Valley Forge, was the toughest obstacle the Continental Army had to face during the Revolutionary War. For about nine months in the cold winter, these soldiers stayed in this area for them to"... be close enough to Philadelphia to keep an eye on the British"(Background). By the end of the war, the colonists were victorious in gaining their independence. Regardless, I would abandon my position as a soldier at Valley Forge. My reasoning are due to the multiple hardship they endure such as living in a harsh environment, sickness that lead to death and lacked numerous resources. The soldiers lacked basic necessities such as clothing and food. In Document B it Dr. Albigence Waldo states, "There comes a Soldier, his bare feet are seen thro' his worn out Shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tatter'd remains of an only pair of stocks". In other words, these soldiers clothing were very worn out due to being used so often and were not provided with brand new attire. Since there were many mouths to feed, food became scarce, which left many soldiers starving. Around the camp soldiers cry …show more content…
Connecticut surgeon, Dr. Albigence Waldo, was one of the surgeons who helped care for sick soldiers at Valley Forge. Throughout his stay, he felt "... Sick - discontented- and out of humor"(Document C). Dr. Waldo journal entry further explains what he had to see and go through every day. The "... fatigue, Nasty Cloaths, nasty Cookery..." made him "vomit half his time"(Document C). Just reading this surgeon experience, I can't imagine myself surviving one day in a hut especially with other people. Keep in mind that in "Each hut slept twelve men"(background). For all I know one of them could have been sick. Now everyone is more vulnerable within the hut because there are no windows which leads to having poor ventilation. Everyone just breathes in the same air. This is why many people were dying; germs were being passed around in the
To make matters worse they had to deal with smallpox more dangerously than that is Lice because they rarely bathed or washed themselves or had laundered clothing. Another horrible things that Martin and his soldiers had to deal with was typhus a potential killer disease characterized by usually high fevers and red sports on the skin. Typhus took the lives of most of the Valley Forge Martin was under the brigade command of General James M. Varnum but his actual commander was Colonial John Durkee of the 4th Connecticut regiment, since Varnum was elsewhere. Washington’s continentals fairly well- supplied with food, but in the months preceding a major reason for so much privation at Valley Forge. Martin’s statement about Washington’s main army was misleading about them residing in the White Plains as they crossed the Hudson River and established winter quarters in Middlebrooks, New
In the winter of 1777 and 1778 George Washington and the Continental Army had a rough time at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was 18 miles outside of Philadelphia . Some of the soldiers left because all they did was work it was cold and they had bad clothing like worn out shoes and they were getting sick but not all left some stayed loyal and times got even harder but they were so devoted to stay and fight for their freedom. So I would not have quit because…..
were poor and men loathed them. The soldiers slept on a bed of mud and
The officers and soldiers had different lifestyles during the war. The generals would be in cabins or log houses with plenty of supplies. The rest of the army had lived in tents with supplies, but not as much as the generals. So basically the higher your rank, the better you r living conditions were.
In the colonization period, the urge to conquer foreign territories was strong, and many lands in the Western Hemisphere were conquered. With the colonization of these areas, a mercantilist relationship was formed between the conquered civilization and the maternal country. A major part of this was the restriction of exportation of native resources only to the mother country as well as the banning of trading with colonies of other countries. In turn, there was an increasing in the number of smuggling activities during the time. According to a British sailor named William Taggart in 1760, the illegal smuggling of goods into these areas had a positive impact because it brought prosperity to the people in Monte Christi, as there were only one hundred poor families. Likewise, Dominica governor John Orde praised the trading because it created prices much lower than with its maternal country. However, British admiral David Tyrell, Roger Elletson, Dominica governor John Orde, and a 1790 Bahaman newspaper report all had similar views on the harmful effects and corruptness present in smuggling. Despite this, physician George Lipscomb and British Lieutenant Governor Thomas Bruce had neutral opinions on the matter, and only stated what they witnessed in the process.
