The Continental Army & Washington
These are the times that try men's souls. 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...
Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
Overview
On Christmas night 1776, the eve of the famous crossing of the Delaware River, Washington and his troops were encamped nine miles from Trenton on the banks of the Delaware preparing for a surprise offensive that, Washington hoped, would save his position as general and invigorate his troops. His soldiers were beyond weary. They did not have tents or proper winter clothing, the weather had turned bitterly cold and they were losing battle after battle. Washington’s poor military record had sparked open talk in Congress about replacing him.
Hoping to inspire soldiers and save his own job, Washington ordered all his officers to read Thomas Paine's "The American Crisis" to their troops. Paine, the passionate pamphleteer, was embedded with Washington’s troops and had just written a now-famous essay on the back of a drumhead. The opening refrain had a stirring beat of its own: "These are the times that try men's souls. . ." The next day, Washington’s soldiers went on to win the Battle of Trenton. It was a small victory, but it changed the entire psychological makeup of the war.
In the winter of 1777, George Washington's Continental
Army found themselves, once again, overwhelmed. After
suffering several major defeats at the hands of the
British, in particular the Howe brothers, American morale
was at a low, and Washington was concerned that the
army might mutiny entirely. Washington decided to encamp
that winter at Valley Forge close to the continental
capital Philadelphia, which had fallen into British
hands. While it was a strategic location, the Continental
Army went through a winter of cold, hunger and extreme
discomfort. At Valley Forge, Albigence Waldo,
a surgeon in the army, kept a diary of his experiences
and observations.
In this lesson, students will use both Waldo's diary
(a primary document) and the scenes of crossing the
Delaware from Episode 3 of Liberty! which document
the Continental Army on the eve of the Battle of Trenton
to better understand American soldiers' experiences
as well as the significance and impact of Washington's
leadership skills.
Related Resources for the Lesson
In this lesson, students will use the following resources:
1.Episode #3 of Liberty! ("The Times That
Try Men's Souls")
2.Excerpts from the diary of Albigence Waldo found
at (http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/war/waldo.htm).
3.Military Journal written at Valley Forge (George
Ewing) (very long) (http://www.sandcastles.net/military1.htm)
4.Valley Forge and Monmouth (http://www.usahistory.info/Revolution/Valley-Forge.html)
5.Letters from Valley Forge (http://www.americanrevolution.org/vlyfrgeltrs.html)
(various sources)
6.The Winter at Valley Forge (http://www.americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/VALLEY.HTM)
7.Map of the Battle of Philadelphia and Valley Forge
(http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/valley_forge_battle97.pdf)
8.In addition, the teacher should also supplement the
reading with various segments of "Liberty!",
in particular Episode 5, which has a small discussion
of Valley Forge.
9.The text of "The American Crisis"
(http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/paine/pframe.htm)
10. A newspaper-style description of The Battle of Trenton on The Liberty Web site, with many related links embedded at http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_trenton1776.html
Relevant Standards
This lesson addresses the following national content
standards established by the Mid-Continent Research
for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/)
US History
Understands the major political and strategic factors
that led to the American victory in the Revolutionary
War (e.g., the importance of the Battle of Saratoga,
the use of guerilla and conventional warfare and the
importance of King's Mountain in defining the war)
Understands the social and economic impact of the
Revolutionary War (e.g., problems of financing the war,
wartime inflation, hoarding and profiteering and the
personal and social impact of economic hardships caused
by the war)
Understands the strategic elements of the Revolutionary
War (e.g., how the Americans won the war against superior
British resources, American and British military leaders
and major military campaigns)
Strategy for the Lesson
The teacher may wish to begin the lesson with a
discussion of primary historic sources, explaining
they are sources that come "direct from the past",
in other words, from an eyewitness who was at the
scene of the event. Primary source material includes
photographs, home movies, speeches, diaries, and letters.
Discuss with students how primary source documents
might differ from historians' accounts.
The class should also brainstorm other instances
of primary sources familiar to them in World or American
History. Familiar contemporary examples might include:
"The Diary of a Young Girl" (Anne Frank)
"Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo"
The "Zapruder Film" chronicling President
John F. Kennedy's assassination
And, comparable exhibits on the National Archives
(http://www.archives.gov/)
and Records Administration (http://www.loc.gov)
or other similar resources.
The teacher should also highlight other primary source
material from the Revolutionary period as featured in
the Liberty! series. Several sources are available
for Joseph Plumb Martin, an enlisted man in the Continental
Army, including excerpts from his diary on the "History
Matters" web site (http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6597/).
Students can use these sources to collaborate or discount
other accounts of the period.
The teacher should note that the primary source
used in this lesson not only highlights Valley Forge
but the overall conditions faced by American soldiers
throughout the Revolutionary war.
Next, the teacher should ask students to discuss
important issues regarding the hardships faced by
soldiers at Valley Forge and on the banks of the Delaware,
and the role of George Washington as commander-in-chief
of the army. These include:
The difficulty in fighting for the "abstract
concept" of liberty, and the style of leadership
needed to command a more egalitarian army
Difficulty in maintaining troop morale amidst such
awful conditions
Washington's strategy as "de facto" leader
of the country to keep the army (the only symbol of
the nation which existed at that point) together at
all costs
Differences between the British "professional
army" and the American army (usually made up of
militia and "minutemen" who participated when
fighting was nearby, but then returned to their homes
and farms)
The uniqueness of the Revolutionary war as a war
about ideals rather than territory or treasure
The teacher should have students view Episode 3
of Liberty! and note points in the film which
show Washington's "despairing mood" as well
as concern about losing the war. The teacher may also
wish to read (or have a student read) the famous "These
are times that try men's souls" excerpt from
Thomas Paine's The American Crisis.
Next, the teacher should distribute copies of the
question sheets for this lesson to the students. Direct
the students to either access the Waldo diary online
or copy and distribute the diary excerpts.
Allow sufficient time for students to read the diary
excerpts and to answer the questions. Once students
have completed the questions, the teacher should evaluate
them according to the depth of answer desired, the
amount of time allowed for the assignment, as well
as any other criteria established by the teacher,
such as spelling and grammar.
Extension Activities:
1.Have students compare conditions and circumstances
which affected soldiers in other situations, such
as weather affecting a battle or military maneuver.
For example, the teacher might ask students to research
and report on the impact of weather on the D-Day invasion
or the Battle of the Bulge as well as the German advance
into Russia during World War II or Napoleon's attack
on Russia during the early 19th Century. The teacher
may decide to ask students to write essays on the
comparisons or may ask the students to produce multimedia
projects.
2.Ask students to further research Valley Forge, pretend
they are soldiers in the Continental Army encamped
there and write letters "home" describing
the conditions and hardships soldiers faced there.
