The American Revolution
"Allegations of the deliberate use of smallpox as a weapon also surfaced during the American Revolutionary War. During the early years of the conflict, British troops who had not already experienced the disease were routinely variolated, but the colonists were not. On several occasions, the Americans accused the British of deliberately spreading smallpox. In April 1775, for example, the Continental Army, under th command of General George Washington, besieged the British forces encamped in Boston. When smallpox broke out in the city in December 1775, Britsh General William Howe ordered the variolation of all susceptible troops as a protective measure. Reportedly, however, the British also inoculated civilian refugees leaving the city in a deliberate attempt to spread the disease among the American forces. Although General Washington initially did not believe the rumors of this diabolical scheme, he changed his mind a few days later when smallpox broke out among Bostonians fleeing the British. The Continental army managed to contain the epidemic by quarantine and disinfection, but Washington's fear of exposing his army to smallpox led him to delay the liberation of Boston. When the British troops finally evacuated in March 1776, he ordered one thousand men who had already survived smallpox to secure the city. Despite this precaution, a large number of troops and civilians fell victim to the disease."
- Jonathan B. Tucker; Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
- Jonathan B. Tucker; Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
Dr. Robert Hicks explains how smallpox affected the Revolutionary War in its tactics and outcomes.
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Dr. Robert Hicks explains inoculation in the army during the Revolution.
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