We have had to deal with, “poor food- hard lodging- cold weather- fatigue, “(Document B). In this diary by Dr Waldo, a doctor we have at camp, he has accurately described what life is like at camp. The factors that we undergo make us sick both physically and mentally, these factors make us lose all sense of empowerment to win this war that we once felt, these factors make us want to go home more than anything just to hear our mother’s voice just once more. The absence of encouragement from other colonists and countries, and how I have to go to bed with my stomach empty every single night pushes me over the edge to give up and just
While obtaining food seemed to be the entire purpose of life for the people imprisoned in the camps, it often killed more people than it saved. Though focusing on food seemed like a logical thing to do when you are being starved, it was not always very effective in helping people survive. There are many situations in the book illustrating how living for the sole purpose of acquiring food—under any condition—could turn out to be lethal.
According to Document A, there were 12,000 soldier in valley forge during December 1777. By February 1778 there were only 8,000 soldiers. From December to June 1,800 to 2,500 soldiers died. In December there were 2,898 soldiers sick and by February there were 3,989 soldiers sick. About 50% of soldiers were sick in February. They need help caring for the sick and dying. If I stayed I could help the sick and wounded instead of leaving all the fallen soldiers behind.
The day to day life for the regular soldier was not glorious. Many times the regiments were low on supplies such as food and clothing. They lived in the elements. Medical conditions were grotesque because of the lack of advanced equipment and anesthesia. “Discipline was enforced with brutality” as if all the other conditions were not bad enough.
Soldiers faced diseases like measles, small pox, malaria, pneumonia, camp itch, mumps, typhoid and dysentery. However, diarrhea killed more soldiers than any other illness. There were many reasons that diseases were so common for the causes of death for soldiers. Reasons include the fact that there were poor physicals before entering the army, ignorance of medical information, lack of camp hygiene, insects that carried disease, lack of clothing and shoes, troops were crowded and in close quarters and inadequate food and water.
In conclusion, I would have abandoned Valley Forge because of all the spreading illnesses, Washington’s “discouraging” words at Valley Forge, and the lack of food and a nice living quality. I feel that the Americans have a major disadvantage in this Revolutionary War. They don’t have too many resources because of the small amount of people supporting them. For now, the Americans must with the war with what they’ve
At Valley Forge, December 1777- June 1778. Washington and his Continental army would be staying here for 6 months and it was a very difficult place to live because it was very cold, a lot people are sick, and low on supplies but some are leaving and others are staying. Would you have quit Valley Forge? I would have stayed at Valley Forge because only 15% of people are dying, there is help on the way, and because of the inspirational words of Thomas Paine.
Unsanitary hospitals and camps kept the wounded soldiers in large groups, which were ideal places for infection, fevers and disease to spread. Soldiers were not immune to childhood diseases like the measles and smallpox. Medical science has not yet discovered the importance of antiseptics in preventing infection. Water was contaminated and soldiers sometimes ate unripened or spoiled food. There weren’t always clean rags available to clean wounds.
In today’s society many countries and even citizens of the United States question the U.S. government’s decision to get in involved in nuclear warfare. These people deemed it unnecessary and state that the U.S. is a hypocrite that preaches peace, but causes destruction and death. Before and during World War II the U.S. was presented with a difficult decision on whether or not to develop and use the atomic bomb.
Who would have the guts to stay? “ The first two years of the American Revolution had not gone well for the Continental Army.” George Washington was having trouble keeping soldiers, but for only nine months some soldiers will use their bravery to keep on fighting for freedom. Although, the congressmen didn’t trust George Washington, it didn’t stop him from leading his soldiers into battle. The soldiers settled for winter in Valley Forge in Philadelphia in the perfect spot to keep an eye on the British and close to Quakers for food. They were ready to face the winter. After the winter started to come to the end, most of the army survived . “ On April 13, 1778, word reached camp that the French would join the Americans in the war. It was a huge turning point.” A soldier would not have quit Valley Forge because to supporting other soldiers, give motivation, and reassurance that they were getting resources.