Explain Why I Want To Stay In The Continental Army Dbq

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

Ideal- The Marines Embody more of my personal views and ideals then the other branches of the armed services.

Victory does not come cheap. The soldiers who joined Washington in Valley Forge in December of 1777 learned that very quickly. While we camp here for the winter, we endure very harsh conditions. Many soldiers leave once their terms come to an end, and some even desert before then. Though some decide to stick it out and reenlist. The question is: which group will I join once my term is up? My response is that I will stay and fight for my country. There are three main reasons that I have come to this conclusion; The army is in need of people, I do not want to spread sickness to my family, and we are fighting for our freedom.

Valley Forge was a winter camp that was 18 miles northwest from Philadelphia that the American Continental Army spent the winter from 1777-78 during the American Revolutionary war. There were many soldiers at Valley Forge, Many of them died, but many of them also lived. An approximate amount of soldiers at Valley Forge was 12,000 in December 1777 and 8,000 in February 1778. While many soldiers were sick or heave died, the remaining soldiers that survived were being trained by General George Washington. Though staying at Valley forge may have not been the right idea. In the “Estimate of illness and deaths at Valley Forge (Document A)” it shows how many soldiers were sick and how many soldiers

“Every thought is a battle, every breath is a war and I don’t think we are winning anymore”. The depressing thoughts in which were made up of dying and not surviving were going through the minds of all the soldiers at Valley Forge as well as mine. The need of food, clothes, and weapons were needed. The wanting to win and return home to our families were mutual between all of us as well. Since the summer of 1775, George Washington has withdrawn from Boston and retreated to New York City after the American Revolution. Recently, he had been unable to stop the British when Howe marched his army into the capital of Philadelphia. Washington had a very hard time trying to keep us in his army. Some of them had signed on for one year or two, but others left or simply deserted us. The question is simple, whether or not you would stay and fight for your country or leave with honor and your dignity. My choice was obvious, staying to fight for my country. There are many reasons surrounding my choice, including the fact that the supplies were provided for us in order to live and fight through the terrible seasons, the encouragement we needed, and the conditions we faced.

Valley Forge, which was a difficult place to live, is where Washington and his Continental Army lived. During the harsh Revolutionary of December 1777-June 1778, many soldiers left, and many stayed loyal. If I had been a soldier in Washington’s army, would I have quit? No I wouldn’t have quit because only 15% of people died, there are people who show willingness, and because of the inspirational words of Thomas Paine.

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.

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.

The United States Army is one of the main factors that allows America to be a free and democratic country. The Army defends, protects, and honors the United States of America. Ever since I was a young boy, I saw greatness in the United States Army and hoped to one day be a part of it. I always envisioned myself in a leadership position and when I decided to join the Army, I knew being an officer was for me. To me, being an officer in the U.S. Army is a career unlike any other. There are many opportunities as an officer in the Army to advance, further education, and grow as a person. The army allows you to switch your MOS and attend more training to further education or to change careers completely which is something

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

leaving or staying.If I a soldier in the Continental Army I would’ve quit.The death toll was to high.

Document A shows that many soldiers had already gotten sick and died because of the sickness. There must have been a severe lack of medicine to heal the soldiers. Some of the diseases might not even have cures yet. And many of the diseases in the camp were highly contagious. If I had re-enlisted, I am pretty sure that I would have gotten sick and died from sickness myself. I would not be a good soldier at all, since what good is a sick soldier in a battle? I would be doing more harm than good. I would just be another soldier who would pass a sickness on to another soldier. If I even made it through the sickness, I would be so weak that I would surely lose to a British

There are a lot of graduates fresh out of high schools that make the decision to use the military. There are some people that join the military because that is a fast and easy choice for them. The military gives everyone a wide variety of options. College for instance, the military allows you to serve your country and still have time to attend college and get a degree if you choose to do that. People that choose to join the military get the option to go to college anytime they feel during their military career. The military pays for part or all the tuition. The military has four different branches, Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. Each branch offers different trades. Air Force for example, teaches people to fly, have mechanical skills,