Neimeyer for the first time reveals who really served in the army during the Revolution and why. His conclusions are startling. The long-termed Continental soldiers were not those whom historians have traditionally associated with the defense of liberty.

Prologue -- 1. Few Had the Appearance of Soldiers: The Social Origins of the Continental Line -- 2. The Most Audacious Rascals Existing: The Irish in the continental Army -- 3. A True Pell-Mell of Human souls: The Germans in the Continental Army -- 4. Changing One Master for Another: Black soldiers in the Continental Army -- 5. Scalp Bounties and Truck Houses: The Struggle for Indian allies in the Revolution -- 6. To Get as Much for My Skin as I could: The Solder as Wage Laborer -- 7. Running Through the Line Like Wildfire: Resistance, Punishment, Desertion, and Mutiny in the Continental Army -- Conclusion.