Preview

Valley Forge Turning Point

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
611 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Valley Forge Turning Point
No battle was fought at Valley Forge, yet it was the turning point in the Revolutionary War because it gave the army a backbone, made the soldiers stronger for upcoming battles, and helped them win alliance with the French. It was here that the Continental Army was hopelessly drenched. After the battles they had fought, Valley Forge gave them another reason to give up. They arrived bloody, beaten, and war-torn. What would you expect from an army who went through these difficulties and yet, life throws them the winter of Valley Forge. To the point of giving up, the army stood their ground and kept on fighting for their independence. Without the winter at Valley Forge, Britain would still have power over us. Because of the results of Valley …show more content…
With all the troubles they went through, why did it not disband? According to British battles.com, The army suffered another defeat at the battle of Germantown just north of Philadelphia so General George Washington and his continental army entered Valley Forge, just miles away, where they would camp for the winter and prepare for battle with the return of warm weather.Early into the six- month camp, there was hunger, disease, and hopelessness. General George Washington was lost in hope as he watched his army quickly fall apart. This is how the army got a backbone, by suffering so much and rising back again, this time becoming a true army through training and discipline. Out of this terrible winter came out a new army, confident and ready to do battle.

The incident that occurred in Valley forge got the Continental army soldiers to become stronger in upcoming battles because they suffered so much. According to History.com, George Washington did not lose hope and pushed them to great limits so the strong could commence. Thus the army believed, if the general has hope in us, then we should too. So the army held on tight and started to train as though they were dying. Even after losing nearly 2,000 soldiers, the remaining men still helped each other, which in the end gave them

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The Battle of Vicksburg was an important victory for the Union during the Civil War. This major victory was a massive turning point in the war for the Union. Before this point in the war, the Union only had a few wins against the Confederacy and hope was slowly withering away for the Union; but because of Vicksburg, the Union was able to turn the war around and eventually (as we all know) win the war and reunite the North and the South. Vicksburg was an important Union victory and turning point in the war because it was believed to be the key to the Confederacy by Lincoln and Jefferson Davis and contained valuable resources, it split the Confederacy in half, and it proved that General Grant was a more than adequate leader and strategist.…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Valley Forge Dbq Essay

    • 562 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The first reason I would quit is because the British were considered the strongest army in the world. In Document A, ‘The Numbers’, it clearly shows that by the end of February, there were only 8,000 soldiers at Valley Forge, half of them ill. An army of 4,000 healthy soldiers, the rest ill, fighting off a strong army of tens of thousands of healthy, well fed soldiers has terrible odds for the Patriots. Yes, the British lost the war, but at the time, no one knew that! France ended up helping, but they knew that in April. Odds of the odds turning to my favor are slim, like one out of a million. If I'm smart, I'd already be out of Valley Forge.…

    • 562 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the past twenty years, historians have learned that there were at least two Continental armies, the first being the army of 1775-1776, which was mostly made of large land owners who were expecting a short conflict, untrained and undisciplined, the second Continental army was built out of the first but had more discipline, a more difficult training regime, and called for longer enlistments. The first Continental army believed the quality of their ideals and their honorable pledge to defend their homes against the British would be enough to defeat the British quickly. The first Continental army lost quickly to the superior numbers and training of the British offensive against New York. Although the army was very zealous,…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Would you have quite? I would have not quit because only 15% of the soldiers have died and the inspirational words of thomas paine. *Reported sick or unable to report for duty*(Doc A). This evidence explains that not all people in the Continental Army are going to die or get sick, the estimate of deaths are lower than your chances of becoming sick. 3,989/8,000 soldiers are sick, which is 50%.Your chances of dying ar 15%.…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    If I was a soldier in the Continental Army and the conditions were the same, I would re-enlist. I would stay in Washington’s army because many of the soldiers became ill, died, or deserted, leaving him with less and less number of soldiers. According to the chart in Document A, there were 8,000 soldiers in February 1778 and 3,989 of them died of illness. Since his army was slowly diminishing,…

