When the battle becomes harsh, and men are stationed throughout the entire land to take down the enemy, you know that people will start to make tide-turning decisions. Such is this example shown by the soldiers at Valley Forge. Who are the “soldiers at Valley Forge” you ask? Well, in the year of 1777, many American soldiers were posted, left to rot, at the winter camp: Valley Forge. This was during the Civil War, and Washington had to find a place to spend the Winter with his soldiers. Many would quit, and so would you, from this certain death for reasons such as poor ventilation that causes an overwhelming presence of smoke, the lack of provisions, as well as, the deadly cold. First up is because of the terrible ventilation of the huts. Not …show more content…
There were many times while serving my time in the army, when I thought that some of my limbs would freeze and even perhaps fall off. Well that’s exactly what happened to most of my comrades during the encampment at Valley Forge. The cold was so great, that the unlucky soldiers stationed there were starting to freeze to death, even the ones with sufficient clothes and shoes still suffered from the unforgiving cold. Many actually started to lose their toes, or even feet. In Document C it states that there was, “Cold Weather…….. sent here to starve and freeze……tatter’d remains of an only pair of stockings.” This proves that not only is the weather extremely cold, but the soldiers barely had enough clothing to keep them warm from this infamous winter. In addition to this, it does not make a good mix with the huts because they would have to stay there all day, or the lack of provisions, because they would have limited clothing to keep them warm. This also adds a great disadvantage to the equation, because if the British happened to attack us, we would almost be certainly killed because of the sheer cold which would prevent us from
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
It is far easier for us in the present than it was for those at Gettysburg, to look back and determine the path that the leaders should have taken. As students, studying battles such as this, we have the advantage of hindsight, knowing the outcome. Nonetheless, we can still learn valuable lessons from it. To do so, this analysis will explore some of the decisions of the leaders at Gettysburg, and how they were affected by the operational variables. This essay will scrutinize some of the leaders at Gettysburg, and the impact of their actions. The outcome of this analysis will show that what was true in 1863 is still true today. While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg.
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…..
Goal: Have the general public understand why the army stayed at Valley Forge, and what the soldiers did here in order to survive the winter encampment.
Document C tells us that most soldiers, including Dr. Albigence Waldo, have, “Poor food-hard lodging-Cold Weather-fatigue-Nasty Cloaths-nasty Cookery-Vomit half my time-smoak’d out my senses.” This proves that conditions in Valley Forge were terrible. The soldiers dealt through these conditions all winter, without their families, only to continue to fight in war right after winter ends. As an overview, Document C consists of two diary entries by Dr. Albigence Waldo, who was a surgeon at Valley Forge. Waldo suffered much at Valley Forge, but stayed loyal to the Patriots and didn’t quit. For example, Document C states, “‘Heartily wish myself at home, my Skin and eyes are almost spoil’d with continual smoke.”..... “Dr. Waldo suffered during his winter at Valley Forge but stayed loyal to the Continental Army as he helped other surgeons care for sick soldiers.” This proves that despite the fact that conditions were terrible at Valley Forge, Waldo did not quit and continued to fight, which would eventually pay out in the long run. In fact, throughout the whole document it mentions that many soldiers did not have shoes (I mean they were fighting in a war, and it was the middle of winter!), proper warm clothing, good and plenty food, proper lodging, and much more. However, those soldiers did not give up, and continued to fight. Therefore, another reason I would not have quit Valley Forge is because the conditions in Valley Forge were terrible, but many brave soldiers continued to
On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the rebelling territories of the confederacy and authorizing Black enlistment in the Union Army. Since the beginning of the Civil War, free Black people in general, , were ready to fight on behalf of the Union, yet they were prevented from doing so. Popular racial stereotypes and discrimination against Blacks in the military contributed to the prevailing myth that Black men did not have the intelligence and bravery necessary to serve their country. By the fall of 1862, however, the lack of White Union enlistment and confederate victories at Antietem forced the U.S. government to reconsider its racist policy. As Congress met in October to address the issue of Black enlistment, various troops of Black volunteers had already been organized, including the First South Carolina and the Kansas Colored Troops. It wasn't until January 26, 1863, however, that secretary of war Edwin Stanton authorized the enlistment of Black troops. As a result, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer infantry was founded, becoming the first all-Black Union regiment raised in the north.(Emilio 1990)
“Their differing perceptions of the nature of war form the backbone of the difficult relationship between these two men.” Lee, an older soldier, values much of an offensive warfare approach, while Longstreet values a defensive warfare approach. Both men consistently argue about the best option for the Confederacy. However, “no matter how much he might disagree, Longstreet defers to Lee’s decisions.” In an argument as to who was right, none of the developed tactics provide clear evidence as to what was going to work, especially with a military of lesser men, considering the war in 1863. Although General Lee’s tactics did not work during the Battle of Gettysburg, there is no evidence that General Longstreet’s defensive strategy would have worked significantly better. Therefore, neither of the generals exceeded the other when it comes to military strategies, which rather debunks Shaara’s depiction of Longstreet’s advanced knowledge of modern warfare. Despite of the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg, often marked as the turning point of the war, General Longstreet should not obey an order that results in a significant loss of men that would be extremely difficult to replace at this time. Already limited by the amount of men still able to fight, pushing additional forces in an open battle would just nearly deplete the confederate soldiers completely, and
He later uses them to cross the icy Potomac to win the very important Battle of Trenton. The importance of this battle is that it raises the morale of the soldiers. After this, Howe decides to go into winter quarters. Washington and his army do the same, but would occasionally strike against the redcoats whenever they went foraging for supplies for themselves and their horses. After that first winter the Americans and British continued their war.
