A01=Ann M. Becker
American Revolution
Author_Ann M. Becker
Category=NHK
Disease
Disease and Society
Early American History
Early US history
eq_bestseller
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
George Washington
Health
History of medicine
Inoculation
Medicine
Revolutionary history
Smallpox
US history
Product details
- ISBN 9781793630711
- Dimensions: 159 x 236mm
- Publication Date: 05 Feb 2025
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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In Smallpox in Washington's Army: Disease, War and Society during the Revolutionary War , the author argues that smallpox played an integral role in military affairs for both the British and Continental armies, and impacted soldiers and civilians throughout the War for American Independence. Due to the Royal army’s policy of troop inoculation and because many British soldiers were already immune to the variola virus, the American army was initially at a disadvantage. Most American colonists were highly susceptible to this dreaded disease, and its presence was greatly feared. General George Washington was keenly aware of this disadvantage and, despite his own doubts, embarked on a policy of inoculation to protect his troops. Use of this controversial, innovative, and effective medical procedure leveled the playing field within the armies. However, by 1777, smallpox spread throughout America as soldiers interacted with civilian populations. Once military action moved south, American and British auxiliary troops and the enslaved Southern population all succumbed to the disease, creating a disorderly, dangerous situation as the war ends. Washington’s implementation of isolation policies as well as mass troop inoculation removed the threat of epidemic smallpox and ultimately protected American soldiers and civilians from the dangers of this much feared disease.
Ann M. Becker is professor of history at SUNY Empire State College.
