The Battle of Valley Forge
The Battle of Valley Forge
The American Revolution era was one of the most significant time periods in the history of America. As America became more popular and gained more states they had to somehow break free from British rule. The thirteen colonies joined together to slowly gain freedom from Britain and become it’s own independent country. They began to decline British rule and eventually lead to war, to what is now known as the American Revolutionary War. The British sent invasion forces into New England in order to try and regain its power over the states, but they failed and were driven out by Washington and his army. After, George Washington, the general of the troops at the time, moved his troops to a more secure location for the soon coming winter. This location was known as Valley Forge. The times in Valley Forge were known to be very difficult for the soldiers fighting. According to more traditional sources, the soldiers lacked food, shelter and warmth and were also in need of more men. According to Robert Middlekauff’s text from “The Glorious Cause”, the times at Valley Forge were indeed miserable and the troops suffered greatly. Jack Rakove’s text from “Revolutionaries” agrees with Middlekauff’s view, and adds that over two thousand soldiers died that winter. However, Ray Raphael takes on the less traditional view and states that the soldiers did not in fact have such great difficulty. When you compare and contrast the other sources, Ray Raphael has a more persuasive document, as opposed to the more traditional accounts.
Robert Middlekauff’s “The Glorious Cause” takes on the traditional story of Valley Forge, one that it was of extreme suffering and conditional, careless decisions, yet one of bravery and hope. Valley Forge was a difficult time for the soldiers fighting for their country. The conditions were severe and there were no buildings, as the troops had to put up their own. The troops lacked shoes, clothing and soap and frequently had
The American Revolution era was one of the most significant time periods in the history of America. As America became more popular and gained more states they had to somehow break free from British rule. The thirteen colonies joined together to slowly gain freedom from Britain and become it’s own independent country. They began to decline British rule and eventually lead to war, to what is now known as the American Revolutionary War. The British sent invasion forces into New England in order to try and regain its power over the states, but they failed and were driven out by Washington and his army. After, George Washington, the general of the troops at the time, moved his troops to a more secure location for the soon coming winter. This location was known as Valley Forge. The times in Valley Forge were known to be very difficult for the soldiers fighting. According to more traditional sources, the soldiers lacked food, shelter and warmth and were also in need of more men. According to Robert Middlekauff’s text from “The Glorious Cause”, the times at Valley Forge were indeed miserable and the troops suffered greatly. Jack Rakove’s text from “Revolutionaries” agrees with Middlekauff’s view, and adds that over two thousand soldiers died that winter. However, Ray Raphael takes on the less traditional view and states that the soldiers did not in fact have such great difficulty. When you compare and contrast the other sources, Ray Raphael has a more persuasive document, as opposed to the more traditional accounts.
Robert Middlekauff’s “The Glorious Cause” takes on the traditional story of Valley Forge, one that it was of extreme suffering and conditional, careless decisions, yet one of bravery and hope. Valley Forge was a difficult time for the soldiers fighting for their country. The conditions were severe and there were no buildings, as the troops had to put up their own. The troops lacked shoes, clothing and soap and frequently had
Bibliography: • Langguth, A. J.. Patriots: the men who started the American Revolution. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988. • Middlekauff, Robert. The glorious cause. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982. • Raphael, Ray. Founding myths: stories that hide our patriotic past. New York: New Press :, 2004. • Rakove, Jack N.. Revolutionaries: a new history of the invention of America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. • Washington, George, and Ralph K. Andrist. George Washington; a biography in his own words,. New York: Newsweek; distributed by Harper & Row, 1972. • "Washington 's Letter to Governor George Clinton." ushistory.org. http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/letter.html (accessed January 13, 2013).