Essay On Valley Forge Dbq

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In the years 1777 to 1778, while General George Washington was settled in Valley Forge with his forces, the Continental Army was falling apart. It became difficult for Washington to keep leading when his soldiers kept retreating. My position is a soldier in the army who will be allowed to leave in one month, but I will not leave. The soldiers at Valley Forge in 1777 and 1778 should have stayed. The Continental Army needed everyone they could keep, the death toll was low, and George Washington was a fantastic leader. Many people left the army or got sick and died. Everyone who stayed was valuable. In the background essay, it was said that "Washington was having trouble keeping his soldiers in the army." Soldiers left his army because their contracts were up and they did not want to stay any longer. Thomas Paine reasoned in Document D that "these are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country..." and he was right. Anyone who did leave was only there during the warm, summer months when …show more content…

In Document B, the engraving, George Washington was talking to the Congressional Committee about helping the suffering soldiers in Valley Forge. George Washington is just trying to keep his army together and alive. He can't do that with everyone leaving. In his letter to George Clinton, (Doc E), he wrote: "...the present dreadful situation of the army for want of provisions...is more alarming than you will probably conceive...naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery...". Washington was amazed at how well his soldiers were holding up in their condition. He was grateful that they hadn't deserted yet, as well. General Washington cared about his troops. So much so, that he brought the committee to see them. He wanted to win the war, but you can't win a war against Britain on your

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