whom
have no shoes, have done without food, clothing, blankets, medical supplies,
shelter, and warmth throughout this unusually cold winter in Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania.AGAINST THE ROPES
"I am now convinced that unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place, this Army must inevitably be reduced to one or other of these three things: starve, dissolve, or disperse in order to obtain subsistence in the best manner they can." General George WashingtonThe following is a fictional letter written by General George
Washington to the Second Continental Congress located in York, Pennsylvania.
March 1, 1778
Dear Members of Congress,
I have repeatedly written for your assistance in obtaining money and useful supplies for the Continental Army consisting of more than 11,000 men of which 3,000 are in despairing condition. Why have you not come to our aid?
Our soldiers, one out of three whom
have no shoes, have done without food, clothing, blankets, medical supplies,
shelter, and warmth throughout this unusually cold winter in Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania.
Due to lack of money, some soldiers have been forced to steal food from local residents to survive as local Philadelphia farmers are taking their supplies and selling them to the British for gold instead of accepting Continental paper money!
Dear members of Congress, do you wish for men to lose their dignity in order to stay alive? Have any of you gone without food lately?
Have any members stooped so low and 
experienced
such harsh conditions to sustain their own lives defending our fight for
independence? Are each of you comfortable in your own heated homes instead of
residing in desolate and cold log huts this winter?
Many of my men are severely ill of smallpox, frostbite, and typhus. At least 2,500 men have died. More than 2,000 have deserted and I do not believe we can survive much more of these harsh conditions.
I beg you to respond. Have pity on us and demand the states send more money and supplies before our entire Army loses any fragment of hope left.
A great help in our adversities has been the arrival of Baron Friedrich von Steuben, the Prussian army general and now inspector general. He has the courage, strength, and determination to build our Army into a powerful effective force against the British. He is working 12 hours a day and has begun to drill my men in marching, proper use of bayonets, and has brought great promise to these suffering soldiers.
I pray and implore dear members of Congress to act expeditiously in coming to our aid. Would you rather have more men turn their backs on this great cause for independence or rather remain to fight?
Yours truly,
General George Washington