As I walked through the snow with aching, raw feet, the blood, making a trail behind me, I soon began to realize how Valley Forge and this whole war in it’s entirety was driving me to the point where I wanted to quit. It was the winter of 1777 and the American Army was forced to set up camp 18 miles outside of Philadelphia, we called it Valley Forge. The question that keeps popping up in my mind while I sit miserably in my hut is, am I going to re-enlist? I am not going to re-enlist for 3 reasons; death and illness, harsh conditions, and the lack of support and supplies.
One of these causes that make me want to quit is the amount of men we were losing due to the illnesses that spread around camp. In Document A, the table shows that in February there were 8000 total men and about half of those soldiers died. This evidence proves to show the numbers behind all the deaths we have had and how they got so sick to the point of death. If I had chosen to stay for 1 month longer until my enlistment is up, I would’ve been exposing myself to all the illnesses longer than I already have. The risk to stay is too great to even think about.
The next reason for quitting is the harsh conditions we have had to endure. In the painting from document B, it reveals what the
We have had to deal with, “poor food- hard lodging- cold weather- fatigue, “(Document B). In this diary by Dr Waldo, a doctor we have at camp, he has accurately described what life is like at camp. The factors that we undergo make us sick both physically and mentally, these factors make us lose all sense of empowerment to win this war that we once felt, these factors make us want to go home more than anything just to hear our mother’s voice just once more. The absence of encouragement from other colonists and countries, and how I have to go to bed with my stomach empty every single night pushes me over the edge to give up and just
The conditions in Valley Forge were terrible like ¨ poor food, cold weather, some of them would vomit half their time.” They really need help because soldiers were just getting sicker. Dr waldo suffered during his time at Valley Forge but stayed loyal to the continental army. He was like inspiring when i read how he stayed through all the pain at Valley Forge and he didn't quit.
The life of a common soldier fighting on behalf of colonial independence during the American Revolution was a difficult one. Recruiters for the Continental Army targeted young and less wealthy men, including apprentices or laborers. Some (like Martin) enlisted voluntarily, while others were drafted. Among the discomforts Continental soldiers suffered were shortages of food or other supplies, long periods away from home, sinking morale and the constant threat of death.
Document C tells us that most soldiers, including Dr. Albigence Waldo, have, “Poor food-hard lodging-Cold Weather-fatigue-Nasty Cloaths-nasty Cookery-Vomit half my time-smoak’d out my senses.” This proves that conditions in Valley Forge were terrible. The soldiers dealt through these conditions all winter, without their families, only to continue to fight in war right after winter ends. As an overview, Document C consists of two diary entries by Dr. Albigence Waldo, who was a surgeon at Valley Forge. Waldo suffered much at Valley Forge, but stayed loyal to the Patriots and didn’t quit.
The soldiers lacked basic necessities such as clothing and food. In Document B it Dr. Albigence Waldo states, "There comes a Soldier, his bare feet are seen thro' his worn out Shoes, his legs nearly naked from the tatter'd remains of an only pair of stocks". In other words, these soldiers clothing were very worn out due to being used so often and were not provided with brand new attire. Since there were many mouths to feed, food became scarce, which left many soldiers starving. Around the camp soldiers cry
I would not quit because only 15% of people are dying. My first piece of evidence that supports this claim is from document A and it shows 3,989/8,000 soldiers are sick, but only 1,800/12,000 died which is only 15%. Even though half the population is sick, only 15% people are dying, which is not a huge amount of people are dying. This evidence supports my claim because it is telling you how many people died. My second piece of evidence that supports this claim is from document A and the numbers show that not a lot of people are leaving. On document A there is a graph
Imagine, sick soldiers, small huts, vomit, smoke everywhere near you, people crying "No Meat! No meat!" the terror of seeing everyone suffer. During December of 1777, Washington decided to set a winter camp at Valley Forge for the next few months. They set up "huts" with cold hard straw to sleep on. March 1st is the end of my enlistment, and I would leave/ not re-enlist, because of the terrible conditions, the risk of dying, and if it was truly worth it or not.
In America the Great Depression hit hard especially in the 1930’s. People lost their jobs and then their homes. When the depression hit everyone blamed President Hoover for all of the homelessness. Hoovervilles are an important part of history; some important things about hoovervilles are how they started and who it involved.
