The Winter Nightmare
By: Eric Domingo
Winter at Valley Forge
The Continental army is struggling to survive this winter after George Washington took his army to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
No Boots?
At Valley Forge there was approximately 11,000 men and 500 women and children. The army was either tired, beaten, hungry, or sick. Not less than 2,900 men for duty were shoeless. George Washington said that "This army might dissolve"! Thankfully from Michael de Lafayette bought the army some boots and warm clothes.
The Horrible Disease
The Continental army is suffering because of disease. One of the diseases in Valley Forge was Smallpox. Thanks to their courage and teamwork, they managed to get rid of the smallpox disease. They would scrape off the Smallpox with a scalpel. After that, they would give the Smallpox to a person who already survived Smallpox because they have the anti body for Smallpox. Finally, they would make a incision in the person with the anti body in their system and would put the Smallpox in the incision.
Why Camp There?
George Washington had to make a hard decision to decide where to camp. Luckily he had some geography on his side. First of all, the forest made a natural fortress for them. It was also far away from rich farmland to prevent the army from becoming a burden on the local population. Finally, the sight was high and flat, which means that if the British tries to attack them, they would be able to see them and get prepared.