American troops were remarkably patient with the hardships they had to bear. Many accepted their lot as the price of liberty. Nevertheless, as free citizens they could not help but be aware of the failings of the authorities that contributed heavily to their sufferings. Many protested their conditions of service, first as individuals, then late in the war, as entire formations.

A traditional and easy way for an American soldier to express his displeasure was to desert. Desertion was rife in all militaries of the eighteenth century. In part this was a reflection of the social origins of most soldiers, who came from the lower classes and who were used to easily walking away from unsatisfying or poorly paying jobs. Desertion was especially easy in America, where opportunities were varied and attractive.

Many men who deserted from the Continental army did so for personal reasons. They left to go home to support their families or to help harvest a crop. Others did so because they found conditions in the army intolerable. The inability of the authorities to provide the army with adequate food and clothing excited a lot of anger. Officers suffered hardships along with their men, but they had the advantage of being able to resign their commissions. The repeated failure of Congress to pay the troops led the officers to demand half-pay for life as compensation.

A wealth of grievances led to the mutiny of the Pennsylvania line in January 1781. The troops of these Pennsylvania regiments believed they had been signed up for three years and that their enlistment was up in January. The army disagreed. The infuriating knowledge that newly raised troops were being paid generous bounties for enlistment while the Pennsylvania troops had not been paid their wages, much less adequately fed, clothed, and housed, led them to mutiny.

The soldiers left their camp at Morristown, New Jersey, and began marching to Pennsylvania to present their grievances to the civil authorities. One officer was killed and two others wounded when they tried to stop the troops. The mutineers told their commander, General Anthony Wayne, that they would resist any British attempt to take advantage of their actions; they even arrested British agents sent to encourage their disaffection.

In the end, the authorities recognized the justice of the men's demands. They were promised their pay and issued food and clothing. The mutineers were granted immunity and most were allowed to leave the army and re-enlist under the new terms if they desired. The military was less lenient with another mutiny later in January, when three New Jersey regiments rose up. The regiments were surrounded and the mutiny crushed. Twelve of the rebellious troops were forced to shoot the three ringleaders of the uprising.