1863. The regiment earned its greatest fame on July 18, 1863, when it led the
The Battle of Antietam on September 17th, 1862 was the single, most bloodiest day in American History, where more than 23,000 men became casualties of war. General George Brinton McClellan’s inability to use Mission Command, as a warfighting function was a key reason this battle did not end the American Civil War. An analysis of General McClellan’s Mission Command operational process will show how his personality, bias, and fear were detrimental to the outcome of the Battle of Antietam.
African Americans helped shape the Civil War from various perspectives. Actually, they were the underlying foundation for the war if you think about it in depth. African Americans were slaves and had been dealt with like property since they arrived in America. The likelihood of opportunity for these slaves created an enormous commotion in the South. The issue of equal rights for African Americans brought on a gap between the states. The United States Civil War began as an effort to save the Union, and ended in a fight to abolish slavery. The Civil War, frequently known as the War Between the States in the United States, which was a Civil War battled from 1861 to 1865, after seven Southern slave states proclaimed their severance and framed the Confederate States of the United States. More Americans died in the Civil War than in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined. Two thirds of the individuals that were killed in the Civil War died of disease. The medical world at the time of the Civil War and advanced disinfectants, did not exist which could have enormously lessen the spread of disease and illnesses. After years of bloody combat that left over 600,000 soldier’s dead and destroyed much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, & the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring national unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began. By December 1865 the 13th Amendment had abolished slavery throughout the United States (Waldstreicher).
Black soldiers made their first major impact in the United States military during the Civil War. Upon their entrance into the armed forces, African Americans were discriminated against by the white soldiers. A regiment in the Union army called the Buffalo soldiers was viewed as inferior. None of the white soldiers wanted to fight with this group, so the Buffalo soldiers were sent to the far west where they could fight and not interfere with the whites. The Buffalo soldiers operated in the west from 1867-1896. During this span, fourteen medals of honor were awarded to the Buffalo soldiers, the highest military award. These soldiers became known for their bravery and courage in battle. This angered the whites, who did not want African Americans in the military. However, the courage demonstrated by the Buffalo soldiers allowed for other African American regiments to be created (“Buffalo Soldier”).
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.
Settlers maintained their crops and livestock, but while doing so the temperature drops past the freezing point. Children were attending school when the blizzard started to make its way toward the prairie. Unprepared with the proper clothing to at least have a fighting chance to stay warm during the frigid temperatures. These children were without over coats to keep warm, in one situation with two sisters Eda and Matilda, the author wrote “the older sister Eda took off her wrap to cover the younger sister.” (Laskin, 46) Times were very different then they are today, where heavier clothing are required and more available may not have been accessible to the settlers of that time. It was understood that so many children died with only a blanket of some sort, while walking against the heavy winds that was strong enough to rip it from the shoulders of the children. Many of these settlers died because of not dressing for the weather, or not having the resources to make or buy the
The Civil War is considered the bloodiest war in the history of the United States of America with 618,000 deaths, and numerous injuries that left many on both sides of the war maimed and handicapped. Due to the four years that the war lasted, the tolerance for war had grown very thin as time dragged on with the citizens of the United States. Many military officers and politicians were falling out of favor with the citizens, and with drastic times come drastic measures. The siege of Petersburg, Virginia had been dragging on for eig...