Do you want to know what General Putnam is thinking? It’s this. He’s thinking that he can’t win the war if he doesn’t keep the people on his side. He’s thinking that he can’t keep the people on his side if the troops are running amok among the civilian population–raping the women, stealing cattle, burning houses. He is determined to scare the wits out of the troops to keep them in line. And he’s thinking that it doesn’t matter very much who he executes to do it. So many men have died, so many mothers have wept, so many brothers and sisters have cried. He is thinking that in the long run if he executes somebody, he’ll shorten the war and save more lives. It doesn’t matter to him very much who he executes; one man’s agony is like another’s, one mother’s tears are no wetter than anybody else’s. And that’s why he’s going to have Sam shot. James Lincoln Collier
About This Quote

General George Washington is a man who has a seemingly invincible attitude towards death. He says, "I do not hesitate to confess that I should be satisfied if I could have the pleasure of seeing the final defeat of our enemies." Later in this quote, he explains his self-centered reasoning for his attitude. He does not care who dies so long as the war goes on. He is ruthless in his methods, stating he will go through any means necessary to accomplish his goal.

Source: My Brother Sam Is Dead

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