Preview

Valley Forge

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
896 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Valley Forge
Valley Forge: Quit or Stay When a person is in a stressful situation on instinct they have two options, fight or flight. In war the same is true. War is not always bayonets and bullets, it’s the decisions you make during times of hardship. A soldier has to make the decision whether to keep fighting for what they believe in no matter what the stakes or to flee. In December of 1777, George Washington and his troops arrived at Valley Forge. Since the summer of 1775, all has gone well for the Continental Army. More recently Washington was presumably unable to stop General Howe and his British soldiers from claiming the national capital of Philadelphia. With Howe and his army of approximately 18,000 comfortably quartered in Philadelphia, Washington decided to build a winter camp at Valley Forge just 18 miles from Philadelphia in order to keep a close watch on the British. Washington now has a problem. Many soldiers’ terms are coming to an end soon and the demand for soldiers couldn’t be higher. My 9-month enlistment for the war is up on February 1st in just one month’s time. The question for most of us soldiers is, “Should I quit and desert the Continental Army?” I have thought long and hard about this, and even though I’m concerned about my aging mother and miss my family dearly, I feel that the need is greater to stay, so I must re-enlist. I will re-enlist because, I am loyal, we are not a nation of summer soldiers, and having sick and dying men means the healthy should fight. I am going to re-enlist because many men are sick and dying. The winter months have been hard on us. Over half of the army is too sick for roll call which is an estimated value of 3,989 men (Document A). Those that are healthy need to fill in for them in order to make up for the lack of ready men. The amount of sick men is insurmountable and should only encourage us to fight harder for our cause. The estimated death rate from illness is 1,800 to 2,500 (Document A). Even though these numbers
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Dbq Valley Forge Analysis
    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page

    Dbq Valley Forge Analysis

    Would you have quite? I would have not quit because only 15% of the soldiers have died and the inspirational words of thomas paine. *Reported sick or unable to report for duty*(Doc A). This evidence explains that not all people in the Continental Army are going to die or get sick, the estimate of deaths are lower than your chances of becoming sick. 3,989/8,000 soldiers are sick, which is 50%.Your chances of dying ar 15%.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Valley Forge DBQ
    • 190 Words
    • 1 Page

    Valley Forge DBQ

    There are many reasons that I would want to leave Valley Forge. In the source “Estimates of Death and Illness at Valley Forge”(Doc A) is just one of the sources that proves why you should leave. For example about 3,989 people were sick in February at Valley Forge. Another reasons is that 1,800 to 2,500 died in the total time they were there.(Estimates of Death and Illness at Valley Forge) Another source that shares my view is the Diary of Doctor Waldo. He writes about the “poor food-hard lodging-cold weather-fatigue-nasty clothes-nasty cookery…” Another thing he writes about is how they ran out of meat in December 21, 1777. A Third source is the Engraving of the Committee of Congress at Valley Forge. In it General George Washington had to…

    • 190 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Valley Forge Dbq Questions And Answers
    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Valley Forge Dbq Questions And Answers

    The American Army had seen hard times during the first two years of the Revolutionary War. They had been the victor in two battles—one in Trenton and one in Philadelphia—but other than that, it had not gone very well. (Background Essay) Because of these struggles, Washington had a hard time keeping his soldiers in the army since many signed up for only nine months and then left or simply deserted. This brings up the question: Would you have reenlisted for the army at Valley Forge? I most definitely would not have because of the illnesses, the government neglecting the soldiers, and the bad conditions that existed there.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    DBQ Valley Forge

    • 259 Words
    • 1 Page

    DBQ Valley Forge

    2. The men in the left were the committee, in the right the soldiers, and the men in the…

    • 259 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Valley Forge Dbq Essay
    • 562 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Valley Forge Dbq Essay

