Dbq Valley Forge

Valley Forge December year of 1777 Washington and his army arrived at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was used for a winter camp for Washington and his army. Valley Forge was a cold place to live, not a lot of food, and not a lot of clothes, bad housing all these things are bad but soldiers stay with their army. Valley Forge would you have quit me I would not quit because There were a lot of people sick but not a lot of dying, Washington is getting help, and I’m not a summer soldier freedom is worth fighting for.

George Washington and his continental army were staying at a winter camp in Valley Forge in very bad conditions from December 1777 to June 1778. These “summer soldiers” are leaving, but some are staying loyal. If you had been at Valley Forge would you quit? I would quit because only 15% of people are dying, there is help on the way and because of the inspirational words of Thomas Paine from the “American Crisis”.

Valley Forge is where George Washington and his troops sent camp for the winter. During camp the colonists trained hard and gained the confidence they needed to win the war. Unfortunately the lack of food and spread of disease caused many deaths during this harsh winter. If I had the choice to leave or stay at Valley Forge I would leave. I would not want to risk my life or have to suffer through the cold and sickness. According to Estimates of Illness and Deaths at Valley Forge (Doc A), during the encampment about 2,500 soldiers died. That is about ⅓ of the colonists fighting in the war. About 49% of the soldiers get sick. “I am sick-discontented-and out of humour. Poor food - hard lodging - Cold Weather - fatigue - Nasty Clothes - nasty

According to Document B, the soldiers were defensive at first to the congress as they marched in dressed so elegantly. In the caption of the photo on Document B it states, “The committee of five Congressman stayed several weeks and was helpful in getting more food and clothing to the soldiers.” These men were hope for the soldiers and extravagant patriots.

I am one of those people who would quit Valley Forge. Valley Forge is a winter camp that was developed in the year 1777 to prepare Washington’s army for war. The 18,000 soldiers would have to train for 7 months in the cold weather with limited supplies. I would leave Valley Forge, because from 18,000 healthy soldiers, soon became 7,000 soldiers getting ill, and 2,500 end up dying (Document A).

Have you ever heard of Valley Forge? Well , through the horrific events of Valley Forge , would you rather quit or stay? The Continental Army, has had several successes such as, Trenton and Princeton. They have gone through struggles depending on the length of their enlistment. Most were enlisted for 9 months. If I was a soldier I would have quit because I would not want to die from a illness, have poor food, lodging , and weather, and I would not want to suffer from the smoke in my hut.

In Document C, it says “I am Sick - discontented - and out of humour. Poor food - hard lodging - Cold Weather - fatigue - Nasty Clothes - nasty Cookery - Vomit half my time - Smok'd out my senses…” and much more. Essentially, everything about Valley Forge is terrible, such as the food, ventilation, clothes, and hard lodging. Even though the conditions were terrible, “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.” As well as “... spirit of Alacrity…” shown by the soldiers. This evidence is meaning even though the conditions were very bad, a lot of the other soldiers showed spirit and willingness, so I would have too.

Would you fight for independence in the harsh conditions or stay home and hope for independence. During December 1777 George Washington led an army called the Continental Army of 12,000 men to take base at Valley Forge, PA which was 18 miles Northwest of Philadelphia. The question that I have to answer is; Valley Forge: Would you have quit?. This basically means that if you had to make a choice to not re-enlist or stay, which one would you choose. I am not re-enlisting or quitting valley forge because of the shortage of food, the terrible illness and dreadful accommodations.

The stench of sweat, vomit, feces, and blood was almost to much to bear. Although times were difficult at Valley Forge, I would have stayed as a soldier because I believed George Washington was a amazing leader, most of the fellow soldiers didn't lose their spirit, and I would be willing to die for freedom. To begin, I would have stayed because George Washington was on our side and he is a natural born leader. In Document B it showed George Washington taking his soldiers side, which means that he was helping them; he wasn't just doing what Congress told him to do. Washington had fought in the French and Indian war, so he was trained by the British, meaning he knew there battle strategies well, as Sun Tzu once said "know thy enemy" and he did.

Image being at Valley forge, you walk through the snow and leave trails of blood while others are getting sick behind you would you want to re-enlist? In December 1777 in Valley Forge the US battled against the british and they suffered alot of pain.

George Washington once said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” George Washington had to prepare his soldiers at the winter camp at Valley Forge. The winter of 1777 was great for Washington, because he could keep an eye on the General Howe’s British soldiers. Washington had a major problem. Some men were signing up for one to two year enlistment, but the most common was nine months.The living conditions were a horrid situation. Many had no shoes and little clothing, which is not a good combination for a frigid Pennsylvania winter. The winter was not pleasant, and most soldiers had diseases, like smallpox, and dysentery. Men are dying, running away, or deserting their post. My term is almost up. I am concerned about my family, and my aging mother. I could desert and leave for home, or stay and fight. The question has come down to this; If you were a soldier at Valley Forge, would you have quit. In this situation, to quit is to not re-enlist. I have decided to re-enlist because our great leaders, the doctors and sickness treatment, and respect.

Even though I could be sick, it’s better to be sick and live than to be sick and die which is one reason why I would have re-enlisted. Next, George Washington and the Continental Congress. From the engraving created by William Henry Powell, it shows George Washington presenting his army to the Continental Congress. But really, he was showing the Congress how bad the conditions were for the soldiers. One soldier was even bare foot (Doc B). Why would George Washington go through all the trouble to bring the Congress to Valley Forge if he didn’t care for his soldiers? He did care for his soldiers, and if he did this, then why would I leave? He was suffering just like the rest of them. The congress could have helped them to which is another reason why I would’ve re-enlisted. Third, I do not want to be called a summer soldier. Thomas Paine, the author of “Common Sense” said, “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this case shrink from the service of their country” (Doc D). Meaning that some soldiers only stayed when thing were going well, and when things were bad, they would leave. I would have  wanted to stay loyal to my country and possibly become famous for defending

The snow topples over your dry,scrawny skin. Your stomach is being buried alive from thin air. You need fuel and motivation, but you're not getting any. Your eyes slowly become more frail as the smoke scorches through them. Your teeth feel as if they are stuck in a pattern of repeatedly shivering. You try to be a loyal patriot, but are you going to choose yourself or your country? In the winter of 1777 and 1778, George Washington commanded several thousand patriot soldiers who spent the winter at Valley Forge, 18 miles outside of Philadelphia. It was not an easy time.If you had been a soldier in General Washington's army, would you have quit? I would not re-enlist for three reasons: I do not want to die, the living conditions were awful, and

Soldiers would want to quit because soldiers would not want to be in that number of deaths. In Document A states that numerous soldiers would also get very sick to the point it would sometimes it could cause deaths. Soldiers would also come for their session and then not return back. In 1777 there was around 12,000 people, and back in 1778 only 8,000 soldiers came back. Most soldiers suddenly started seeing how many soldiers were in Valley Forge then out the next moment. One other reason why soldiers would not return back to Valley Forge because the soldiers probably not want to get sick or die during Valley

To begin, I would of left Valley Forge due to the rampant disease. In document B it shows that, “deaths by disease 1800-2500”. The amount of deaths due to disease is very foreboding. The chance of someone dying by disease was chillingly high. Also, document C says, “I am sick- discontented and out of home.” This primary source shows a man who is suffering from the terrible conditions caused by disease. The suffering of those with disease in the camp was absolutely terrifying, and