literature

Calamities of War

Deviation Actions

Marquis25's avatar
By
Published:
1.4K Views

Literature Text

America huddled around a camp fire in the bitter cold. Nearby some soldiers were attempting to sing a carol of some sort despite being frozen and starving. The men embraced the training they received from Baron von Steuben, not only because it would make them harder to defeat, but also because the exercises kept them relatively warm.

The young nation curled in on himself in an attempt to hold onto his body heat. He was stuck out here in the cold and his men were underfed and under-clothed. They desperately needed supplies and it seemed like Congress was doing nothing to help them.

Congress. Philadelphia. General Howe held Philadelphia. England had captured his capitol, his heart.

Well, not exactly. The Continental Congress had fled the town before the British forces had moved in, so technically his capitol had moved with his government.

But the idea remained the same. England had gone for his heart.

--

England himself was at yet another ball that was being held for the British officers. Obviously things couldn't be so bad if Philadelphia, America's heart - the city where that wretched document had been created - still held so many loyalists.

The Briton was dressed with all the regalia that befitted an officer of the British army, and one who was the representation of that country, no less.

His mind drifted to the beginnings of this little rebellion. The number of letters America had sent him had steadily decreased and his precious colony had wrote less and less about missing him and more and more complaints about how the laws Parliament passed (without the input of the colonists) were negatively effecting him.

England had barely paid any attention to these complaints until that wretched Boston "tea party." Then he had responded with the Coercive Acts to try to rein in his misbehaving subjects. And now he was fighting to keep his precious colony.

The Empire's thoughts strayed to the young man who represented this land. Was he out freezing in the cold while the Englishman was warm within Philadelphia? Was America starving while he feasted on the offerings of the loyalists? Was the rebellious boy and his army rationed to poverty while the British nobleman was provided with all the wealth of his "capital"?

England cursed France for entering the war. The Frenchman was making an already unhappy situation even more difficult. All England hoped for was to regain full control over America before the silly boy got hurt.

No matter, England would retake his young, foolish colony. No matter how much blood, no matter how many tears, it was his job to care for America. This war would have to come to an end, even if it took years of perseverance. The British Empire could not bear to lose a thing so precious. He couldn't bear to lose America.
My entry for the winter contest at :iconrevolutionaryhetalia: (EDIT: Omigosh! I won third place!!!). This takes place in the winter of 1777 when the British held Philadelphia and the American's were camped at Valley Forge. Yes, the British were actually welcomed pretty openly because all the patriots left.

I am a huge American Revolution nerd, and finally my knowledge is useful!

The title comes from Thomas Paine's first of a series of pamphlets known as The American Crisis. The opening lines of the pamphlet are pretty famous: "These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." This pamphlet was released in December of 1776.

Paine is better known for writing Common Sense.
© 2010 - 2024 Marquis25
Comments27
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
akanesarumara's avatar
Beautiful, I loved the contrasts^^