George Washington a Better Model for Young Men Than Caesar

The Continental Army, suffering through a miserable five-month confinement at Valley Forge, might have found the announcement peculiar in the spring of 1778. Philadelphia, the city where independence had been declared less than two years earlier, was now occupied by the British. Food was scarce; clothing, scarcer still. Many were barefoot, leaving blood-sodden trails throughout the camp. Yet the officers charged with their welfare announced not the arrival of provisions or pay, but a performance of Cato, A Tragedy, a popular play during the revolutionary period.

The officers, who staged this drama for the enlisted men, were not trying to distract them from what felt like a hopeless situation. Instead, they wanted to remind them of the cause for which they had pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor: liberation from imperial rule and the founding of a new republic.

JH

About the Author

Josh Holdenried

Josh Holdenried is a writer on American history and political thought. He holds an M.A. in Government from Hillsdale College.

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The Continental Army, suffering through a miserable five-month confinement at Valley Forge, might have found the announcement peculiar in the spring of 1778. Philadelphia, the city where independence had been declared less than two years earlier, was now occupied by the British. Food was scarce; clothing, scarcer still. Many were barefoot, leaving blood-sodden trails throughout the camp. Yet the officers charged with their welfare announced not the arrival of provisions or pay, but a performance of Cato, A Tragedy, a popular play during the revolutionary period.

The officers, who staged this drama for the enlisted men, were not trying to distract them from what felt like a hopeless situation. Instead, they wanted to remind them of the cause for which they had pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor: liberation from imperial rule and the founding of a new republic.