    George Washington had led the Continental Army through battle after battle, and only won two minor battles. While the British set up comfortable quarters in Philadelphia, George Washington had his men build uniform huts in Valley Forge, a few miles away. Sickness and disease ran rampant, and conditions were torturous. Your family is poor and your mother is ill. Since your nine-month enlistment is up, Washington's men are progressing from hut to hut to find out if soldiers will reenlist or quit. The question asked by this Mini-Q is, ‘Had you been a soldier at Valley Forge, would you have quit?’ I would have quit because the British army had so many advantages and illness was almost unavoidable.…

    • 562 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Deer Valley Lodge
    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Deer Valley Lodge

    I am asked to compute the before-tax Net Present Value or NPV of a new ski lift for Deer Valley Lodge and advise the management there of the profitability. Before I am able to make this calculation there are a few calculations that I will need to make first. First the total amount of the investment, this will be the cost of a lift itself $2 million plus the cost of preparing the slope and installing the lift $1.3 million. Thus the investment amount for one lift is $3.3 million.…

    • 1013 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    George Washington Dbq Analysis
    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page

    George Washington Dbq Analysis

    Lastly, I was able to make my decision, of whether to stay or not, based off of the lack of support and supply provided to us. A painting of George Washington talking to the Congressional Committee is shown to represent the struggles G.W. had to go through to get his men the bare minimums that they needed to survive. (Doc.B) Washington is trying to get the committee to meet his soldiers, so that they will be persuaded to give them (the soldiers) supplies that they needed at Valley Forge. (Doc B) The soldiers shown in the painting are obviously not patient and calm when it came to asking for help from others because they were desperately in need. (Doc B) As we watched the congressional Committee make their decision, of whether or not to help…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reenlisting Dbq
    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page

    Reenlisting Dbq

    The first reason as to why i am not reenlisting is because of death and illness.So many soldiers are becoming more and more ill every day.There are about 8,000 men here at Valley Forge and about half of those men are sick (doc A). Also about 1,800 to 2,500 men are dying due to these illnesses(doc A). I know that there is a very high chance for me to get incredibly ill from my fellow soldiers. Furthermore, if i do end up getting ill i could potentially die. Because of death and illness i am not going to be reenlisting because i know that i could possibly get sick and pass away.…

    • 112 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Valley Forge: Would You Have Quit?
    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Valley Forge: Would You Have Quit?

    You see people like Bear Grylls doing survival shows, and showing you tricks to survive in the wilderness all the time. But have you ever wondered what it would be like if you had to survive in the cold, with not a lot of food, illness plagued your camp, and the stakes were your life? This was Valley Forge in the harsh winter of 1777-1778, were the continental army was suffering a brutal winter in huts on a farmer's field, but question is. Would you have re-enlisted to the cold, smokey, ill, winters at Valley Forge with little support, or trudge back to your warm home with you tail between your legs? I would.…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Valley Forge Turning Point
    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Valley Forge Turning Point

    No battle was fought at Valley Forge, yet it was the turning point in the Revolutionary War because it gave the army a backbone, made the soldiers stronger for upcoming battles, and helped them win alliance with the French. It was here that the Continental Army was hopelessly drenched. After the battles they had fought, Valley Forge gave them another reason to give up. They arrived bloody, beaten, and war-torn. What would you expect from an army who went through these difficulties and yet, life throws them the winter of Valley Forge. To the point of giving up, the army stood their ground and kept on fighting for their independence. Without the winter at Valley Forge, Britain would still have power over us. Because of the results of Valley…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    For Cause and Comrades: an Analysis
    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages

    For Cause and Comrades: an Analysis

    As long as man has had the ability to think for himself, there has been conflict and war. Wars are waged by the rich and powerful, but fought by the poor masses who march, inexorably into the meat grinder. The question of “why do soldiers fight?” arises when looking at the study of warfare. What compelled the hoplite from Sparta, the foot soldier in Napoleon’s Grand Army, the American Infantryman on Omaha Beach, or the Army Ranger in Baghdad to willingly enlist and fight for their cause? The most devastating war in American history was by far the Civil War, claiming more American lives in four years than all other American wars (except World War I and II) combined. What is it that made these hundreds of thousands of men and women abandon their homes and fight against the nation that their forefathers had fought to gain the independence of not a century before. Many scholars believe that slavery, “states rights”, and freedom were the driving factor in these soldier’s minds. However, there was far more than simple ideology that drove these soldiers to Bull Run, Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Appomattox. Other factors that drove these soldiers into service were a sense of patriotism, their comrades in arms, the need to prove themselves, religion, and the defense of freedom and property to name a few. In For Cause and Comrades by James M. McPherson, McPherson argues that ideology plays a major role in why soldiers choose to fight, but in the heat of battle, ideology is forgotten and the aforementioned reasons become a significant reason as to why they choose to stay.…

