How George Washington Defeated Smallpox And Won America’s Independence

The Walter W. Craigie Speaker Series PRESENTS An Evening with Dr. Art Kellermann and Dr. Richard “Dick” Wenzel. SPEAKING ON How George Washington Defeated Smallpox And Won America’s Independence In 1776, as George Washington was leading the Continental Army through some of the earliest battles of the American Revolution, disease posed a greater threat to his forces than British troops. To win American independence, he not only had to defeat the British army; he had to defeat smallpox. General Washington, who had survived smallpox as a young man, was aware of this history and his forces’ vulnerability to the disease. He also knew that the British had used smallpox as a biological weapon against native tribes during the French and Indian War. After taking these factors into consideration, he made a fateful decision. In 1776, as his Army entered winter quarters, he ordered the mass inoculation of his troops. It was the first time in history that an army was immunized by command order.