Why I Want To Re-Enlist In The Continental Army

What they fought for is an analysis of a collection of nearly a thousand personal letters and journals entries written by the soldiers who fought America’s famous Civil War. This book seeks to define the ideology of what the soldiers understood they were fighting for, and their comprehension of the outcome of their service .Although counter arguments agree that most soldiers could not give a solid explanation of why they fought for, nor the real Constitutional issues that were at stake; the thoughts the soldiers recorded show that they fought for more than just masculine identity; they highly valued being at home safe with their loved ones, at any cost. This book gives an inside perception of the Civil War, and a

Additionally, re-enlisting into the Continental Army can be compared to diving into your own death. As of February 1, 1778, the total number of the soldiers are estimated to 8,000 men, including about 3,989 sick men during this encampment. (Doc. A) This reveals that about 50% of the soldiers are sick from excessive fighting, smoke from the huts, and intense weather. (Background) Throughout the months of December to June, the death estimates due to the illnesses will be 1,800 to 2,500. (Doc. A) While some people realize that there are more people alive than dead, others such as myself see that with a high death count, re-enlisting is a frightening choice. Also, getting sickness from fighting most likely didn’t have a cure except to take rest,

In late December of 1777, the Continental Army under the command of George Washington set up an encampment called Valley Forge. Valley Forge was a military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-78 during the American Revolution. If I were a soldier during that time, I would’ve re-enlisted. I would do this for one reason, courage. First, soldiers had a better chance of surviving than dying. In December when they first arrived, they had 12,000 men. By February 1778, they had 8,000 men, meaning that 4,000 left. Out of the 8,000 that stayed, close to 50% of them got sick with a disease called smallpox (3,989 to be exact). Out of the 3,989 that were sick, only about 2,000 of them died. So I could

The snow topples over your dry,scrawny skin. Your stomach is being buried alive from thin air. You need fuel and motivation, but you're not getting any. Your eyes slowly become more frail as the smoke scorches through them. Your teeth feel as if they are stuck in a pattern of repeatedly shivering. You try to be a loyal patriot, but are you going to choose yourself or your country? In the winter of 1777 and 1778, George Washington commanded several thousand patriot soldiers who spent the winter at Valley Forge, 18 miles outside of Philadelphia. It was not an easy time.If you had been a soldier in General Washington's army, would you have quit? I would not re-enlist for three reasons: I do not want to die, the living conditions were awful, and

In a nation with a rich history of racism and inequality projected towards minority groups, many minorities were opposed to serving in any capacity during the Civil War. There were a few, however, that maintained an openness to the idea of aiding the Northern Union’s cause. Their willingness to fight for a shared dream, though, was not enough to put them on the frontlines. In fact, many willing African Americans were not permitted to join the ranks solely due to the color of their skin. This in and of itself was a discouraging reality for many African Americans of the time. The common question rang out: If they could not be accepted even as a soldier, how could they possibly be accepted as anything more later on? Advocate Alfred M. Green, however, had a different outlook. In short, Green decided that it was too soon to be giving up on the future. In his speech delivered to African Americans in Philadelphia, he hopes to inspire many to maintain their passion and join the Union forces. Primarily through emotional and logical appeal, Green constructs a persuasive case enticing many African Americans to continue fighting for the opportunity to join the Union army.

Thomas Paine’s, American crisis, was such an inspirational essay to the soldiers and other undecided patriots. Paine reveals that, “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” In this quote Paine was referring to soldiers alike to myself and the group of the soldiers who quit. I believe that I am no summer soldier. I am a winter soldier and should continue to fight even considering the

Starvation, disease, and a harsh winter were all factors that the soldiers at Valley Forge felt. The soldiers at Valley Forge have a harsh life they live in a wooden hut in which twelve men sleep and there is not one single bed in the hut, they’re no windows or holes just one door and smoke gets in their and gives them ventilation. The french will start to join you in the war and most soldiers will survive. Would have you reinstated to stay in his army ? I’m going to renlist because we are not the nation's summer soldiers, The Congressional Committee supports us hope, and because ill and dead men can’t fight but, well man can.

