George Washington Research Paper

As previously stated, George Washington and his troops had been stationed in New York, since June, because he was certain an attack would come in Manhattan. In early July, British troops arrived in Staten Island, commanded by Gen. William Howe. When they arrived, Howe offered the American troops a pardon, to which Washington replied “Those who have committed no fault want no pardon.” Washington sent more troops to Brooklyn for defence, even though he was convinced there would still be an attack in Manhattan. George Washington sent out troops to guard different areas, placing General Israel Putnam in charge of Brooklyn heights, sending Gen. John Sullivan to the south and William Alexander, Lord Stirling, to the southwest in the Heights of Guan.

A great deal of the troops had inadequate clothing, with at least one out of three soldiers having no shoes, and many men did not have a coat to protect them from the rain that often fell. Along with this, there was a lack of food, and tuberculosis was also widespread.
Swearing to partake in these hardships, Washington stayed near Valley Forge, and wrote to congress often, requesting more supplies for the troops, while also defending himself from congress’s claims that he was unfit to be commander. Washington also had to deal with a group formed by Horatio Gates, a commander who lead a glorious win in Saratoga, Thomas Mifflin, the nations former Quartermaster General, and Thomas Conway, a french soldier. They had recently been appointed to the board of war, and could oversee the war effort on the same level as George Washington. As Washington tried to keep his position as Commander-in-Chief, he gained the support of many people like General Henry Knox, who supported his choice of Valley Forge, and built forts on the surrounding hills to protect from British attacks. A young french nobleman named Marquis de Lafayette helped assemble European nations into the “Corps D’Éstrangers”, who helped the American troops with battle