    • 1551 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Would You Do If You Want To Die In Valley Forge?
    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What Would You Do If You Want To Die In Valley Forge?

    I would not quit Washington’s army because of there being a lot of sick people, but you had a low chance of dying from the sickness. In document A about 3989 out of 8000 people were sick in Valley Forge. About half of the soldiers were sick, so about 50% of Washington’s army in Valley Forge were sick. In document A all of the soldiers, all 12000 soldiers, half of them were sick but only about 1800 died from sickness. So all of the soldiers that died shows me that 15% of all of the soldiers died from sickness, so if you were there in Valley Forge and you were sick you would have a 15% of dying.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Valley Forge
    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Valley Forge

    An alternative reason I am signing up for is to be loyal to my government. Several weeks ago a fine group of fellows called the Committee of Correspondence arrived at Valley Forge. Our first visit together was us in rags and them in fine clothes (Doc B). The army is beginning to grow sick and fatigue, yet they are showing a Spirit of Alacrity and contentment (Doc c). I wasn’t quite sure who the nicely dressed people were but once they began helping us out I knew right away that I will sign up. This is because the Committee makes me feel that the government cares and someone is listening. Also, the fact that the sick are trying to get their knees off their ground for battle shows that I should fight for them at least. For their encouragement and the sake of our country.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ending My Time in the Military
    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ending My Time in the Military

    The decision not to reenlist weighed heavy on my mind for about a half a year. I had to determine the issues associated with the decision to leave the military life. This was the life I was custom to for the last 13 years. One issue was the financial part of leaving the military. The next issue was living conditions. One alternative of not getting out would be staying in three more years. Next I would have to evaluate the alternatives for staying in. The result of that would mean a higher possibility of getting deployed. I have two older children who were dependent on themselves and also a seven month old daughter. Even though she would have gone to my mother home, no one takes care of your baby better than you. Once I decided to leave the military, I had to implement my decision. After I left the military, I enrolled in college and volunteered at a hospital. As I was finishing my freshman year at college it came time to evaluate my decision to leave the military. Leaving the military I am a single parent, employed full time, and going to school full time. If I had to do it over again I think I would have stayed in the military and chance the possibility of getting deployed. My decision-making process goes almost hand- in-hand with the stages of the decision making process from the book. By not taking all the alternatives into consideration is the one step that did not consider. One alternative would have been to enlist in the reserves. Still possessing the military in my employment, part- time and going to school would be more effective than giving the military up altogether. I love the military life and I have been affiliated with some form of the military life from my teenage years until my late thirties. If I would have used the same steps from the book I would have stayed in the military. I would have gotten promoted at least twice, traveled to…

    • 372 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Narrative Essay On Sick Soldiers
    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Narrative Essay On Sick Soldiers

    There are many soldiers getting sick with smallpox (Root) and other illnesses, there is a high chance I will become sick too. I overheard General Washington speaking to one of the surgeons concerning the health of our troop. 49% of all of the soldiers are sick and probably lying down weak in the hospital clinging to life. 1800 to 2500 of these die without the chance to return home and see their family one last time (Busch, 147). Among these couple thousand was one of my dear childhood friends that I had begged to come fight the war with me so that I could see a familiar face. When I walk by my fellow soldiers, I cringe at the sight of some with missing toes or worse (Powell, 149). If I die in our winter camp, won’t it regard to be in vain? I came here to fight a war for independence from Britain and a country of our own where we can compose the laws and taxes. I did not come here to die from the bitter cold of our winter…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics