Winter at Valley Forge

After the horrible defeat at the Brandywine the continental army retreated to their winter head quarters at Valley Forge.  Conditions weren’t good. The continental soldiers didn’t have enough food. Their rations consisted of cakes that were made of just flour and water.  Thomas Paine wrote, “These are the times that try men’ssouls.” Once in awhile the army would manage to take a British supply wagon. Despite this many American soldiers died of hunger and sickness but they held on to the fact that there was hope however faint that we could still obtain our liberty. That hope helped them to go

on that winter at Valley Forge.

By Gabriel                                                          

Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross opened a sewing shop and married John Ross in 1773.  She hadn’t married to him long when in 1775 war began.  On January 1, 1776 George Washington paid asked her to design a flag for the continental army.  Betsy accepted  but then tragedy struck;

Betsy’s husband died.  After the death the death of her first husband her version of the flag was chosen by congress. She married Joseph Ashburn in 1777. He was a merchant and later became a privateer. Unfortunatly her husbands ship had been  capturedby the British and he died in an English cell.  Betsy Ross married again to an old friend and after the war her third husband was nominated for a government position. Though her third husband died she remained happy for the rest of her days.

By Gabriel  

Nathan Hale

Nathan Hale entered Yale College at the age of 14. Nathan got a job as a school teacher and taught not only a boys class but a girls class.  In 1775 he sign up to be a solder in the continental army and was named a lieutenant.  He volunteered for a spy mission to find out how many solders were in the British army but was caught.  Before being hanged, Nathan said, “I regret I onlyhave one life for my country.” Rather than  frighten away spies it only encouraged more spies and these were more successful .Nathan Hale was a true American hero. 

By Gabriel 

Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine wrote the document Common Sense (Published in Jan. 1776); and afterwards wrote encouragementto the militia through the first Crisis Paper  (written in Sept. 1776). Mr. Paine was born in England in 1737, and migrated to the colonies in late 1774. The sad part is that at the end of his life, because of his complaints to Congress,

his beliefs, and his plea to stop the spilling of Louis XVI’s blood he was neglected by the Americans and the French.

by Nate