Valley Forge: The American Revolution

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“These are the times that try men’s souls” (Paine, 1776). The first two years since George Washington had taken command as General of the Continental Army in 1775 had not gone well for the colonial side of the American Revolution. Washington took his troops to build a winter camp at Valley Forge about 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia. In the duration of which the army stayed at Valley Forge, they caught sicknesses, ran low on provisions, and yet most were still willing to stay and continue to fight for their freedom. Through all the hardships and sufferings in the winter at Valley Forge, would it be reasonable to quit? Probably. But, a soldier who has enough willpower and determination should fight for his freedom until the end because of the survival rates, their willingness, and the glorious triumph they would feel when they conquered another conflict in the course of the revolution. …show more content…

Noel F. Busch states, “from December 1777-February 1778, the total number of soldiers at Valley Forge went from about 12,000 to roughly 8,000” (Busch, 1974). This meant that nearly 4,000 soldiers either left or died. However, this means that even though it would have been easy for the soldiers to give up and go back to their families, 8,000 soldiers were willing to endure the burden and fatigue that would come with staying; 8,000 out of 12,000 soldiers survived and decided to keep fighting for their

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