My life and family have been changed dramatically for the better and for the worse by the colonies’ epic fight for freedom. I long for the colonies to be free and to be able to make our own decisions, but I’m not sure if I want all of the hardship and change war will bring my family. But I still believe we must fight for our freedom. As Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death!”

I am twelve-year-old Kaziah Avery. I have a father and a mother. My life took a dramatic turn as soon as my father enlisted in the Continental Army to fight. With our father off to battle, my mother and I didn’t earn nearly enough to support our small cottage in the Village of Williamsburg, because my father did not own a family business we could work at, and we could find no other jobs. So, we followed my father to his military camp. My mother told me it would be an adventure, and from the way she described it, I assumed it would be. I would finally get to show my patriotism for the colonies by helping the actual army while they provided food, shelter, and work for my mother and me while my father was at war. I was excited to help the war efforts but little did I know what these camps were actually like.

As soon as my mother and I joined the camp to work, I quickly learned that it was not fun and games. My mother and I were lucky to be accepted into the camp. Although General Washington needs women in the camps, he tries to minimize their presence because people claim they get in the way of operations in the camps, distract the soldiers, and make the camps look less professional. But without women at the camps, the Continental Army would lose valuable soldiers. Many men in the camps have to desert the army in order to provide for their wives and children at home. This is why Washington allows small numbers of women and children to come with their husbands to the camps to help the army. But while Washington cannot afford to lose precious soldiers, he also cannot afford to feed every woman who seeks assistance from the army. To ensure that a minimal number of women take rations from the army, Washington checks on how many women are at the camps, their health, and the duties they execute. Women who are lucky enough to pass the requirements and stay at the camps like my mother and I, receive anywhere from a quarter of a ration to one full ration of supplies depending on the jobs we do. Just from hearing about the days to come at the camp, I knew that it would be no easy living. I would have to work hard and long, but in the end, it would all be worth it to help the fight for freedom in the colonies.

When I began my work at the camp, my mother and I performed several duties. I started earning my rations by becoming a laundress and mending and washing clothing for soldiers and officers. Older women could charge for each piece of clothing they washed or mended, but since I am still young, I do not get to charge. My mother took on the less common job of a nurse. Most women prefer not to get into the gruesome task of caring for the wounded, but there were not other jobs available, so to earn her rations, my mother accepted the job.

As my mother began to work as a nurse, she has told me about the risks she takes every day. She is constantly being exposed to diseases like smallpox and other fevers. I fear for her health, but I know she is doing the right thing. There are so few nurses that officers have started to bribe and threaten women into nursing. They even have raised the pay to four dollars a month. If my mother hadn’t accepted the job, the officer would have stopped her rations. She needs the money and rations, and she doesn’t complain about the work she does. I wish I could prevent her from being a nurse because I worry about her, but I understand that we have to take risks to support the army and for our own well-being.

I know most women at these camps take on traditional female roles, but I have heard stories about courageous women who disguise themselves as men and fight in the war for freedom. The idea of this causes chills to run down my spine, and it excites me that a woman would take on a role of a man. I can just imagine brave, young women fighting for what they believe in regardless of what people say their gender should do. I hope women will assume new roles in this world, because we have voices and opinions, too.

My mother and I made the difficult decision of following my father to the camp. We choose to leave the comfort and safety of our cottage in Williamsburg to support the army. I know our decision was the right one. Although the camps may offer danger, hardship, and back-breaking work, I am proud of myself and the women and children I work with for supporting the army and our fight for the freedom of America. I pray to God that the amazing efforts and sacrifices of the ladies I work side by side with will never be forgotten. I want people to always remember the ladies who risked their lives to take care of the men. Remember the ladies who worked just as hard and suffered just like the men they worked beside. Remember the ladies who have broken traditional gender roles to fight for the freedom of America.