SAMPLE PAGES. PLEASE DO NOT COPY! - scriptsforschools.com

1 1 I-145 A SOLDIER S LIFE Written by Linda Baten Johnson SETTING: Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, Winter of 1777-1778 CHARACTERS: Narrator Soldier One Soldier Two Officer One Officer Two Baron von Steuben WHEN CURTAIN RISES, ALL CHARACTERS ARE ON STAGE OR ENTER QUIETLY AND TAKE THEIR PLACES AT MUSIC STANDS OR AT TABLES. SIGNS SHOULD IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERS. NARRATOR ENTERS LAST. SAMPLE pages . PLEASE DO NOT copy ! 2 SAMPLE pages . PLEASE DO NOT copy ! A SOLDIER S LIFE BY Linda Baten Johnson NARRATOR: COLONIAL SOLDIERS COULD BE ANY AGE, FROM SIXTEEN TO SIXTY. YOUNG BOYS CAUGHT UP IN THE WAR FEVER SOMETIMES LIED ABOUT THEIR AGE IN ORDER TO ENLIST. EACH COLONY OR STATE WAS EXPECTED TO SEND A CERTAIN NUMBER OF MEN TO SERVE. IN ADDITION, THE STATE WAS TO PROVIDE UNIFORMS, EQUIPMENT AND THE SOLDIER S PAY, BUT THAT DIDN T ALWAYS HAPPEN. NEARLY SEVEN OF EVERY EIGHT SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN THE WAR DIED OF UNRELATED CAUSES SUCH AS DISEASE, EXPOSURE, AND STARVATION.

2 PATRIOT SOLDIERS FACED HORRIBLE CONDITIONS IN VALLEY FORGE, PENNSYLVANIA, THE 1777-1778 WINTER HEADQUARTERS FOR WASHINGTON S ARMY. SOLDIER ONE: I LL BE GLAD WHEN WE GET OUR HUT BUILT. SLEEPING ON THE COLD GROUND WITH NO BLANKET IS HARD. 3 SAMPLE pages . PLEASE DO NOT copy ! SOLDIER TWO: YOU HAVE A BLANKET. YOU RE WEARING IT. SOLDIER ONE: TRUE. MY SHIRT IS WRAPPED AROUND MY FEET IN PLACE OF SHOES, AND MY BLANKET SERVES AS MY SHIRT AND BREECHES. SOLDIER TWO: GENERAL WASHINGTON SHARES THE COLD WITH US. HE SLEEPS IN A TENT AND SAYS HE WON T MOVE INTO HIS HOUSE UNTIL HUTS FOR THE MEN ARE BUILT. SOLDIER ONE: A NICE GESTURE OF THE GENERAL, BUT HE HAS MANY WORRIES. HE SHOULD BE COMFORTABLE. OFFICER ONE: TODAY, HALF OF YOU MEN WILL WORK ON THE TRENCHES FOR THE HUTS. THE OTHER HALF WILL CHOP TREES FOR THE WALLS. OFFICER TWO: AND WE SHOULD HAVE SOME TURNIPS IN THE SOUP TONIGHT. WE ARE GETTING A FEW SUPPLIES. 4 SAMPLE pages . PLEASE DO NOT copy ! SOLDIER TWO: TURNIP SOUP WILL BE A NICE CHANGE FROM THE SOUP MADE FROM LEAVES AND DIRT.

3 OFFICER TWO: WE ARE MISSING TWO SOLDIERS. WHERE ARE THE OTHER MEN FROM YOUR HOMETOWN MILITIA? SOLDIER ONE: JED IS BY THE PRIVY TRENCH. HE SUFFERS FROM THE RUNS AND HE S BEEN VOMITING. SOLDIER TWO: I DOUBT HE LL LIVE THROUGH THE DAY. THE OTHER ONE HAS THE SMALLPOX. WE CARRIED HIM TO THE MEDICAL TENT BEFORE DAWN. NARRATOR: THE DOCTORS PERFORMED BLOOD-LETTING AND USED LEECHES TO GET RID OF THE HARMFUL DISEASES, BUT IT DIDN T ALWAYS HELP. OFFICER TWO: I KNOW CONDITIONS ARE ROUGH, BUT MOST OF YOU SIGNED UP FOR THREE YEARS OR THE DURATION OF THE WAR. 5 SAMPLE pages . PLEASE DO NOT copy ! OFFICER ONE: AND DON T THINK OF TRYING TO ESCAPE. THE DRUMMER WILL SOON SOUND ASSEMBLY FOR THE EXECUTION OF A DESERTER, A MAN FROM THE NEW YORK MILITIA. SOLDIER ONE: POOR FELLOW. HE MUST HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT HIS FAMILY. SOLDIER TWO: WE ALL WORRY ABOUT OUR FAMILIES AND WHAT S GOING ON AT HOME. OFFICER ONE: ATTENTION! MAY I PRESENT BARON FRIEDRICK WILHELM VON STEUBEN. HE IS IN CHARGE OF DRILLING THE TROOPS, PREPARING US TO BATTLE THE BRITISH IN THE SPRING.

4 VON STEUBEN: WE WILL DRILL UNTIL YOU ARE AN ARMY. TOMORROW, I WILL START WITH THIS GROUP. WHEN YOU ARE TRAINED, YOU WILL TEACH OTHERS. I WILL TRAIN 6 DIFFERENT MEN TO BECOME SOLDIERS. WHERE ARE YOUR WEAPONS? OFFICER TWO: MEN, SHOW THE BARON YOUR GUNS. VON STEUBEN: PRESENT ARMS! DISGUSTING! TRAINING SUCH MEN WILL BE A CHALLENGE. I WILL NEED AN INTERPRETER. OFFICER ONE: WE CAN EASILY FIND A GERMAN SPEAKER. WE RE NOT ALL ENGLISH. OFFICER TWO: MOST OF US CAME FROM ENGLAND, BUT OUR ARMY IS A MIX OF NATIONALITIES. IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH, WE HAVE 30% IRISH, 20% GERMAN, 10% BLACK, AND 10% FRENCH OR DUTCH. VON STEUBEN: ENOUGH! ASSIGN ME YOUR SMARTEST GERMAN SPEAKER. HE WILL GO WITH ME. OFFICER ONE: HOW ABOUT JOSEPH FRANKS? HE S GOT BOOK LEARNING AND HE S CLEVER. ( )