I have decided to re-enlist because the army needs help, they are in terrible conditions, and the congress wants to help. I will re-enlist because we will get more help. I will stay because I feel that I need to help the army. I know why my friends are leaving, It is because of everything that is happening. I don’t care what they are doing but I am staying(This Day in
The journal entry from Dr.Albigence Waldo who was a Connecticut surgeon. “I am sick”, “Poor food”, “Cold weather”, “Vomit half my time”, “Soldier has bare feet”, ¨Hard lodging¨, ¨Fatigue¨, ¨Nasty cloathes¨, ¨Nasty cookery¨, ¨smoak´d out of my senses¨, ¨The devil's in´t¨, and ¨Sent here to starve and freeze.¨ Those are all the hardships described by Dr. Waldo in his journal entry on December 14,1777. Dr. Waldo and the Continental Army didn’t quit due to their “Spirit of Alacrity.” Not a lot of people quit but they still showed cheerful willingness. I got all my evidence for ¨The journal entry from Dr.Albigence Waldo who was a Connecticut surgeon¨ from Document C.
The final reason that I would leave Valley Forge is because of how cold it was I would not have been able to live in the conditions of it being so cold and not have anything to eat and not have any clothes on or maybe just a shirt I could not deal with the hypothermia or the frostbite on my toes cause didn 't have any shoes to keep my feet warm this is what would push me all the way over the point by itself not just because it would be cold just the fact of knowing I couldn’t do anything about it, that is why I couldn’t stand this problem.
During the winter of 1777 - 1778 the Patriots were in Valley Forge. Tons of soldiers suffered from disease, starvation, and frostbite. Most of them even died. The conditions were horrible for the soldiers and they were dying out. So would I have quit? I probably would have quit at Valley Forge.
Valley Forge was a winter camp 18 miles away from Philadelphia, where George Washington took his troops during 1777 and 1778. The British army is comfortable in Philadelphia, while Valley Forge has harsh conditions with the cold weather and the lack of supplies. I will not reenlist when my 9-month enlistment is over. I will not reenlist for these reasons, diseases, lack supplies, and cold weather and smoky air.
One reason a soldier would quit Valley Forge is the lack of food. The lack of food is a dreadful hardship the soldiers have to deal with. This hardship brings about not just hunger but many other factors. When you are hungry from the lack of food, you are weak and because you are weak you cannot fight well or deal with simple problems well. This effects basicly the whole war in a way. If the soldiers can’t fight, they will fail. In document a it tells about the all the deaths and the illnesses at Valley Forge. Hunger causes death and illness. Also, in document c it talks about poor food, nasty cookery, and fatigue. The lack of food is
I’m standing in the center of our camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The British are 20 miles away in Philadelphia. Men surround me, shivering, starving, and covered in their own vomit. I know I do not want to be a part of this madness. The winter of 1777-1778 has been rough enough already. I’ve been here for 8 months, and in 1 more month I can choose to re-enlist, or go home. My decision has already been made. Although George Washington is trying his best, his monotonous words will not be enough to keep me in this graveyard. I refuse to risk my health and in all likelihood die from the sickness and disease going around camp. I refuse to starve, be frigid, live in smolder-filled huts, and remain unclothed and unhealthy. I refuse to die under these circumstances. I am going to leave Valley Forge in one
Would you leave Valley Forge, I wouldn't. People were sick, but still those who left were cowards. There are many reasons to stay, for example, the illness and death chart, it states that only 50% of people became ill. (document A) As an estimate, 3,989 out of 8,000 people were sick in 1778. Only 1,800 died, that is not very many to die of illness. Another reason to stay would be in the essay by Thomas Paine. It calls those who quit “The summer soldier and the sunshine warrior” , this was because they could not handle the winter, they could only last the summer. It also says “Tyranny, like hell,” this is because leaving is like giving up on your country. ( document D) In the diary
One of the reasons I would have stayed in Valley Forge is a lot may have been sick but only little died. It is stated in document A that only 3,989 were sick out of 8,000. That means only 50% of the soldiers were sick, also the weather would be the same everywhere else too and you would probably be sick at home or anywhere else, some soldiers did not really realize that when they left. Also it is stated in document A that 1,800 out of 12,000 died. Which is only about 15%, and in those odds I would have definitely stayed. Also if you were smart and stayed away from the sick and be cautious there would be no way you could get sick and die.
Being in the snow isn’t always fun. It is January 1, 1778 and I have been serving my term at Valley Forge. I have been very miserable which has made my experience here dreadful. I’ve finished my time as a soldier but I have the option to re-enlist or come back home. As much as I want to stay and help out the army, I’ve chosen to come back home. I have been homesick and don’t want to be so cold all the time. As good as it sounds to have freedom, I rather have a warm place to stay at and nicer clothes than I have now. Lots of sickness, too much death, and terrible conditions are the reasons why I am not going to re-enlist.
“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.
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.
The documents A and C prove that only 14% died of sickness. there were about 12,000 of us to start with, and only about 1,800- 2500 died from December to June. Therefore, that leaves just about 9,500 of us left. However, with all the people that abandoned the Continental Army leaves us with just about 8,000 of us. In document C which is a passage from a doctor’s diary. He was one of the army’s doctors. His name was Dr. Albigence Waldo. Therefore, that proves that there was medical care.
Through December 1777 to June 1778, George Washington led the Continental Army through winter camp. The Continental Army was an army of Patriot soldiers who fought against Britain. The Patriots hated Britain for their taxes and laws. So they went off to war. There was just one problem, they did not know how bad the conditions were going to be. In the winter, Washington took his troops to Valley Forge, which was 18 miles from Philadelphia. At this time, Valley Forge was a difficult place to live for the Patriots. It was a struggle but if I were a Patriot in Valley Forge fighting for Washington’s Army, I wouldn’t quit. I won’t quit for three big reasons; yes I know there were a lot of sick soldiers but not as much as dying soldiers, another thing is the conditions were horrible, but there were many brave soldiers who stuck with it, and stayed with Washington, lastly I do not want to be a “summer soldier” because freedom is valuable so it is worth fighting for.
I did not re-enlist because of brutal conditions, sickness, and very little food. I could not re-enlist because those three factors were essential to surviving a harsh winter during a very hard war. “ The devil is in it,” ( Waldo 151). Valley Forge was a brutal, sick, and starving winter camp. Some soldiers told me at camp that George Washington did not care for his soldiers. Other soldiers did not agree with this claim. Towards the end of camp, I started to believe the claim that our General did not care for us. On the very last days of camp, I had finally made my decision on whether to re-enlist or not. I decided that I was not going to re-enlist. It was not worth re-enlisting if George Washington could not keep his own soldiers alive.