1776 Book Review

1776 Book Review Throughout history, one of the most memorable wars for Americans will be the American Revolution. This was a time when the thirteen American colonies broke off from the mother country of England and fought for their independence. David McCullough writes about the American Revolution in his non-fictional historical book 1776. This book helps readers better understand the conditions the soldiers and generals were in, the point of view from many of the generals, and some important battles. The conditions soldiers and generals lived through during the war was actually a lot different than I believed. I knew that in any environment, back in the day, sicknesses were present, but I didn’t know it was as deadly and contagious as some of the sicknesses that were around. For example, there was a “camp fever,” that spread and grew worse through the summer. It was a deadly sickness that had wives and mothers from close by towns come in to nurse the sick soldiers. Other sicknesses that were present were dysentery and typhus. One was a “curse” of armies and the other was indicated with high fever, severe headaches and delirium. Another type of fever that I had no idea existed was typhoid fever. “Also characterized by raging fever, red rash, vomiting, diarrhea, and excruciating abdominal pain,” (Page 31). After reading about the sicknesses that struck the soldiers, I was in complete shock. I didn’t understand how all these diseases came about and how people still survived or didn’t get sick in times like this. And to even find out that those who nursed the ill got sick and even carried it back to their homes, which spread from town to town. But as I read on it became very clear as to why all these diseases were present. The soldiers were gross! I understand that back in the day men wouldn’t want to do “women’s work,” but they had no women there to do the cleaning they needed. I could not believe the fact that soldiers would not wash their own clothes. I