The smallpox epidemic of 1777-1782 was devastating and deadly for many people in North America in the late eighteenth century. British troops were immune to the disease, which gave them an advantage during the Revolution. Elizabeth Fenn, in her book “Pox Americana”, says, “smallpox may have been the gun’s most lethal legacy” (Fenn). Military camps, being densely populated areas, were a hotbed for the spread of viral diseases. The moving of armies across the continent lead to the infection of residents, who were not immune to the disease, either. Thus, despite attempts at quarantine measures and vaccinations, military action was the reason for the spread of smallpox in North America.
The outbreak of the smallpox epidemic in 1775 took place in the city of Boston, besieged by British troops. Fenn explains that while the European military was mostly immune to smallpox, Americans were more vulnerable to the disease. The cause is that the inhabitants of Europe in the eighteenth century were constantly faced with outbreaks of smallpox, as a result of which most of the population acquired immunity to the infection after recovering. Colonists of North America, unlike British soldiers, rarely encountered smallpox outbreaks on their continent. In addition, they mainly lived in rural areas, which suggested a low population density and, as a result, a small possibility of the virus spreading. Thus, Boston, due to its high population density, became a hotbed of smallpox. In addition, the military camps of the Continental Army located near the city also posed a danger for the spread of the disease. Fenn also notes the existence of credible evidence that the British sent infected individuals from the city to infect American soldiers. Thus, smallpox began to spread throughout the continent through military units.
Despite the disease containment measures taken by George Washington, smallpox soon spread to other areas on the continent. In 1776, the Continental Army troops sieged Quebec; however, it was not possible to take it because of smallpox. After the end of the Canadian campaign, American soldiers began returning home to various states spreading the virus. George Washington’s vaccinations and quarantine measures were so effective that by 1778 there was a short delay in the epidemic. However, in the conditions of military camps, especially retreats, it is challenging to maintain appropriate measures, which led to a spread in the north in the case of the Canadian campaign.
While vaccinations made the Continental Army much less vulnerable to smallpox, other inhabitants of the continent still were not immune. With the advance of the troops southward, the disease spread, affecting local residents and indigenous peoples. At the same time, in the south, African Americans sought to free themselves from colonial rule, which forced them to join the British army. As already noted, unlike the European soldiers, they were not immune to smallpox, which led to a new outbreak of the epidemic. Fenn also emphasizes that the British probably sent infected African Americans back to their masters as biological weapons. Thus, smallpox represented an obstacle to the Continental army at all stages of the Revolution, forcing the command to take measures to contain its spread and also incur additional losses. At the same time, the British could use it to their advantage as a biological weapon. With troops’ movement across the continent, an epidemic spread, affecting not only soldiers but also local residents.
Work Cited
Fenn, Elizabeth. Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002.