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Valley Forge Dbq Essay

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In November 1777, the Continental Army miraculously retreated and escaped the clutches of the British army and paced towards a winter camp-Valley Forge. Afterwards, George Washington, the Commander-in-Chief of the army, wrote to George Clinton, conveying the severity of their situation, "For some days past, there has been little less than a famine in camp. A part of the army has been a week without [food], and the rest for three or four days. Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery, that they have not been ere this excited by their sufferings, to a general mutiny or dispersion." The soldiers were without soap, consequently, horrible itching rashes arose. Brought from countless miles away, water was to be saved and drank sparingly, flour was soon to be gone and the soldiers could only imagine the juicy taste of meat. Poorly constructed huts …show more content…

It states in Document A in the chart, "Total Soldiers at Valley Forge (estimates)... February 1, 1778 [had] 8,000 [soldiers in all]... Illness Estimates During Encampment... February 1, 1778 [resulted in] 3,989 [sick soldiers]..." This proves that there were countless deaths and diseases in this time at Valley Forge. In fact, around half of the soldiers in February 1778 suffered from an illness and the numbers only went up. As a result, many died from their illnesses and left the army with fewer and fewer soldiers. Document C reads in the "December 14, 1777" section, "The army which has been surprisingly healthy hitherto, now begins to grow sickly from the continued fatigues they have suffered this Campaign." This supports the idea that diseases spread and states that the soldiers now "grow sickly from the[ir] [work]". This means that the illnesses are spreading at increasing rates resulting in more and more soldiers dying from

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