Imagine being in an ongoing battle where friends and others are dying. All that is heard are bullets being shot, it smells like gas is near, and hearts race as the times go by. This is similar to what war is like. In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front, the narrator, Paul Baumer, and his friends encounter the ideals of suffering, death, pain, and despair. There is a huge change in these men; at the beginning of feel the same way about it. During the war the men experience many feelings, especially the loss of loved ones. These feelings are shown through their first experience at training camp, during the actual battles, and in the hospital. Training camp was the first actuality of what war was going to be like for the men. They thought that it would be fun, and they could take pride in defending their country. Their teacher, Kantorek, told them that they should all enroll in the war. Because of this, almost all of the men in the class enrolled. It was in training camp that they met their cruel corporal, Himelstoss.&nbs most by him. They have to lie down in the mud and practice shooting and jumping up. Also, these three men must remake Himelstoss’ bed fourteen times, until it is perfect. Himelstoss puts the young men through so much horror that they yearn for their revenge. Himelstoss is humiliated when he goes to tell on Tjaden, and Tjaden only receives an easy punishment. Training camp is as death and destruction. Training camp is just a glimpse of what war really is. The men do not gain full knowledge of war until they go to the front line. The front line is the most brutal part of the war. The front line is the place in which the battles are fought. Battles can only be described in one word- chaos. Men are running around trying to protect themselves while shooting is in the trench with an unknown man from the other side. This battle begins with shells bursting as they hit the ground and machine guns that rattle as they are being fired. In order to ensure his survival, Paul must kill the other man. First, Paul stabs the man, but he struggles for his life. He dies shortly after, and Paul discovers who he has killed. The man is Gerald Duval, a printer.&n Having to deal with killing others is one of the horrors of war. The men who are killed and the people who kill them could have been friends, if only they were on the same side. The other important battle leaves both Paul and Kropp with injuries.
In the colonization period, the urge to conquer foreign territories was strong, and many lands in the Western Hemisphere were conquered. With the colonization of these areas, a mercantilist relationship was formed between the conquered civilization and the maternal country. A major part of this was the restriction of exportation of native resources only to the mother country as well as the banning of trading with colonies of other countries. In turn, there was an increasing in the number of smuggling activities during the time. According to a British sailor named William Taggart in 1760, the illegal smuggling of goods into these areas had a positive impact because it brought prosperity to the people in Monte Christi, as there were only one hundred poor families. Likewise, Dominica governor John Orde praised the trading because it created prices much lower than with its maternal country. However, British admiral David Tyrell, Roger Elletson, Dominica governor John Orde, and a 1790 Bahaman newspaper report all had similar views on the harmful effects and corruptness present in smuggling. Despite this, physician George Lipscomb and British Lieutenant Governor Thomas Bruce had neutral opinions on the matter, and only stated what they witnessed in the process.
I walk into Valley Forge. Winter 1777-78. As I walk in, an overwhelming feeling of emotions comes over me. Sadness, anger, hope, unwillingness, and happiness. I walk in a little bit further and I am greeted with many huts. These huts have no windows and only one door. I decide to peek into one of them and see 12 men inside. The huts are hard to see in because smoke has filled them. From another direction there is many men talking. I walk towards the noise and am surprised to see men sitting around a campfire eating small amounts of food. The men are talking about various things. Some are talking about their family, how they are excited that their duty is almost over, and some of the strong willed patriots who are willing to fight for their country are talking about how they are going to stay longer than they were sent to. As I keep wandering around the camp I find myself at an area with many men. These men are different than the men at the campfire. These men were the unlucky soldiers who had gotten sick. There is a soldier who is crying over another soldiers still body. Again I hear talking but this time it’s about how they need help caring for the sick and the soldiers that want to leave shouldn’t leave so they can help the sick. I shake off what I just witnessed and made the tough decision of staying. I would stay because they would need my help,
These times are not the best, but the spirit within us troops is still intact and helps us push forward so we may take what we deserve, what we need, the most precious thing to man desires ...Freedom. 1777-1778 Valley Forge was horrific and deadly, the conditions were dreadful, I can’t imagine someone who can live with these conditions. I want to reenlist because I have spirit, I want to serve for my country, and I want freedom from the Britishes filthy hands.Why did general Washington go to valley forge and have us camp there? I mean it’s killing us, but the real question is, should I stay or should I go now?
The day to day life for the regular soldier was not glorious. Many times the regiments were low on supplies such as food and clothing. They lived in the elements. Medical conditions were grotesque because of the lack of advanced equipment and anesthesia. “Discipline was enforced with brutality” as if all the other conditions were not bad enough.
As a physician and a solider, John McCrae insisted in sleeping in tents like the regular soldiers did, rather than in officers’ huts. His health began to decline to pneumonia. Through living through the...
Many of the men are starving and ill; I doubt I will even make it out alive. Two years into the Revolutionary War, the capital of Philadelphia was taken by the British. The Patriots had set up a winter camp at Valley Forge, 18 miles from Philadelphia in 1777. Your 9 month enlistment is up on March 1st. One question I have to ask myself is should I quit (leave and not re-enlist)? If I quit I could make it home to my family, but there also a bad part of quitting. If all of the soldiers quit we will lose the war and then are country will be controlled by the British. There are three main reasons that I have been persuaded to re-enlist for, which are, we need more soldiers, you could move up in rank, but mostly because Washington
Campbell’s essay gives an insight into a life of a misunderstood person. Ultimately, his essay proved his happiness and braveness about deciding to join the United States Army Reserve, even though he had his share of doubts. This writer told a personal story in which he used effective examples, had clear coherence throughout his essay, and had a great organizational skills, thus making this personal essay strong.