Essay about Deserting Washington’s Army

bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1,

The American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War in the United States, was the prosperous military revolt against Great Britain of Thirteen American Colonies which joined together as the United States of America in July 1776. Originally constrained to fighting in those colonies, after 1778 it additionally became a world war between Britain and France, Netherlands, Spain, and Mysore.

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”.

were taking everyone they could. They were taking even boys under sixteen which were the easiest to train and without any family responsibilities. Some of the new soldiers stayed at

The first reason I am staying in Valley Forge is, with so many soldiers dead or too sick to get out of bed, they need as many people as they can get. By this time, February 1, 1778, about half of the soldiers at Valley Forge are too sick to work. Another 1,800 to 2,500 are already dead. (Document A) This means that they are severely short on troops. If the British were to attack at this time and everyone was leaving, we wouldn’t fare very well.

There is no food, I am cold, and have little humor, I want to go home. This is only some of the horrible things happening. It is 1777 and George Washington has several 1,000 troops settled at Valley Forge. We are here to fight for are freedom from the british. It is winter here and us men are not doing well. The real question is: Will I Quit? I have served my time.Things have been so bad, I am deciding to quit and not re-enlist. The 3 reasons I want to leave are so many are sick, awful living conditions, and I don’t want to die.

In 1924, after the war, congress gave veterans of World War I certificates valid in 1945 for $1000 each. During the Great Depression, many of the service men had lost their jobs so they decided asked congress to redeem the bonus certificates early, in 1932 (11). The “Bonus Army” was formed and led by an Oregon man named Walter Waters (11). The army now contained 15,000 veterans who hitched rides, hopped trains and hiked into the Capital (11). President Hoover refused to acknowledge the veterans but Congress argued over whether or not to give into the requests (11). On June 17, the Senate declined the demands and many of the people in the Bonus Army returned home, but thousands of them had nowhere to go. Therefore, they stayed in Washington,

George Washington, a man of many military achievements, brought ragtag farmers to military men, and destroyed the most powerful army in the world. Washington was appointed the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775. Washington, who had military experience before serving in the Continental Army, had never commanded an army of this size. He was appointed leader of the Continental Army because John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, thought of him as a man of great character who would help unite the colonies. Brilliant character and leadership help George Washington win battles over the British, and make farmers into true military men.

The first reason I will not re-enlist is because the sickness in 1777 to 1778 is a very easy disease to spread. The quote “ Sent here to starve and freeze” (Waldo 151) is harsh, especially for the people that are fighting for their country. As well as for the quote “ However, the most frequent time of re-enlistment was nine months… Others just simply deserted” (Roden 141) shows that they knew how hard the living was and that they needed to leave. In Document A it talks about the average people at Valley Forge in the beginning and the average after the sickness spread. So by looking at the chart I would have a 25% chance of living, and a 75% chance of dying.These reasons are causing me to not re-enlist because I would rather not die of a sickness but of old age. This whole paragraph is talking about how you can catch a sickness and may not survive.

A soldier should not re-enlist because the shortage of supplies negatively impacted the whole army and greatly reduced their chance of obtaining freedom by defeating the British. A battle that can not be won should

In the months and years following the revolutionary war, many veterans faced dim prospects. Veterans of the former continental army received little of the pay that they were owed and any pay that was given out was typically of useless continental notes of so little value they gave rise to the saying “Not worth a continental” (Philips). In Massachusetts veterans were dealt a particularly harsh hand by the steep taxation of the state 's conservative governor such that many faced property seizures or debtors prison from the crushing debts which arose from a combination of their lack of payment from the revolutionary war, a poor market for crops in the postwar depression, demands by merchants from payments in hard cash, and the

This point of view makes sense because Since “February 1, 1778, 3989” soldiers have been estimated ill during encampment.  This means that if soldiers leave we will not have an army to fight However I have decided to not reenlist for three reasons which are bad conditions, death and illness, and the bad huts.   Therefore I have given better reasons than the other soldiers to not reenlist.

The Revolutionary War started on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord. America was very much unprepared with no central government or army. The congress stepped up as the government and began to organize an army. The Revolutionary War did not end until September 3, 1783 with the signing of the final peace treaty between America and Great Britain. The victory in the Revolution War led to the birth of a new independent nation.

Many individuals joined the military to get away from home, travel, a new experience, pride, the educational benefits numerous individuals enlisted right after the 9/11 attack to fight against terrorist protector our military freedom recruiter justifying all the astounding benefits of entering one of our armed forces. Processed to boot camp receiving pay while you attended once completed head off to your MOS (Military Occupation School) three meals a day living quarters. You married, had children that military provided all medical, dental, evening housing. Those liberties you were accustomed to; no longer accessible once you exited military services many veterans had a hard time coping with day to day task. Military prepared to train you for

Men had gotten the promise of a job for copious years with food, shelter and pay. On top of that, veteran soldiers had a high place in society and were revered with respect. In fact, after they had served twenty-five years, they could choose to accept a large sum of money, or a vast plot of land after they retired. It was not all fun and games, though. Since soldiers needed to be at least twenty to attain entrance into the army, and have a commitment to stay there for at least twenty-five years, all soldiers would be at least forty-five years old after they retired. Additionally, they could not get married while still in the army, and since there were no female soldiers allowed, it was a lonely life. There are also the obvious disadvantages as well like, poor diet and high risk of