Valley Forge was a camp in the late 1700th century during the Revolutionary War. It is often recalled that soldiers at the camp endured cruel and harsh living conditions that took the lives of many. Although the living conditions were rough, it is thought that a lot of stories about Valley Forge are exaggerated to an extent. Stories and books unraveled about how those poor soldiers were frost bitten and starving. So are the myths and tales true, did the soldiers at Valley Forge suffer in a horrid daily battle for survival?
There was a shortage of uniforms and clothing for the soldiers. They were often without shoes, coats, and pants. Washington tried consistently to cloth the soldiers and provide them with necessary garments. Some books state
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They stayed in the same area in the dead of winter in huts such as the soldiers dwelled in. They stated the huts were not necessarily comfortable but not cold enough where one might freeze to death. Each winter varies and from one year to the next temperatures may be colder or harsher than the year before. The volunteers that conducted this experiment were probably fully clothed and possessed all the proper necessities needed as well. So although they tried to reenact the lives these soldiers lived; it doesn’t necessarily mean they did not experience harsh living conditions. It was also late February before some of the men finished their huts because the lack of tools to build with. So even if the winters were mild some men may not have had a shelter at all to keep them dry and …show more content…
Each soldier was promised a decent amount of food daily, but sometimes they did not follow through with their proposals. When the rations each soldier were promised would run dry they would resort to eating things they could make with flour such as fire cakes. The men would carry on something awful until their shortages were again replenished.
Life was very hard for the soldiers of this time and they experienced many hardships. There were camps all over during the revolutionary war though that experienced the same shortages and some even harsher winters. Valley Forge has always been portrayed as a devastating and cruel. The revolutionary War had many harsh camps and the soldiers experienced even rough times than what the Valley Forge men
George Washington had a winter camp built 18 miles northwest from Philadelphia in a place called Valley Forge. T’was the year 1777. I would stay at valley forge and I will tell you why. In the document “The American Crisis” Thomas Paine explains how it tests our commitment and makes fun of the quitters calling them “summer soldiers”. He used analogies to say his point.
Valley Forge Camp for the Strong People should stay at Valley Forge, because Washington wants to help (Doc B), the death rates were very low (Doc A), and you would be considered a coward for leaving (Doc D). Valley Forge is a winter camp for the continental army during the revolutionary war. Some consider it a to have bad conditions so they would leave, but this is why people should stay. First of all, George Washington tries to help the army by talking to the congressional Committee (Doc B). In the painting of Valley Forge George Washington is talking to the committee and pointing at the army.
It told me that half of the soldiers on February 1778 were unable to report for duty due to illness. That to me is surprising. Then there were 2,500 dead soldiers after that. They didn't even have a battle and that many soldiers died. So I would have left if that much people died or got ill.
Another reason I might stay at Valley Forge is stated in Thomas Paine’s The American Crisis. In this document T-Paine is describing the hard time that the
Fourthly, morale within the Army was at an all-time low. The hardships of the winter had taken their toll on the soldiers, who were demoralized and disillusioned with the cause. Many were questioning the wisdom of continuing the fight against the British, and some were even considering defecting to the other side. Washington was acutely aware of this challenge, and he made it a priority to boost morale by holding regular drills, giving inspiring speeches and encouraging officers to lead by
The time at Valley Forge for Soldiers was dreadful and I could say the same for myself. It 's the winter of 1777 two year in the Revolution and things are not look good for General George Washington at Valley Forge. People are dying left and right of sickness like smallpox the cold is getting to some of us. Some soldiers are leaving to go home to their family even going as far to run away from their duties. The question I keep asking myself is, should I go or stay with the rest of my group?
These soldiers were forced to cope with these conditions; however, if they had gone home, they would have had a better treatment than the one they had to endure during their life in camp. They would have been in a better state had they decided to leave the army. However, their hard work and perseverance would eventually show when the colonies defeated the experienced British in what would become one of the most victorious wars in American
Would anyone really want to go back to a place where there is barely any food, the living conditions are horrible, the risk of getting sick so great, and a high probability of dying even without the war beginning? This is the question that many faced during the terrible winters of 1777 and 1778. George Washington’s army was camped at Valley Forge, eighteen miles northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the British were camped in warm quarters and ate good and plentiful food. In contrast, American revolutionary soldiers had to battle disease, starvation, and the freezing cold even before they had to fight their enemy. If you were a revolutionary soldier facing these conditions, and your time to re-enlist came up, would you re-enlist or stay on, or would
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. One reason a soldier would quit Valley Forge is the lack of food.
Since it was so bad some of the soldiers were leaving, but others were staying loyal. Now, if I was a soldier at in Washington’s army and I had to ask myself the question: Would have I quit at Valley Forge? My answer is no, I wouldn’t have quit at Valley Forge because only 15% of all people there died, there is help on the way, and because of the inspirational words of Thomas Paine. The first reason I have for staying is that just 15% of all people at Valley Forge actually died, that is not enough to make to quit.
No meat!” This tells how us soldiers have been starving for quite a while now, and most of us are done dealing with the hardships. As Waldo also questioned, “Why are we sent here to starve and freeze? I can no longer endure it (Doc C). I am willing to admit that I am a summer soldier, as Thomas Paine wrote (Doc D).
According to Document C, “There comes a soldier, his bare feet are seen thro’ his worn out shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tattered remains of an only pair of stockings.” This shows that the soldiers barely have clothes. How can someone in the army continue to get stronger and fight more if they barely have clothes in the freezing temperatures of winter? Also, according to Document C, “I can’t endure it-Why are we went here to starve and freeze.”
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.
There were farms and small stores in the area, but there was not enough food to feed all of the soldiers and many became desperate and attempted to steal food from the farmers and food stores. Washington ended up writing to Congress, saying subsistence in the best manner they can ... “I am now convinced, beyond a doubt that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place… this army must inevitably be reduced to one or other of these three things. Starve, dissolve, or disperse, in order to obtain …” After letting Congress know this, General Washington received a message saying a large British group of troops was nearby (Allen 27).
So in addition to having almost nothing to eat, they had to be careful not to do anything wrong in front of their officers, or they faced harsh punishment or even death. There would be severe punishment if they fell asleep on post, were disobedient, exhibited cowardice, or cast away arms. Doing any of these things could lead to the soldiers being executed, which raised the already high death toll from this