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Valley Forge, Pennsylvania – Winter of 1777-1778
Directions: Imagine that you are George Washington and it is the winter at Valley Forge during the American Revolution. Your soldiers are expressing their concerns about the difficulties and hardships they are facing, and their desire to desert the Continental Army and return to their homes. As George Washington, you must convince them to stay. What things can you say to motivate them to stay? Develop some reasons that you will use to try to persuade the soldiers to stay and fight on.
Read the following excerpts about the harsh winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania:
“The American soldiers had little protection from the freezing temperatures. Shoeless and dressed in rags, they huddled together inside flimsy tents until they could build small log huts. When complete, the dirt-floor hut measured about 14 feet by 16 feet. In spite of the small size, about twelve soldiers lived in each hut. The soldiers slept on either the cold muddy hut floors or the straw mattresses that were usually crawling with lice. Food consisted mostly of fire cakes, which were thin strips of dough made from a mixture of flour and water. Soldiers suffered from disease and frostbite. As many as 2,500 would die from disease, exposure to the cold, and lack of food.”
“Washington set up camp at Valley Forge, 20 miles west of the British. Washington and his troops endured a winter of terrible suffering, lacking decent food, clothing, and shelter. Washington’s greatest challenge was keeping the Continental Army together. Most of the men lacked blankets, shoes, and shirts. Joseph Martin, a 17-year-old private from Connecticut, made a rough pair of moccasins for himself out of a scrap of cowhide. Although the moccasins hurt his feet, they were better than going barefoot as hundreds of his companions had to do, till they might be tracked by their blood upon the rough and frozen snow.”
“Over the winter, nearly a quarter of the soldiers at Valley Forge died from the cold, from small pox and typhoid, and from lack of food. Many soldiers wanted to desert because of the terrible conditions. ‘The want of clothing added to the misery of the season, and has occasioned them to suffer such hardships that will not be credited but by those who have been spectators,’ wrote Washington.”
1. Did George Washington’s troops stay and fight?
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2. Develop a list of two arguments that George Washington might have used to convince his soldiers to stay with the Continental Army and fight on.
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3. Pick a short quote from the above excerpts that sticks out to you. Write the quote and tell why you thought it was interesting.
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