...1778, Washington was unable to halt General Howe and his British soldiers from claiming Philadelphia. With Howe and his army of roughly 18,000 comfortably quartered in Philadelphia, Washington decided to build a winter camp at Valley Forge just 18 miles from Philadelphia in order to keep a close watch on the British. Through this very gruesome winter they lacked food, proper shelter, and other bare necessities. Many men were disheartened by the conditions of Valley Forge and many soldiers’ terms were coming to an end, the demand for soldiers could not have been higher. The question for most of the soldiers was, “Should I quit and leave the Continental Army?” or...
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...Dead Cold Eyes It was below zero, we were out of food, and my skin and eyes were burning because of all the smoke. For the first two years of the American Revolution the Continental Army was not doing well. They were unable to stop the British at Philadelphia, and ended up retreating from Boston and New York City. Valley Forge, would you stay or would you reenlist? I would abandon Valley Forge because of all the help needed from the Congressional Committee, the spread of disease, and the major lack of provisions. In the first place, if I were a soldier at Valley Forge I would’ve given up because of all the help and support the the Continental Army needed from the Congressional Committee. Document B shows all the soldiers in really rough shape....
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...Valley Forge Improvements Valley Forge encampment was a trying time for the Continental Army’s NCOs. I believe that two of the biggest concerns there were was sickness and disease along with the arrangement of the camp. When an army has soldiers and other civilians living in such tight quarters it becomes very difficult to stay healthy with poor living conditions that include no showers, wet floors, and the lack of a plan for human waste. It is the responsibility of leaders to develop a strategy to handle those matters. To say the least, the living quarters that these soldiers lived in were inadequate. The men were told to build sixteen by fourteen foot huts that accommodated 12 soldiers and sometimes were just merely bigger than half that...
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...they set out to do just that. They formed armies to fight against the British. Though the Americans were not well trained they did have spirit and a good cause. Two years after the Americans had declared their independence the American soldiers made camp at Valley Forge. They were eighteen miles away from where the British were, Philadelphia. At this point in time the Americans were having a rough time. They had not won any battles for a while and the had bad supplies. If asked the question, if i were in Valley Forge would I have reenlisted...
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...sickness that has kept you up for days the only thing that comforts you is the thought of going back to your home and soon you will have the choice to do so.you are a solider staying at valley forge and you have been so sick for staying with so many other sick people. You missed your family since the day you left but now it is the only thing that you can think about. you were thinking about deserting the army but then you remember that you can choose to re-enlist or you can leave. you could re-enlist which would mean that you could stay and help fight for your country but then you would have a greater chance of dying in the war. Or you could leave...
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...in a situations like this. The first two years of the American revolution did not go so well. People were dying and getting sick and you never knew if you were next. There were 12 men ,including yourself, that would be crowded into one hut. I have decided to not re-enlist for the three reasons which are trust, family, and valley forge’s conditions. These reasons are only few of the many that are making me want to leave once the 9 months are over. Washington decided to build valley forge for the soldiers to stay and rest. The village was not big enough to be called a village but Washington still decided to call it valley forge. General Washington also marched his army into the capital. There was a victory at Philadelphia before this all started. Valley forge is a resting camp for the soldiers 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Many things happened before...
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...1778 Washington was in charge of thousands of soldiers. They spent their winter at Valley Forge which is 18 miles outside of Philadelphia. They didn’t have much money and the patriot soldiers weren’t paid. They only had their freedom to fight for nothing else so a lot had given up and quit. Most people would have left with all the problems and conditions throw in their way but some would have stayed to fight for what they believed in. George Washington’s had a lot of men in Valley Forge. Many had got diseases and illnesses from being all together. In the cold their bodies couldn’t heat up to fight the foreign diseases/illnesses so it was very hard for their immune systems to keep them healthy. It is estimated that in December, 1777 there were 12,000 soldiers and in February, 1778 there were only 8,000 left, 33% percent loss of the original soldiers. (Noel F. Busch, Winter Quarters, Liveright, New York, 1974 and researchers from University of Michigan) The deaths came from the great pandemic of illnesses December 23, 1777 the estimates recorded pointed to the total people infected would be 2,898. By February 1, 1778 they sky rocketed to 3,989. Because of all the ruthless illnesses and diseases, from December all the way to June a estimate of 1,800-2,500 died in that short time. If the men didn’t leave and quit they would have to battle a high chance of dying. There were a lot of different problems with George Washington’s soldiers. They used to be healthy but based on documents...
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...facing a hard time right now. It is the Winter of 1777. We are at Valley Forge, 18 miles away from Philadelphia with George Washington, leading us as the head of the Continental Army. The first two years of the American Revolution had not gone well or the Continental Army. The patriot soldiers were commanded to spend the winter at Valley Forge. The soldiers are having difficulties and hard time of surviving. We are risking our lives for something that we aren’t even guaranteed to get. For the past few months, I was considering if I should re-enlist or not, and I came to the decision of not re-enlisting for the Continental Army. I am not going to re-enlist, because of the death and illness, harsh conditions, and the lack of support...
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...Valley Forge: Would You Have Quit? Valley Forge was a tiny and horrible camp filled with depression and death. Valley Forge could barely fit Washington’s Army and the conditions were horrible. This camp tested the faith of the soldiers. It made soldiers wonder if they should leave or stay and fight for their country. If you had been a soldier, would you have quit? This question could have a huge impact on the war and the army itself. If I were a soldier, I would not re-enlist. I would not re-enlist because the conditions were horrible. These conditions raised the chances of death.Doctor Waldo states, “...No Meat! No Meat!..”, meaning there was no meat to provide the army with strength and silence the groans of every hungry stomach in the camp. Without food, how are soldiers supposed to have the strength they need to carry on in the war? Dr Waldo also states, “...skin and eyes are almost spoil’d with continual smoke…”, meaning the conditions were so bad that...
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...Imagine you are stuck in a hut with a fire burning and your eyes stinging from the smoak, only to go outside and find you feet in pain from the unbearable cold you can feel in between the broken soles of your destroyed shoes. What if this was your life for 9 more months? In the winter of 1777-1778 George Washington led his men into the camp of Valley Forge to keep watch on the British in Philadelphia. The American soldiers were starved,diseased, and smok'd out from the terrible conditions they were in. Would you have re-enlisted at Valley Forge? I will not re-enlist because of disease, harsh conditions, and lack of support and supplies. I will not comeback because of the amount of severe illness and death this winter has brought upon our militia....
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...If you were a soldier with no food, poor housing, and sickness was surrounding you, would you try to leave as soon as you could? In December of 1777, General Washington took us to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and we were looking to take over the British that were in Philadelphia. But, compared to Britain, us Americans had nothing. There is no way that any man should stay at Valley Forge because of death and illness, harsh conditions, and lack of support or supplies. Death and illness are unfortunate factors that make our situation a lot tougher. If people are going to die at the rate they are now, we will lose about two thousand five hundred troops by the time we leave Valley Forge. (Doc A) So, for every ten people, one will end up dead and...
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...Washington made his winter camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The British army, under General Howe, was only eighteen miles away in Philadelphia. Washington had a problem. Many of his men have signed up to fight for nine months, and now those enlistments are coming to an end soon. The question for Washington is how will he get his men to re-enlist. For me, I must decide if I should quit or if I should re-enlist. After a long, hard thought, my decision to whether re-enlist or quit comes to a conclusion. I will re-enlist for three reasons: the need for healthy men, support from Congress and out of all things, I’m not a summer soldier. The first reason I will re-enlist is healthy men are needed. In Document A, Winter Quarters, the statistics claim that in December 1777 nearly 3,000 men suffered from illness at Valley Forge. Within a few...
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...It was very challenging at Valley Forge, especially with the enemy 18 miles away. The soldiers don’t always get even basic supplies. In Valley Forge during my winter of 1777 and 1778, the Continental Army prepared for the cold and lack of food. I wouldn’t re-enlist because of death and illness, harsh conditions, and lack of support and supplies. I would not re-enlist because of death and illness. A lot of people at camp had died or were sick. Around 4000 soldiers were sick and 2500 soldiers have died. 50% of us were sick (Doc A). A lot of soldiers are dying and others are sick. That is good enough for me to leave, I don’t want to die. I wouldn’t re-enlist would be because of the harsh conditions. Many people have died and many other people...
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...Valley Forge was the camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777 and 1778 during the Revolutionary War. Although the conditions were bad, and others may have quit, I wouldn't have, I would stay at Valley Forge and fight for Washington's army because only 15% of people died, the inspirational words of Thomas Paine and the help from the Congressmen.. One of the reasons for my opinion on this is because the graph in Document A, which if looked at explains how although a lot were sick, the death toll was much less. There were almost 4,000 who were sick out of the 8,000, but only ~1,800 of the 12,000 people were dead. This means that you would have an 85% chance of living, which is pretty reasonable for that time, and wouldn’t be make me want to quit. Another great piece of evidence are the words of Thomas Paine, an English-American political activist and political theorist. Even though many were going to quit, his words encouraged them to keep fighting despite the troubles at Valley Forge. The text in Document D are from him, saying to not be a “Summer Soldier” or a “Sunshine Patriot”. This means to not give up when times are tough and endure it all for the freedom of their nation, and themselves. In the same document it was also said by Thomas...
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...on February 17, 1732 and died in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on December 14, 1799. During the time between Washington’s occupation as a land surveyor in his youth and becoming the first president of these great United States he fought in the French and Indian War for the British then the Revolutionary War against the British. All of Washington’s battles were fought with the upmost courage and character. George Washington’s military life began when Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie appointed him as military adjutant, with the rank of major in the Virginia militia. The job of a military adjutant was to teach soldiers...
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