Valley Forge Dbq Essay Example

Valley Forge DBQ “Give me liberty or give me death!” In December of 1777, George Washington decided to set up a winter camp at Valley Forge. The area was about eighteen miles northwest of Philadelphia making it a good place to stay and watch over the British troops. The men build huts large enough to house twelve soldiers at a time. Unfortunately, the men slept on the straw and mud floors while being exposed to the freezing weather. Health, housing and supplies were critical topics in the camp. The men enlisted only for either six or nine months at a time and when time came to reenlist some were not so eager to do so. Many even abandoned the war and ran off, unable to withstand their living conditions. This raises the question: “Valley Forge: Would you have quit?” To quit would be to not reenlist in Washington’s army. I would in fact reenlist because of the following: the men who had fallen ill, my loyalty to our government and country and the belief in our cause.
Many men were dying in this camp. May it be from disease or simply lack of supplies the focus of the matter is that they stayed until the end of their lives. They believed in this cause enough to never give up and had pushed through the hardships as much as one possibly could. About half of the men were far too ill for battle. (Doc. A) Every soldier was needed and haven been stricken with illness made every healthy soldier a necessity. Approximately 1800 to 2500 men had lost their lives to the wide spread disease so even the smallest attempt to help fight the war was very much appreciated. (Doc. A)
My loyalty and commitment to our government would also inspire me to continue on in those harsh conditions. Whilst still living in the make shift town, the Committee of Congress had come to meet the valiant soldiers who were fighting for independence. (Doc. B) The fact that these men showed interest in their soldiers was very heart warming. Seeing as how they were being thought of as heroes instead of