Problem
It is important to note that the army is a crucial part of a state that helps it defend its territory. Therefore, to be effective, soldiers need to receive sufficient moral support to avoid desertion and to obtain material support to stay healthy. If soldiers die of illness and lack of provisions, and their families are in poverty, this will lead to desertion and unwillingness to fight. Thus, it is necessary to consider the problems of George Washington’s army and propose alternatives, solutions, and remedies to solve them.
Background
After a failure on the battlefield, George Washington decided to search for a place to station his troops for the winter. Washington’s military actions were unsuccessful because the British army had occupied Philadelphia entirely, and the soldiers were exhausted and sick. The 12,000 soldiers were utterly exhausted, lacking blankets, shoes, and enough food (Valley Forge, n.d., p.1). They lived in damp buildings, ate animals from the woods, and suffered from diseases.
The exhaustion and poor living conditions affected their health and immunity, and many soldiers died of disease. The other soldiers witnessed this, and their morale deteriorated. Moreover, they did not receive sufficient salaries, and their families lived in poverty and starved (Valley Forge, n.d.). These factors encouraged desertion in the army, but Washington threatened to execute anyone who wanted to escape from the camp. Consequently, the soldiers suffered from diseases, and their morale was low; Washington did not take action to solve these problems.
Alternatives
To raise the morale of the army, Washington had to decide to bring the army home. After that, it was necessary to reform the army, that is, to improve the supply and logistical routes for delivering food and clothing to the soldiers (Drury & Clavin, 2019). Furthermore, to motivate them, their salaries should be raised, and then the families of the soldiers would no longer live in poverty.
These alternative solutions are not feasible because, in this case, the US troops would have lost the war. They had lost most of their territory, and if they had returned home to restore their strength and resources, the enemy army would have returned victorious (Drury & Clavin, 2019). Thus, the withdrawal of troops to improve the morale and material condition of the soldiers could not be used to address the issue.
Solutions
It is significant to emphasize that there were two possible methods to improve soldiers’ morale and prevent illnesses. Firstly, soldiers’ morale depended on two components: the problematic financial situation of the family and the lack of provisions on the battlefield. Secondly, the absence of provisions and the lack of a policy for caring for the soldiers led to an increase in illnesses and deaths (Drury & Clavin, 2019). Thus, to avoid desertion due to poor conditions of service, Washington needs to ask the leadership to raise the soldiers’ pay, explain the poor state of the army’s supplies, and approve alternative locations for the winter camp (Drury & Clavin, 2019). These actions would help raise morale, prevent desertions, and reduce the number of illnesses and deaths.
Recommendations
To implement the strategy, Washington must assess the real situation in the army and make a reasoned request to the leadership to increase the salaries of the military. When soldiers learn that they can provide a decent living for their families, their morale will increase (Drury & Clavin, 2019). Moreover, we must consider alternative options for accommodating soldiers to avoid diseases.
For this purpose, Washington needed to conduct a reconnaissance of the area and identify places where soldiers could be housed in dry and warm quarters. This may require moving deeper into the countryside, where they can receive assistance with food and clothing (Drury & Clavin, 2019). Therefore, following these recommendations can preserve the army’s morale and avoid deaths and diseases.
References
Drury, B., & Clavin, T. (2019). Valley forge. Simon & Schuster.
Valley forge. (n.d.). Word document, 1-2.