DBQ Essay: The Valley Forge Tragedy

Winter of 1777, Valley Forge was a refuge for many soldiers like me. After retreating from Howe’s army, General Washington along with the half the Continental army had set up base for three months. The small camp with few necessities was 18 miles away from Pennsylvania. The camp was a snow covered area, with small wood lodges that were not ventilated, no meat, low food supply, tattered clothes and shoes, and injuries from walking. Consider being surrounded with all of theses atrocious circumstances, then ask yourself, would you stay at Valley Forge? My decision was not to stay because of the illness and death rate, the harsh weather and living conditions, and major lack of vital supplies.

With all of these soul-shattering, life-changing conditions, it is less of a war and more of a test of strength for the soldiers, here at Valley Forge. Some men were going home and not returning. Other men just completely deserted. Even George Washington’s position was uncertain, the members of congress didn’t trust him. Life at Valley Forge was obviously horrible, and the ugly truth is that it wouldn’t get much better. Cold was one problem, smoke was another. Hopefully, the soldiers will have the courage to make it through this devastating time. Lack of food, living conditions, and horrid climate are some reasons of why a soldier would quit Valley Forge.

In the Vietnam war, there were many soldiers at war with each other, and most soldiers were not prepared for the fight. In the novel The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien was in the Vietnam war when he was young. The book was not in order but he still talks about his experiences while in the war. His purpose for writing this novel was because he wanted younger audience to know what happened in the war and what the soldiers experienced. O’Brien’s intended audience was young people who were not educated about the war and he discussed the themes shame/guilt and mortality/death.

Research Question: What were the reasons behind the gold rush in Colorado in the 19th century and the war atrocities committed by United States Government towards the culmination of the Sand Creek Massacre?

“Poor food, hard lodging, cold weather, fatigue, nasty clothes, nasty cookery, vomit… why are we sent here to starve and freeze?”-Dr. Albigence Waldo “What we know today was not known in late December 1777, victory seemed a long way off; in fact for many, it seemed unlikely.” Had I been a soldier at Valley Forge, would I of given up? If I had the choice, I would have stayed, because of loyalty to our leaders and country, to stay a powerful nation, and for the freedom of me and the people of America.

Thomas Paine said in The American Crisis, “These are the times that try men’s souls.” (153). He was right. It is the winter of 1777-1778 in Valley Forge, 18 miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and conditions are awful. We have little to no food, there are many diseases such as smallpox and dysentery, and frostbite is taking many limbs. Our doctors are ineffective and nearly blind from smoke. Many of my fellow soldiers are not re-enlisting when the end of their nine months comes. The question for those of us left is, are we going to be like those men and quit, or will we re-enlist to fight? My initial enlistment ends on March 1. I must decide whether I will re-enlist or not re-enlist. For me, it will not be that hard, because I have already decided. I will stay and help my comrades. I have a chance to move up in rank, they need every man, and General George Washington is staying.

As the American Revolution was in full swing, soldiers were being recruited and fighting for their freedom from the British. However, the fight for freedom took more than just fighting skills. The men fighting had to endure the harsh conditions and the little help and supplies they received. The American army went to Valley Forge in hopes of spying on the British army. However, the winter at Valley Forge was harsh with the cold seeping into their poorly built shelters and the little amount of supplies they had was not enough to keep everyone alive and healthy. Much of the time, soldiers were dying not from the honor of fighting, but by choosing to remain fighting after their enlistment and dying from illnesses. The soldiers at Valley Forge

The Civil War was filled with many diseases and deaths. Over 620,000 men lost their lives during this war; roughly two thirds of the casualties were caused by the lack of medical knowledge of many diseases. The remaining one third of the casualties was from the actual battle itself. The war became a turning point for many women interested in the medical field. The knowledge of medicine was the beginning of a new age during the Civil War, and the lack of it led to many gruesome deaths.

In the harsh, dreaded winter at Valley Forge, your enlistment has finally retired. But now there is a decision to be made. Will I stay and be loyal to the Continental Army. Or will I abandon and never look back at the Continental Army. The decision must be made. It would be so easy to leave and not have to deal with all the death. But it also would be hard because my freedom could rely on this decision and the Continental Army needs my help. Therefore, I choose to stay at Valley Forge, for there is a chance for me to not die of sickness because of the medical care, there is also patriotism, and people are willing to fight for our freedom.

Ulysses S. Grant’s armies approached on Vicksburg, surrounding the city and entrapping a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John Pemberton. On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered after prolonged siege operations. This was the climax of one of the most brilliant campaigns of the war. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this critical fortress on the Mississippi River, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grant’s triumph in the West raised by his reputation, leading eventually to his arrangement as General-in-Chief of the Union armies.The battle of Vicksburg was waged for only 47 days, during May and June of 1863. General Grant’s troops besieged the city, having Lieutenant General John Pemberton and his troops captive until July 4, 1863, when Pemberton’s forces surrendered. So they ended the battle

3. Highlight and annotate Alcott’s descriptions of the soldiers she treats. How does she make distinctions between each of these individuals?

Valley Forge is a winter camp 18 miles from Philadelphia. At Valley Forge, many soldiers got sick due to lacking in supplies and food. Many soldiers started to quit, but I was one of many who decided to stay. One reason I have decided to stay is because of the estimate or death and illness’ to the people who stayed alive.(Doc.A) In the chart from Document A, it shows that the low estimate of soldiers who died at Valley forge is only 2500. This means that about 8,000 people stayed alive. Another reason I have choose to stay is because of the housing.(Doc.B) The engraving from Document B shows how nice the housing is. At Valley forge, there are log cabins, that are great and keep you nice and warm for the winter.

Would you ever think about staying at Valley Forge? At Valley Forge George Washington, General of his army, is surrounded with his troops. Some troops are ill, some are still in good condition, and for the rest their journey had already ended. So with that being said, would I stay at Valley Forge? My answer is no because of the bad conditions.

It is now May, 1778. The army is preparing to leave Valley Forge and renew hostilities with the British. The suffering we endured in Valley Forge was horrible. We spent the winter season starving, freezing, and dying of diseases. Thousands had no shoes and even clothes. Most had no blankets to keep warm and had to stay up all night to keep warm by the fire. You could see the tracks of blood from people's feet freezing to the ground. The camp had experienced a famine and we went without food for days. I am disappointed in the soldiers who decided to leave camp to go home. I mean, I can understand why they would want to leave. Especially since many had families to provide for, but I believe that this war is one all colonist should have fought

This chapter “The Ghost Soldiers”, showed us how Tim O’Brien and the other soldiers were dealing with the war both physically and psychologically. It also shows us how the Tim O'Brien behaved and felt when he was shot, wounded and had a bacteria infection on his butt and how the war changed the way he thought, and viewed the other soldiers around him.