George Washington once said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” George Washington had to prepare his soldiers at the winter camp at Valley Forge. The winter of 1777 was great for Washington, because he could keep an eye on the General Howe’s British soldiers. Washington had a major problem. Some men were signing up for one to two year enlistment, but the most common was nine months.The living conditions were a horrid situation. Many had no shoes and little clothing, which is not a good combination for a frigid Pennsylvania winter. The winter was not pleasant, and most soldiers had diseases, like smallpox, and dysentery. Men are dying, running away, or deserting their post. My term is almost up. I am concerned about my family, and my aging mother. I could desert and leave for home, or stay and fight. The question has come down to this; If you were a soldier at Valley Forge, would you have quit. In this situation, to quit is to not re-enlist. I have decided to re-enlist because our great leaders, the doctors and sickness treatment, and respect.

The first reason I will not re-enlist is because the sickness in 1777 to 1778 is a very easy disease to spread. The quote “ Sent here to starve and freeze” (Waldo 151) is harsh, especially for the people that are fighting for their country. As well as for the quote “ However, the most frequent time of re-enlistment was nine months… Others just simply deserted” (Roden 141) shows that they knew how hard the living was and that they needed to leave. In Document A it talks about the average people at Valley Forge in the beginning and the average after the sickness spread. So by looking at the chart I would have a 25% chance of living, and a 75% chance of dying.These reasons are causing me to not re-enlist because I would rather not die of a sickness but of old age. This whole paragraph is talking about how you can catch a sickness and may not survive.

General Washington has been watching our numbers and in December there were 12,000 men here and in February there was about 8,000 (Busch 147). The census estimates that there are around 2.5 billion American colonists living here in the Americas today (Springston). There has to be plenty more healthy, capable men in the Americas that could probably do this job even better than I do. I have served my nine-months, and they should too. Thomas Paine tells us not to be ”summer soldiers or sunshine patriots”(152), but I don’t see him risking his life here at Valley Forge.Why should I put myself this close in danger of dying again when there are plenty of other men that haven’t even come close to

The first reason I am staying in Valley Forge is, with so many soldiers dead or too sick to get out of bed, they need as many people as they can get. By this time, February 1, 1778, about half of the soldiers at Valley Forge are too sick to work. Another 1,800 to 2,500 are already dead. (Document A) This means that they are severely short on troops. If the British were to attack at this time and everyone was leaving, we wouldn’t fare very well.

Things are terrible at Valley Forge for the past couple months. I don’t think I can stand it any longer! Right now it is winter in 1777. I have served my time as a soldier in Valley Forge, but now I have to decide if I will quit or not. In this case, quit means to not re-enlist. A lot of soldiers are considering not to re-enlist. I have decided not to re-enlist for three reasons which are, the bad conditions, half of the soldiers are sick, and very cold/snowing.

There is no food, I am cold, and have little humor, I want to go home. This is only some of the horrible things happening. It is 1777 and George Washington has several 1,000 troops settled at Valley Forge. We are here to fight for are freedom from the british. It is winter here and us men are not doing well. The real question is: Will I Quit? I have served my time.Things have been so bad, I am deciding to quit and not re-enlist. The 3 reasons I want to leave are so many are sick, awful living conditions, and I don’t want to die.

Another reason I must re-enlist is the fact that my government deserves my loyalty. The Committee of Congress has stayed with us through much of the winter after arriving at Valley Forge a few weeks ago and has given us hope (Document B). That hope has sparked within us a new flood of encouragement and will power. When George Washington was talking to the 5 members of Congress, he expressed the fact that we brave soldiers need help in our battle with Britain (Document B). Even though it’s cold, and we have threadbare clothing that are merely rags, and the Congress members are all dressed in their finest, our spirit is still strong (Document B). Even Dr. Waldo stated that while tending to our sick soldiers, he was surprised by the magnitude of cheerful willingness to proceed with fighting for our cause (Document C). Dr. Waldo expected us to be down on our luck for having to withstand the poor food, fatigue, cold weather, crowded huts, and smoky air quality which was due to poor ventilation, but most soldiers were able to persevere through all of that hardship (Document C). The Committee of Congress makes me feel like someone is listening to our needs. The general supports us and the government cares about us, so I must support my government.

Twenty-six years ago I a 17-year-old boy joined the United States Army. I served my country faithfully for 22 years, two months and four days; I served in the Transportation Corps. My time in the army was a special period in my life. I gain a lot of life experiences as well as professional ones; the military shaped and molded me into the husband, father son, and brother that I am today. During my service, I grew up and learned several life lessons that would serve me well in and out of the army. To get a real understand on how the military shaped me into the person, I am today; I must first give you some insight into the person I was before I left for basic training. I graduated high school in 1991 just four months’ shy of my 18th birthday;