Washington and his men spent a difficult winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania from the end of 1777 to the early months of 1778. One of the strange customs of war from the 18th Century is that armies would basically call a cease-fire when the weather turned cold. As winter would approach, each army would find a place to hibernate until the fighting would resume in spring. Washington's choice was Valley Forge.
It is well documented how miserable his men were during this time. There was little food, adequate clothing or proper shelter to protect the men from the winter winds. Washington, in display of one of his best qualities, refused to live in comfort while his men suffered. He remained in the camp until winter thawed out.
As difficult as this time was, the men in Washington's camp received the best training of their "careers" up to that point. Prussian military leader Friedrich Von Steuben came to the aid of Washington and drilled his men until they were an actual fighting force. For this week's blog, I want you to read this story, watch part one and part two of this video series and in the comments write about your impression of Washington, Von Steuben and the soldiers in light of their struggle at Valley Forge.
Washington has done some amazing things in his days. since he has been dead for a while now most of us awe in the amazement of his work. also, since I did my history report on him I know a lot about him. but since we are specifically talking about the war, he made his men better by having Mr. Von Steuben came in and helped them by making them tougher, more courageous, optimistic. Valley Forge was a hard thing to do during this time. these men had the bare minimum of everything. no shoes, no nothing, Washington told the 'doctors' to do the cutting of the sore and putting it on wound of a healthy person to build immunity. Washington was obviously ahead of their time in the 1800s. (130)
ReplyDeleteMy impression of Washington was that he was a valiant and great leader during the harsh winters at Valley Forge. He went to go get supplies for his men and did not get special treatment as an officer of the Army even though he could have. von Steuben was a strict and hard officer that some of the soldiers did not like. He drilled the soldiers nearly every day and made them into an effective fighting force that can hold off the British without his help would not have any training. The soldiers during Valley Forge were very depressed and some of them deserted because of being depressed .
ReplyDeleteThe people in the section were very interesting. Washington gave a very strong impression. I saw him as strong; he stood up even when people tried to against him. The videos said that his generals tried to overthrow his position. Von Steubon was seen a very mean person by many of the soldiers at Valley Forge. He was very helpful though. He made their campsite better so that sickness wouldn't spread. He drilled the soldiers so they would be fit to fight the British in the spring. The video showed on of the soldiers trying to get rid of Von Steubon because he though he was a bad person, so that makes you see how many of the soldiers pictured him. I think at the end of the winter the soldiers actually liked what Von Steubon did though. I enjoyed this week's blog. (143)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a strong and independent individual. He was a true leader. He wouldn't let people just push him around. Von Steuben was strict and harsh but he got the soldiers whipped into shape. He was effective even though many soldiers disliked him. He drilled them and kept sickness from spreading so he was quite helpful. During the winter at Valley Forge, the soldiers were really unhappy. Instead of warm beds in their homes, they were in tents and many didn't have shoes. Some deserted, and some stayed. Once the spring came, many soldiers had grown to like Von Steuben. And many new recruits came. They were ready to fight for freedom. (115)
ReplyDeleteWashington was a very strong and powerful leader who many men looked up to. He wanted what was best for his army, and that meant putting them through the training and drilling of Frederick von Steuben. Washington’s army was a mess that needed discipline. Von Steuben came with a letter from Benjamin Franklin who had recommended him. Von Steuben had the army straighten up the camp. He also made sure that they were training and staying in shape to fight. A lot of the men in the army didn’t like him because of everything he made them do. In the video one man was upset because the men had to clean camp, shower, and train. Well, you can just die when you start fighting again from disease, lack of experience and for being out of shape. That’s probably what would’ve happened if they didn’t do what Von Steuben told them to do.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Von Stueben was that he was too professional and he didn’t care about the conditions of the men. Then I realized that that was just some of the soldiers’ impression of him because they didn’t like it. My impression of Washington is about the same. I still think he was an inspiration to the soldiers. I wouldn’t have been able to last in those living conditions. I feel bad for them and am amazed at how much courage they had to last through the winter and to fight the huge British army. They had terrible living conditions, let alone little supplies and clothes to keep them warm. (111)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington did some pretty great things. A lot of men in his army died, but he did good enough to keep most of them alive. I think that he was the kind of person who was ok with not being the best. I think that he probably really wanted to be, but if he was not, then that was ok too. This was my first impression of him because of the way that Von Steuben came in and whipped everyone into shape. He had a lot of bad living conditions. It makes since why so many people died. There was a very. Harsh winter, and they did not have many warm clothes. So, people literally froze to death. The food and shelter was not the best either.
