Washington proclaimed smallpox to be his “most dangerous enemy"

(Page 918) In 1766, while still a general for England, George Washington and his soldiers were unable to take Quebec in the French and Indian War. In part this failure was due to smallpox outbreaks that affected his troops.

Later when Washington led Continental Army troops against the British, a smallpox epidemic reduced his healthy troop strength to half while the British troops, who had been variolated, were already immune to the spreading contagion. Troops were often gathered together from remote parts of the fledgling nation and placed into crowded camps, mingling with local civilian populations, which expanded variola transmission even further into vulnerable populations.9 Washington proclaimed smallpox to be his “most dangerous enemy,” and by 1777 he had all his soldiers variolated before beginning new military operations. In doing so, Washington fulfilled the ethical responsibility of ensuring the health of his military personnel, which in turn served to fulfill his professional responsibility as commander of a military force to preserve the nation. However, a public unfamiliar with the stakes or conditions weighing on this choice criticized Washington’s actions.




US Army: Washington proclaimed smallpox to be his “most dangerous enemy"
https://fas.org/irp/threat/cbw/medical.pdf