a week when they first assembled. Instead of blindly obeying their commanders and officers, each unit was a community that had democratically elected its leaders. The troops, which came from many states, were dispersed in number. States were given financial responsibility for providing salary, food, lodging, clothes, weaponry, and other equipment to specified units as part of the formation of these units. States varied in their ability to meet these duties. As the battle progressed, there were ongoing financing and morale challenges. As a result, the army offered minimal pay, frequently bad food, hard work, cold, heat, inadequate clothing and shelter, severe discipline, and a high danger of being killed.

Keeping the Continentals clothed was a challenging task, and Washington assigned it to James Mease, a Philadelphia merchant. Mease worked closely with state-appointed agents to acquire apparel and materials such as cow hides for the production of clothing and shoes for soldiers. Mease eventually resigned in 1777, having jeopardized much of the Clothing Department's organization. Following this, according to many sources, the soldiers of the Continental Army were frequently ill-equipped, lacked blankets, and frequently lacked shoes. Clothing and shoe shortages for soldiers were frequently the result of poor organization and a lack of transportation. The Board of War was created to reform the clothes supply chain. During this time, they sought the assistance of France, and throughout the remainder of the war, clothing was procured from overseas sources.