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To Washington’s mind Wilmington was a threatened area, not one secure for quarters. 35 His orders of December 17, to march to the encampment that turned out to be Valley Forge, explained why the army would not go to Lancaster, but never mentioned the Wilmington alternative. When, on December 19, nearly all the army was on the march to Valley Forge, he reluctantly sent General Smallwood with ...
Nov 16, 2009 · December | 19. 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 ...
- Missy Sullivan
- 2 min
Washington ordered his troops to line the parade ground and shoot off their guns one by one in celebration. Finally, on June 19, the Continental Army—better trained and more determined than ever—marched out of Valley Forge. Washington, who proved his leadership, remained their commander.
On a freezing December night in 1776, the fate of the American Revolution teetered on the edge of collapse. General George Washington had been battered by months of defeat, but he knew that his army’s survival depended on a single dangerous plan. With the British forces closing in and his soldiers demoralized, Washington ordered a dramatic nighttime crossing of the icy Delaware River: a move ...
- Battle of Valley Forge
- Where Is Valley Forge?
- Winter at Valley Forge
- Life at Valley Forge
- Disease at Valley Forge
- Baron Von Steuben at Valley Forge
- Battle of Monmouth
- Sources
On September 18, 1777, General Wilhelm von Knyphausen led British soldiers on a raid of Valley Forge, where American troops had built a handful of storage facilities. Defending the site were Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamiltonand Captain Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. The British succeeded in stealing supplies and burning a few buildings. This mi...
Washington and his weary troops occupied Valley Forge, located in eastern Pennsylvania along the banks of the Schuylkill River some 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia, six days before Christmas in 1777. The men were hungry and tired after a string of losing battles that had resulted in the British capture of the patriot capital, Philadelphia, earli...
Within days of arriving at Valley Forge, troops constructed 1,500 to 2,000 log huts in parallel lines that would house 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children throughout the winter. Washington directed that each hut measure approximately 14 feet by 16 feet. Sometimes the soldiers’ families joined them in the space as well. Soldiers were instruct...
Popular images of life at Valley Forge depict tremendous suffering from cold and starvation. While it was cold, the National Park Service says there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about the conditions at Valley Forge, characterizing the hardship as “suffering as usual" since the typical Continental soldier experienced a perpetual state of hard...
Cold and starvation at Valley Forgewere not even the most dangerous threats: diseases proved to be the biggest killer. By the end of the six-month encampment, some 2,000 men—roughly one in six—died of disease. Camp records indicate that two-thirds of the deaths happened during the warmer months of March, April and May when soldiers were less confin...
Despite the harsh conditions, Valley Forge is sometimes called the birthplace of the American army because, by June of 1778, the weary troops emerged with a rejuvenated spirit and confidence as a well-trained fighting force. Much of the credit goes to former Prussian military officer Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben. At the time, the Prussian Ar...
The British soon tested the Continental Army’s newfound discipline at the Battle of Monmouth, which took place in central New Jersey on June 28, 1778. While many historians consider the Battle of Monmouth a tactical draw, the Continental Army fought for the first time as a cohesive unit, showing a new level of confidence. The Americans used artille...
What Happened at Valley Forge. National Park Service. "The Prussian Nobleman Who Helped Save the American Revolution," by Erick Trickey, April 26, 2017. Smithsonian Magazine. Letter From George Washington to Henry Laurens, December 23, 1777. National Archives. 10 Facts: Valley Forge. American Battlefield Trust. Monmouth. American Battlefield Trust.
Oct 6, 2021 · Washington’s army would spread out even more within the Valley Forge area eventually covering approximately 7,800 acres of land. Higher ranking officers fanned out to look for their winter accommodations in permanent structures that dotted the landscape. Washington’s staff selected the Isaac Potts house as his headquarters for the winter.
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Aug 5, 2019 · Just before the fall of Fort Washington on Nov. 16 th, Washington had sent General William Alexander ‘Lord’ Stirling’s brigade across the Hudson at Peekskill to act as an advance guard. He marched past Haverstraw to the Palisades and posted a hundred men to hold a gap called the Clove, sent out scouts, and continued on to Hackensack, New ...
