Did I understand this phrase correctly?

Question

Did I understand this phrase correctly?

"That so small an army as the first settlers must needs have been, should have taken such wonderful pains to enclose so ungrateful a soil(...)"

That such small an army as were the first settlers whose essential needs must have been to enclose a so ungrateful soil and should have taken such wonderful pains to do so(...)

FULL EXTRACT

That so small an army as the first settlers must needs have been, should have taken such wonderful pains to enclose so ungrateful a soil; that they should have accomplished such herculean undertakings with so slight prospect of reward; this is a consideration which gives us a significant hint of the temper of the men of the Revolutionary era.

Answer 1

The piece is easier to understand (though not as poetic) if you move the concluding thought to the start.

Here's my fairly free re-writing of the full extract:

"To give us a clue about the temperament of the men of the Revolutionary era, consider the actions of the first settlers. With only the smallest hope of reward, this small band of people undertook the enormous task of enclosing the infertile ground in the most painstaking fashion."

The quote about "so small an army as the first settlers must needs have been" presumably refers to the Pilgrim Fathers and their descendants -- since they emigrated by ship, they could only have been few in number.

Hope that's of help.

=)

(I edit stuff as part of my job.)

Answer 2

Just take out the word "needs" in the first line, and I think it will all make sense.   ("Needs must" is an old-fashioned way of saying "must"),