Valley Forge: The Boy Who Changed My Life

Valley Forge was a camp that the Continental Army stayed at during the winter for about 6 to 7 months. They stayed there with little food and supplies, while disease was spreading. I would stay at Valley forge even through the hardships. These are the times that tests men souls.

In December of 1777, American General George Washington and his men took shelter at Valley Forge for the winter. It was 18 miles northwest of the British camp in Philadelphia, and Washington thought it was a perfect spot. But that was not the case for the soldiers. The soldiers had it rough, and many did not want to enlist for the army after. Today, many people wonder if they would stay with George Washington, or not enlist and go home back to their families.

Quitting Valley Forge I want to quit Valley Forge. Valley Forge is near Philadelphia and was a campsite for Washington’s Continental Army. They fought off the cold, harsh winter, poor food, hard lodging, fatigue, nasty cloaths, and nasty cookery waiting it out. I would want to quit Valley Forge because of all the illnesses and deaths that were there. (document A)

Valley Forge Military Academy is basically a rehabilitation camp for those who believe the rules of their parents or the law don’t abide by them. With its name comes the very definition of what it is, a Military Academy. Valley Forge has ranks in their units just as normal military system would, especially for their lesser ranks. The lowest of the Academy is called a plebe. According to Valley Forge plebes are lower than nothing.

My family may need me, but General Washington needs me more. It is 1777 and one year into the Revolutionary war. The British are camping only 17 miles away from us in Pennsylvania under the command of General Howe. We are staying in a crammed winter fort named Valley Forge. The conditions here are everything but pleasant, and many men are dying fast and slow.

Thomas Paine said “he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” (153). If I survive through this, I will have much more respect and am more likely to get a higher position. Many men are leaving and dying(Background 141). In the Estimates of Illness and Deaths at Valley Forge, about 4,000 are sick, about 2,000 are dead, and about 2,000 left camp (Busch 147).

The Valley Forge War is not like any other war. It’s the Winter of 1777-1778 in Valley Forge and the American colonists are at war with the British and things don’t look so good for the colonists. Would I have quit? I have decided not to reenlist for three reasons which are the freezing weather, the sickness, and I don’t want to die.

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.

As the author is told he is being drafted to war, he becomes very upset. He clearly does not want to be part of it. His initial says, “I was too good for this war. Too smart, too compassionate, too everything. It couldn’t happen.

Imagine yearning towards independence and working under the most brilliant general in the country. This was the life of many of the soldiers in Valley Forge, 1777. Valley Forge is a feeble winter camp about 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The only “beds” they had were piles of straw on the mud floor. Twelve men slept in one hut.

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.

To them, the general from Virginia seemed to be failing at his job. Many of the soldiers were losing their lives due to illness or they were simply deserted. The soldiers in the continental army should not stay because of death and illness, living conditions in camp, and resentment towards the congress. To begin, the soldiers at Valley Forge should quit because many were dying. Almost half of the people were sick and about 4,000 people were deserted or dead.

Quitting Valley Forge would be the best decision to do at the time of the winter storm. The first reason to believe leaving would be smart is the fact that there was an extraordinary amount of illness and deaths.(Document A) Fifty percent of the soldiers staying at Valley Forge caught sickness and more than an estimate of twenty-five hundred soldiers died. The camp was not safe in any way besides protection from The Lobster Backs but still you would have to guard the camp in case of intruders. The second possibility to why you might leave the winter camp was the convincing journal entry made by Dr. Albigence Waldo.(Document C) He claimed the bad hygiene was a huge disappointment in the camp, soldiers rarely got to shower, change clothes

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. 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 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.