VALLEY FORGE

Dark Days of the Revolution

As the winter of 1777 approached, the English army marched into Philadelphia and made themselves comfortable in fine homes with plenty of good food to eat. General George Washington, on the other hand, was struggling to hold the colonial army together. Washington chose a place called Valley Forge for his troops to spenf the winter. It was a location that afforded a good defensive view of the area, and it also stood between the British Army in Philadelphia and the iron furnaces and powder mills further inside Pennsylvania.

There were no houses for the men, and little food was available. Fires helped warm them, and logs were cut to build small log huts to sleep in. 12 men were quartered in each hut, which was a significant improvement over tents. However, after several months of less than sanitary conditions, disease became a serious problem. Washington moved into a nearby stone house on Christmas Eve, but only after all of the men had shelter for themselves.

During this dreadful time, there was some good news. Prussian General Baron von Steuben came to drill and organize the troops, which proved very helpful in making a real army out of the troops. Other leaders joining Washington at this time who would make a great impact on the war were Baron de Kalb, Marquis de Lafayette, Casimir Pulaski, and Thaddeus Kosciusko.

In June of 1778, after the British moved out of Philadelphia, Washington moved his troops out of Valley Forge, and the Revolution would continue.