Valley Forge
Starving Soldiers at Valley Forge
The weather is finally turning colder, and the crisp morning air can only mean one thing: the season’s first snowfall isn’t far away. But imagine how chilling that cold air would be if you were a soldier in Washington’s army, preparing to spend a winter in Valley Forge, ...read more
235 Years Ago, Washington’s Troops Made Camp at Valley Forge
By December 1777, Washington was well aware that some members of the Continental Congress were questioning his leadership abilities. The Valley Forge site—located along trade routes and near farm supplies—was an attempt to balance Congress’ demands for a winter campaign against ...read more
Continental Army enters winter camp at Valley Forge
With the onset of the bitter winter cold, the Continental Army under General George Washington, still in the field, enters its winter camp at Valley Forge, 22 miles from British-occupied Philadelphia. Washington chose a site on the west bank of the Schuylkill River that could be ...read more
George Washington leads troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge
On December 19, 1777, commander of the Continental Army George Washington, the future first president of the United States, leads his beleaguered troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Things could hardly have looked bleaker for Washington and the Continental ...read more
George Washington establishes winter quarters at Morristown
General George Washington’s army settles into a second season at Morristown, New Jersey, on December 1, 1779. Washington’s personal circumstances improved dramatically as he moved into the Ford Mansion and was able to conduct his military business in the style of a proper ...read more
General George Washington complains about his militia
In a letter to his nephew, Lund Washington, plantation manager of Mount Vernon, General George Washington writes on September 30, 1776, of his displeasure with the undisciplined conduct and poor battlefield performance of the American militia. Washington blamed the Patriot ...read more
Lafayette arrives in South Carolina to serve alongside General Washington
On June 13, 1777, a 19-year-old French aristocrat, Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arrives in South Carolina with the intent to serve as General George Washington’s second-in-command. Silas Deane, during his service as the Continental Congress ...read more
Friedrich von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge
Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolf Gerhard August, Freiherr von Steuben, a Prussian military officer, arrives at General George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778 and commences training soldiers in close-order drill, instilling new confidence and discipline in the ...read more
British delay Washington’s march to Valley Forge
On December 11, 1777, General George Washington begins marching 12,000 soldiers of his Continental Army from Whitemarsh to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for the winter. As Washington’s men began crossing the Schuylkill River, they were surprised by a regiment of several thousand ...read more