Have you ever wondered what happened during the Revolutionary war, and how our country came to be? Well the men at Valley Forge took big part in forming our country. What | believe is that the men at Valley Forge took a stand against the British Continental army. The men at Valley Forge during the revolutionary war took a stand by showing the British and the Hessian soldiers that they hired that they wanted to be an independent country. This was taking a stand because they stood up to the most powerful country in the world at that time and they did not want to be ruled over by a king.
They also changed the world by defeating the most powerful army in the world at that time, while having very little resources. They were also very strategic that in my personal opinion is what made them win the war. Here is a quote from the book “Remember Valley Forge Patriots and Redcoats Tell Their Stories” by Thomas B. Allen “In a furious battle that lasted about 45 minutes, the americans killed 21 Hessians, wounded 90, and took about 900 prisoners. Four Americans were wounded.
The only American deaths were 2 men who froze on the march to Trenton. That quote shows how strategic the American Army was. The quote you are about to read shows how the Americans were also very intelligent. George Washington played a very important role in the Revolutionary war and Valley forge. He made battle plans for his army, and he tried to have all of his soldiers with proper clothing and so they were not freezing, but still the majority of his troops were underfed and were poorly dressed.
Here are two quotes about Washington and how he helped and one quote about the hardships the soldiers had. General Washington’s army of some 12,000 men were underfed and poorly clothed when they arrived at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. About 2,000 soldiers died that winter. Many died from smallpox, typhoid fever, and other diseases. The cold, raw weather killed some men who didn’t have proper clothing. This quote is from the book “Valley Forge American Landmarks” “Soon after, Washington was named commander-in-cheif of the newly formed Continental Army, Months passed. The British army remained trapped inside Boston. Finally, in March 1776 they abandoned the city.
This quote is from the book “Washington’s Crossing the Delaware and the Winter at Valley Forge-Through Primary Sources. ” by John Micklos,Jr. His wife Martha, also helped in early 1778. Here is a quote about how she helped. “In early 1778, General Washington’s wife, Martha, came to stay with her husband at the farmhouse that served as his headquarters. Every day, she toured the valley, visiting the soldiers and passing out bits of food from a basket. ” This quote is from the book “The Winter at Valley Forge” by Edward Dolan. Washington also told his officers to alert their men to a suspicious cattle seller who was reported to be stealing cattle and selling the meat to the Hessians in Trenton. On December 22, that very cattle rustler, John Honeyman, wandered near American lines and was captured after a scuffle. Washington told the captors to bring him Honeyman for questioning.
In a private meeting, the rustler-in reality a member of Washington’s spy network-told Washington how many Hessians were in Trenton and added that they were planing a Christmas party. This quote is from the book “Remember Valley Forge Patriots, Tories, and Redcoats Tell Their Stories” by Thomas B. Allen. Von Steuben, a German veteran helped in many ways he helped the troops so they had more discipline, were better in combat, and so they followed orders. Here are two quotes about him. “Early 1778 brought another addition to Valley Forge-the stout and red faced Friedrich von Steuben of Germany. He was a veteran soldier who had sailed to America to join the fight against the British.
He proved to be one of the most important officers ever at the winter camp. ” “He proved important because had heard that the Americans were good fighters but that they lacked military training and discipline. They were excellent marksmen but took too long to load and fire their muskets. They were fine fighters but often did not move together or obey orders fast enough to win in battle. They often ignored or disobeyed an order if they disliked it. These problems had cost Washington’s army many lives.
He decided to correct them. Both of the quotes are from the book “The Winter at Valley Forge” by Edward F. Dolan. The people who didn’t think that the men at Valley Forge took a stand are the Redcoats and the Hessians. They don’t think that this is taking a stand because they were against them and thought that they couldn’t be independent so they could choose their own religion. They also thought that they were not taking a stand because they thought that they could just go to a different country, not be under the kings rule, and they thought what they were doing was wrong.
That is why the Redcoats and the Hessians thought that the men at at Valley Forge were not taking a stand In conclusion the men at Valley Forge took a stand against the British Continental army, defeated the British continental army while having very meager resources, George Washington helped in many ways for winning the war by making battle plans and making sure his troops had clothing, Von Steuben trained the troops to be better marksmen, trained them so they followed orders even if they disliked them, and so they had more discipline.
The men at Valley Forge also faced many hardships during the winter such as being underfed, being poorly dressed, and facing smallpox, typhoid fever and other diseases. About 2,000 men died that winter because of these causes. Thank your reading my essay on Valley Forge and how they took a stand against the British Continental Army.