Washington’s guard occupied huts here as a special detachment created to protect the Commander in Chief, his official family, and his equipment, supplies, and papers. The life guard, as they called themselves, was to be made up of native born Americans, whom Washington believed would be loyal because they had a vested interest in the success of the war. In General Orders issued from Headquarters in Cambridge on March 11, 1776, Washington said he wanted men chosen for their sobriety, honesty, and good behaviour, standing from five feet, eight inches to five feet, ten inches, handsomely and well made, and especially neat and spruce. That tradition continues today in the Third United States Infantry, the unit that stands guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington.
