Valley Forge: Will I Re-Enlist Or Will I Quit?

Life is pretty bad when your fingers are frozen and your toes poke through your shoes, isn’t it? You might be able to answer this question, since you probably haven’t been in that situation. However, the starved, freezing, poorly clothed men that were stationed at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778 could definitely answer this question. An additional question they had to ask themselves at Valley Forge was: “Will I re-enlist or will I quit?” If I would have been in a soldier’s shoes in those fateful winter days, I would have re-enlisted. The facts that there was honor in re-enlisting, conditions were not as bad as they could have been, and the Army was in desperate need of troops convince me that it would have been the best decision. …show more content…
In Document D of “Valley Forge Mini-Q,” we find an inspiring speech written by Thomas Paine (153). In the speech, he compels both soldier and civilians alike to keep fighting for independence, claiming that what is acquired too easily is not given the value it deserves. He also tells the people of his time to avoid shying away, like cowards, from difficulties like those described in Document A (147), which contains the illness and death rates found at Valley Forge, and Document C (151) which is a pair of descriptive diary entries written by someone who suffered alongside the soldiers. The powerful speech is enough for me to keep my status as soldier and fight for my country once