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How Did The Valley Forge Dbq

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In late December of 1777, the Continental Army under the command of George Washington set up an encampment called Valley Forge. Valley Forge was a military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 during the American Revolution. If I were a soldier during that time, I would’ve re-enlisted. I would do this for one reason, courage. First, soldiers had a better chance of surviving than dying. In December when they first arrived, they had 12,000 men. By February 1778, they had 8,000 men, meaning that 4,000 left. Out of the 8,000 that stayed, close to 50% of them got sick with a disease called smallpox (3,989 to be exact). Out of the 3,989 that were sick, only about 2,000 of them died. So I could …show more content…

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

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