"Smallpox in Washington's Army: Strategic Implications" Topic
7 Posts
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Tango01 | 20 Jul 2016 9:49 p.m. PST |
DELETED BECAUSE OF THE BAD BAD BUG……….. |
Tango01 | 20 Jul 2016 10:00 p.m. PST |
… of the Disease during the American. Revolutionary WarAuthor(s): Ann M. BeckerReviewed "The prevalence of smallpox during the early years of the American War for Independence posed a very real danger to the success of the Revolution. This essay documents the impact of the deadly disease on the course of military activities during the war and analyzes smallpox as a critical factor in the military decision-making process. Historians have rarelyd elved into yhe significant implicationss mallpox held for eighteenth-century military strategy and battlefield effectiveness, yet the disease nearly crippled American efforts in the campaigns of 1775 and 1776. Smallpox was a major factor during the American invasion of Canada and the siege of Boston. Rumors over the British use of biological warfare, controversy over inoculation, and attempts to control the spread of smallpox all impeded the progress of the war. Recruitment was adversely affected, desertions increased, and commanding officers were forced to proceed with inadequate forces because of smallpox. This frightening disease affected the actions of the Revolutionary Army and its generals, reduced the American abilityt o attracta nd hold recruits,a nd influencedt he controversiald evelopment of preventive medical policies…." Full text here PDF link Amicalement Armand |
Supercilius Maximus | 21 Jul 2016 3:32 a.m. PST |
I must admit that I've never come across any evidence that the British actually tried to bring smallpox into the Continental army (or even planned to) during the AWI; there were allegations concerning the release of runaway slaves at Yorktown, but this appears to have been prompted entirely by shortages of both food, and safe places to hide from the bombardment as the siege progressed. The British did inoculate their own recruits, though. However, there was one instance during the F&I War of the garrison of a besieged fort being advised to introduce pus-soaked blankets into the ranks of their attackers, as a last resort. |
historygamer | 21 Jul 2016 5:38 a.m. PST |
That was done at Fort Pitt during the siege by the commandant giving the Indians some blankets as "gifts." It was reported that the Indian population was devastated at different times by small pox. I believe Amherst approved of such methods. Remember too that the Indians reportedly dug up the graves at Fort William Henry, which included victims of small pox. The Indians reportedly mutilated the bodies as they beleived you went to spirit world as you looked here. I beleive they paid a heavy price that fall and winter for such behavior when they took the disease back to their tribes. |
OldBlackWater | 21 Jul 2016 7:35 a.m. PST |
Thanks for sharing this article. For anyone looking for a more in depth/ wider breadth discussion of this topic I can recommend a book by Elizabeth A Fenn Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82. Hill and Wang, 2001. Its very well written and describes several smallpox epidemics which raged across Mexico and North America during the years of the American Revolution. OBW |
Tango01 | 21 Jul 2016 12:07 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed it my friend!. (smile) Amicalement ARmand |
dantheman | 22 Jul 2016 6:29 p.m. PST |
At the Old Barracks in Trenton they had a presentation on the pox and Washington's mandated inoculation (crude procedure to say the least). General message I heard and read: Colonial Americans were not as exposed as Europeans, so much less immune at the start of the war. Furthermore, Americans early on did not practice camp hygiene like the British. These factors made Smallpox more likely once armies crowded men together. Never heard of intentional infections in AWI. |
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