EMERGENCE OF USA
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND ITS IMPACT
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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They died of disease, starvation, and/or freezing to death.
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The British attacked the fort.
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They didn’t have time to build the fort.
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They were outnumbered by the British.
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Detailed explanation-1: -Cold and starvation at Valley Forge were not even the most dangerous threats: diseases proved to be the biggest killer. By the end of the six-month encampment, some 2, 000 men-roughly one in six-died of disease.
Detailed explanation-2: -In total, about 1, 700–2, 000 troops died during the Valley Forge encampment, mostly at general hospitals located in six different towns. Valley Forge had the highest mortality rate of any Continental Army encampment, and even most military engagements of the war.
Detailed explanation-3: -While wintering in the camp, soldiers worked together to build huts for shelter, but unsanitary conditions, and shortages of food and blankets contributed to the disease and exhaustion which continually plagued the camp.
Detailed explanation-4: -Just how many became seriously ill during the Valley Forge encampment and how many died of these illnesses is not known. Even in the mild weather of late spring, the medical department informed Washington that 1, 000 men were too ill for combat. Those who died at camp or in hospitals has been estimated as high as 3, 000.