Valley Forge Conditions

Soldiers in the Continental Army had a one in two chance of living. Fifty eight percent of them contracted an illness. At least 1,800 of them died at Valley Forge. Does that sound warm and inviting? In 1777, General Howe invaded Philadelphia, forcing Washington and his army to leave. A soldier in the Continental Army should not stay because of sickness/death, living conditions in camp, and a resentment towards Congress.

One of the reasons I wouldn't quit Valley Forge is because 50% of the people were sick but only 15% died. In document A it says “3989 (about 4000) out of 8000 were sick or unable to report for duty.” By February 1st, about 50% of soldiers were sick. But sickness is common around this time. For example, in our classroom about half of our students were sick. (Doc A) “1800 out of 12000 died”. 1800 out of 12000 soldiers may sound like a lot but it is actually only 15%. That's only 15% of all the soldiers dying. That's pretty good for being the “UnderDogs” in a war. This still gives you an 85% chance of living. So I would stay.

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.

Valley Forge atop such a high plateau was near completely cut off from supply routes making food, clothing, and weaponry very scarce. Soldiers were treated to the worst conditions possible at Valley Forge. Many were near naked and many were starving to death. Also dieses such as Dysentery and Typhus ran rampant at Valley Forge. These conditions alone accounted for the lives of hundreds of American soldiers that winter.

There was a lot of sick people, but there was not a lot of people dying from the sickness. Firstly, in document A it stated there was “3,989 people sick out of the 8,000” who were there. So what that is saying there was about 50% of soldiers sick and in the Winter it is common to be sick especially in those conditions. Secondly there were only “1,800 out of the 12,000 men died in Valley Forge”(doc A). What this is saying is that there is only a 15% chance of dying and a 85% chance of living which that is pretty good odds. Also in the background essay it says “today we know that most of the army survived the winter. So, I would take those odds and stay at Valley Forge.

It is disgusting that people left Valley Forge on such short notice and be so selfish as to go because they don’t want to be hurt! Valley Forge would have needed all the help they could get. Take the diary of Dr. Albigence Waldo (Document D) for instance, Waldo tells us about the many hardships the soldiers went through in Valley Forge. They struggled with things like slim to non food, and all around just a terrible lifestyle. People were getting sick very very easily and most of them that caught any sickness, died from it. The passage The American Crisis (Document D) also informs us about thing such as honorability. If I were to die, I would want to die honorably, in battle and fighting for my country, were as if I were to leave I would most

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.

I am a Colonist and I can’t stand it here anymore so I have decided I am going to leave Valley Forge. In Estimates of Illness and Deaths at Valley Forge (DocA). Not all of the soldiers were able to survive. A lot of the soldiers got very ill at Valley Forge because of the weather. In the Diary of Dr. Waldo (Doc C). The army starts to get sick. There is very poor food for us at Valley Forge. The American Crisis by Thomas Paine (Doc D). It is a very difficult time for us to be there. It gets very cold at Valley Forge that is why it is a difficult time to be there. There is illness, poor food, and it is a difficult time that is why I would leave.

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

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.

Valley Forge is a winter camp for soldiers. It was about 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia that had the not so clean items. If I had a choice to quit or stay at Valley Forge I would choose to quit. Showing the amount of estimates of illness and deaths is one of the main reasons why I would quit. During February 1778 the estimated amount of soldiers is 8,000. The estimated amount of illness during the encampment was 3,989 which is about 50% of the people get sick. (Doc A). Also, 1,800- 2,500 is the estimated number of people who die due to illness. (Doc A). The diary of Dr. Waldo wrote about the conditions of the troop and huts. Many reasons why soldiers are dying because of the harsh conditions such as sickness, poor food, cold weather, fatigue,

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).

After evaluating the chart in Document A, “The illness factor increased by 1000 in 2 months.” This information proves that the illness factor is increasing which is putting me at great risk of becoming ill. Another supporting detail is from Document C, “I am sick-discounted-and out of humor.” This proves that the illness had got to everyone and nobody had energy to do anything at the camp. These evidences are just a few of the many reasons I would leave Valley Forge.

Imagine living under brutal conditions in a rundown, secluded fort, far away from home and knowing that you could die at any minute. What would you do? During the winter of 1777 to 1778, George Washington’s Continental Army set up their post at Valley Forge, a military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It was not big enough to be called a village - it only had a few fieldstone houses and a mill for forging iron. The Quaker farms in the area offered good food and support for Washington’s men, so they accepted. However, as the days went by, they realized that maybe that hadn’t been such a good idea. The soldiers in the Continental Army should have left Valley Forge because of death and illness, living conditions in camp (lack of food and clothing), and resentment towards Congress. Although Thomas Paine’s words of encouragement in the American Crisis were inspirational, this didn’t change the fact that the soldiers were suffering due to the extreme conditions in the camp.

Valley Forge, a camp located in Pennsylvania, is a place where George Washington and his soldiers stayed when they were not fighting in the war. Many had a very hard time coping at the camp due to the harsh winter. On Christmas Eve of 1777, soldiers ate rice and vinegar. They had to use rags to treat their frost bites; George Washington even said “We have experienced little less than a famine in camp.” Men were seen marching without clothes, blankets, or shoes. There was a disease called smallpox that was also going around the camp and that affected a lot of soldiers.