January 1, 1776: General Orders

The General Orders of His Excellency, General George Washington, were written in the third person: "His Excellency hopes that the Importance of the great Cause we are engaged in, will be deeply impressed upon every Man's mind, and wishes it to be considered, that an Army without Order, Regularity & Discipline, is no better than a Commission'd Mob...."

John H. Rhodehamel, ed., George Washington: Writings (New York: Library of America, 1997), 196.