ReplyDeleteMy first impression of Von Steuben was that he was a hard core type of person. He worked those men as hard as he knew how. He was probably the best person to train George Washington army. Over all I think that they were similar, but I think that Van Steuben was the best trainer.(183)
In the videos, the soldiers didn't like Von Steuben at all. He was thought to be an old wacko who had no clue what he was doing. None of them seemed to trust him. But what do you know! When they saw the good outcomes of the "useless" work he was doing, suddenly they thought he wasn't so bad. What a coincidence. Feelings toward George Washington were mixed as well. Some of them liked him, while others didn't. In the article, he seemed to be a courageous man and a great leader. He wouldn't take the things that normal military leaders received like better food. He would stay with his troops and help them in any way he could. (119)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a great leader. He kept his men in line. He was really smart too. Von Steuben made Washington’s men into a real army. He had a huge influence on the men. Without him, they were just another militia. The army had two great leaders. They would have never survived Valley Forge without George Washington and Von Steuben. Washington was doing all he could do so he needed a little extra help to train his soldiers. Von Steuben was the guy. The men became great fighters and were trained well. I have a good impression over Washington, Von Steuben, and the army. (105)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Washington was a very good general, he was a very good leader at anything. Von Steuben was hated by the army. They didn't like the way he told them to stand. But Von Steuben was making the army better and better by day. The army would had been no where without this two great leaders. They woulsd not make it to Valley Forge. Washington knew what he was doing with the men and they did not. the men were well trained and well ready for war! I think the men started to notice that they were getting better and still didn't like him. (104)
ReplyDelete“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I saw that Tale of Two Cities quote there. It’s very appropriate for this too.
ReplyDeleteLet’s start from the beginning, General George. A direct quote from the video, “Washington’s a genius! It‘s close enough to Philadelphia to keep an eye on Howe and his winter quarters, but far enough away to avoid a surprise attack.” The placing of the camp was great on Washington’s part. I remember that the eyewitness report said something about Washington being a scientist. I can see that, with him dabbling in smallpox vaccines and all.
Onto Von Steuben. Even though he was a Prussian outcast, he helped the army shape up and ship out to fight better and more efficiently. I think that Washington supported the idea of second chances by allowing Von Steuben to mentor his army.
And finally the soldiers. There’s not much I can really say. I mean, they were cold, packed together, improperly clothed, sick, hungry... the list goes on and on. The video made them seem really whiny though. This is probably true because, if you were in their situation, wouldn’t you be?
So maybe this camp was a living nightmare. Maybe it was a blessing. Whatever you want to call it, it was the beginning of our victory against Britain.
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While the men were going through some of the worst days of their lives, Washington held them together through leadership and a will to carry on. Also, without von Steuben’s help and training, the men would have never been ready to fight the mighty British army. But the most important point is that the men were motivated to fight harder and to go through Valley Forge because they were fighting for what they wanted. If that had not been the case, the soldiers would have crumbled and the war wouldn’t have gone the way it did and America wouldn’t be what it is today. (104 words)
ReplyDeleteWhen Baron von Steuben came, the Continental Army gained discipline and they became a lot more confident also. Now the fighting force that was before only a small group made up of farmers, teenagers, blacksmiths, merchants, etc. was not a great army ready for battle because of von Steuben. George Washington made sure that Valley Forge was close enough to Philadelphia to watch out for the British, but also far enough away that they would not have to worry about a surprise attack. To me it looks like the soldiers did not seem to really like von Steuben because he was telling them what to do. (106)
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ReplyDeleteWashington’s main struggles while at Valley Forge were not only enduring the cold wintery weather, having short supplies, and a misfit group of soldiers. He had to keep the morals of the men up and their faith in America alive. An army officer from Russia, Baron Von Steuben, arrived to aid Washington. He became very frustrated with the men because of there disorganization and lack of training. He turned the camp upside down. The soldiers were stubborn and were very unclean, which spread disease and caused many to die not to mention the smell. Even though the soldiers didn’t like Von Steuben’s way of discipline he turned them into a winning army.
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Washington was a pretty amazing guy he did many things during the war. If Washington hadn’t gotten the Von Steuben guy we probably wouldn’t have had such a chance in winning the war. I am glad that George knew this guy. Valley Forge was one of the most gruesome places I have ever heard about. It was just horrible how the people that were there most of them died from smallpox. I feel bad for the guys that had their arms cut open and the puss from the smallpox put in it but I am happy for the ones that lived because of this.
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Washington was an amazing leader. He always did what he thought was right for his men. He never gave up even in the harshest times. All he wanted was to have a successful army and win the War. The soldiers had mixed personalities. Some didn't like von Steuben, and some did. However, he did some pretty amazing things to improve our army. I think the soldiers could have had a better attitude towards von Steuben. I mean, he was coming to a harsh and gross camp in the middle of the winter to help one of the most untrained armies in the world. He came because he knew he could help and because their courage inspired him. All of these people influenced the outcome of the war. (127)
ReplyDeleteI think George Washington lead his men to Valley Forge for two reasons: first, it was only a few miles away from where the army was and secondly, he might have been trying to show his soldiers that they are not always going to have enough food to fill them up, they will not always be able to find good shelter and will have to live in bad conditions from wether, and they are not always going to have a change of clothes everyday or once a week. I believe he did this to prepare his soldiers for war because you never know what could happen. When Baron von Steuben came to help Washington's army everything started to get better. Von Steuben made a big impact on the army by training the soldiers properly and making them stronger; he also provided them with more food, clothing, weapons, and even new recruits. Without Baron von Steuben, the rebels might have not win the War of Independence and we might not be free right not.
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