Valley+Forge

"An army of skeletons appeared before our eyes naked, starved, sick and discouraged," wrote New York's Gouverneur Morris from the Continental Congress. “I am sick—discontented—and out of humor. Poor food—hard lodgings—fatigue—nasty clothes—vomit half my time…why are we sent here to starve and freeze,” George Washington said.

1. V alley  Forge, Pennsylvania, was where a new confident army was created. The Continental Army, led by George Washington, stayed at a camp in Valley Forge during the winter and spring of 1777 to 1778. When General Howe, a British general, took Philadelphia and most of New Jersey, the remaining American soldiers spent the winter at Valley Forge. George Washington led his troops here after being defeated at Brandywine and Germantown, Pennsylvania. Approximately 12,000 soldiers served and lived at Valley Forge. There was no actual important battle fought in Valley Forge from December 19, 1997 to June 18, 1778.

2. T he Continental Congress couldn’t provide extra supplies for the soldiers, and the army started suffering. The soldiers also suffered because of the army’s supply service, the Quartermaster’s Department. General Nathanael Greene was appointed to the Commissary Department and the Continental Army received food and supplies. American businessmen hired hundreds of government wagons to carry the food and supplies from Pennsylvania. Also at the time, New Jersey had a large supply of pork that needed to be taken to the army. The encampment at Valley Forge survived two severe cold periods at the end of December and towards the end of March.

3. L ater during the winter march, food was scarce and there were only 25 barrels of flour to feed the entire army. Very soon, many of the soldiers staying there were too weak and sick to fight because of the scattering disease of smallpox. By January 1778, nearly 4,000 men could leave their areas to sleep because they did not have enough warm clothing. Staying positive, Washington improved his army with the help of Baron Von Steuben, a former Prussian soldier. By February, the weather had eased, from brutal to less miserable. When May came, people started hearing about the French alliance with America.

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O n June 19, 1778, the army left, surviving Valley Forge and winning the revolution. Today, Valley Forge is now a national shrine to patriot suffering.

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References: 1.http://24hourbrigade.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/valley-forge.jpg 2.http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/revolution-images/images/valley-forge.gif 3.http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/photos/ValleyForge.GIF 4.http://home.comcast.net/~DiazStudents/AmericanRevolutionValleyForge.jpg 5.[] 6. []

Works Cited "Historic Valley Forge." //UShistory.org// Independance Hall Association, 1998. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. Brownstone, David, and Irene Franck. //The Young Nation//. Danbury, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. Print. //The Road to Valley Forge//. Danburg, CT: Grolier Educational, 2002. Print. Fowler, William M. "Valley Forge." //World Book Advanced// N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.

 By: Hannah Dimitry and Katie DeMarco