    • 284 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.” This quote in a letter to James Madison, from George Washington, on March 2nd, 1788, explains that once the push for liberty comes through and change is made, it is like the snowball effect. At this point of the war, there were constant losses for the Continental Army they were lacking faith and hope for their liberty. The soldier’s enlistments were also very near to their end and time was going by fast; many were prepared to leave and not signing up again. Overall, the Continental Army was headed towards failure. They needed something to give them a push in the right direction. The battle that raised high spirits in the army was The Battle of Trenton. The Battle of Trenton had the most profound impact on thecourse of events because, the Continental Army got high spirits and hope for success, many were persuaded to continue their term with the army as a soldier, and with George Washington’s tactics and leadership, they were able to capture over 900 hessians that would have otherwise been aid to the British.…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    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…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Valley forge winter and spring of 1777–1778 the Continental army is situated on the bank of the Schuylkill River, in Chester County, Pa.Valley forge was plagued by an early winter poor conditions and bad weather. The Continental Congress's neglect of the army added to the troops misery during their time at Valley forge.Almost 3,000 men were unfit for duty because of bare feet. The smallpox epidemic was a major problem and with medical supplies lacking it killed about 2,500…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Struggled with keeping the British from tracking them down, so they had to play it extra safe. But as soon as they reached the French Quarter not all hope was lost. A soldier would of quit Valley Forge because of how many people died, not enough money, and the living conditions.…

    • 93 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Battle of Trenton

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages

    General George Washington knew that most of his men 's enlistments were up soon after the battle of Trenton. Their morale after the defeat was very low and nearly ninety-percent of the troops, who fought the battle of Long Island, left the army and went back. Soldiers felt that they were fighting for a losing cause, and General Washington faced a tough task of holding up the troops for the battles ahead. The enlistment terms of most of the soldiers were about to expire at the end of the year. So Washington planned an attack on Trenton to try and revive confidence in his men. This would prove to be a fruitful plan. After the attack…

    • 917 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Valley Forge Dbq

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Imagine dealing with cold, wet, and snowy weather, where you have been often hungry, as food was scarce, you didn't have warm clothing or even shoes as your shoes had worn out on the long march to the valley. Then having to build 16 by 14 huts with a door at the end, a stick and clay fireplace at the other, and no windows, now living in the cold, damp, and crowded log cabins allowed disease and sickness to spread quickly throughout the camp. In December a week before christmas, George Washington and his troops arrived in Valley Forge in the year of 1777, there are about 18 miles northwest of Valley Forge to Philadelphia. The main idea of the quote "There is a hundred times more enthusiasm for this revolution...in Paris then there is in all the United States together." is that many americans did not seem to support the revolution against England and so it seemed that Paris had more enthusiasm than the United…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What comes to mind when you hear the words “The Battle of Gettysburg”? To me, I think of the event itself. The United States was two years into the Civil War, when the bloody battle in Pennsylvania broke out. General Lee, also known as the general of the Confederate army, plotted an attack at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle started on July 1st, 1863 and continued on for 3 straight days. In just those 3 days, it turned the Civil War around. A turning point is an action or event that alters the outcome of a situation. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point? The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point for three reasons; geographic advantage, the many losses and the change in morale.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Battle of Trenton

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As winter came around, many thought the campaign and war were over. It would have been logical for both groups to go into winter quartering and resupply to get ready for the spring campaign. The British did and returned to New York and went to Pennsylvania for the winter leaving mainly Hessians alone. Washington feared that his army would not survive in its current state. His soldiers needed a morale boost badly so they were read the pamphlet “The Crisis” written by Thomas Pain. This inspired the men to have the phrase “Victory or Death”. With a morale army, Washington believed a daring…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Horrific civil war in 1861 a boy named henry, a young private, joined the war without his mothers consent. Henry Fleming always dreamed about battling in the war his whole life almost. Leading up to the battle henry got put into a squad with; Wilson, Jim Conklin, The young lieutenant, the tattered soldier and the general. Henry and his squad would always talk about people fleeing from battle and they all thin that henry is going to run away when they get into battle. Henry didn't bother to think twice on how terrible and graphic these battles are. Henry remains strong and shows no fear to the battle.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Battle of Saratoga was the main turning point in the American Revolution. The battle started September 19th, 1777 and lasted through October 17, 1777. Saratoga took place in upstate New York. The Battle of Saratoga was an important achievement for the Patriots during the American Revolution. The battle also persuaded foreign countries, such as France, that America could win the war. Lastly, the battled renewed the morale of the American public.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays