Valley Forge

Valley Forge was the place where the American Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-1778 during the Revolutionary War. There were no battles fought there. Starvation and disease killed more than 2,500 soldiers by the end of February. The weary Army was poorly fed and ill-equipped. Only one-third of them even had shoes.

By January, things started to turn around when Congress sent a group of five Congressmen to examine the conditions. By February, adequate supplies were flowing throughout camp and Congress was fully supporting the supply lines monetarily.

Also, the varied units from the states all had different training which hampered their overall efficiency and made coordinated battle movements awkward and difficult. Continued drilling brought the Army together and improved their technique and cohesiveness greatly. George Washington said that the perseverance gained by the soldiers at Valley Forge was what made the Continental Army bind together even stronger and eventually win the war.

The park ranger asked the kids if they wanted to be "Junior Park Rangers," so they got these booklets they had to fill out. They were actually pretty excited about it. We started out at the visitor center with a 20 minute historical movie.

There is about a ten mile loop around Valley Forge with various stops along the way. This was where several huts (replicas) were standing and some cannons were set out at strategic locations. There were several thousand of these huts built while the Continental Army camped here.

Just down the road was the massive National Memorial Arch, commissioned by Congress in 1910.

My picture is crooked, not the flagpole.

I'm not sure what these are. We didn't get out here to look at them.

Anthony Wayne, one of the generals in the Continental Army.

General Washington's headquarters while at Valley Forge. This building is 85% original according to the rangers. They said that the interior doors, the banister of the stairs, and much of the wood trim and framing is original. This was a pre-existing house that they rented out while at Valley Forge.

This is Artillery Park which was a central location used for storing artillery. They were then transported to wherever needed from there.

Another house used for another General. I can't remember the name. It was locked, so we couldn't see the inside.

This is Washington Memorial Chapel. It was built in 1903 as a memorial to George Washington and as home to an Episcopal parish. The church is on the Valley Forge maps and material, but at the church, there were signs explaining that they receive no funding from the NPS along with donation boxes everywhere.

This is the rear.

An obelisk across the street from the church.