Valley+Forge

Valley Forge No battles were fought at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was actually a place where the Continental Army camped out for six month under the command of General George Washington 25 miles outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They stayed here from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778. Although no battle was fought, the soldiers had to struggle against the elements and survive a brutal winter. The soldiers stayed here because, at that time, during the winter, troops usually took a break from fighting and camped out. George Washington chose Valley Forge because it had a high plateau, so perfect it might have been constructed by a military engineer. One side was protected by the river. Two shallow creeks provided natural barriers that would be a problem for any attacks from a cavalry or artillery. Any attackers would have to charge uphill. The troops arrived at Valley Forge just in time for Christmas. However, they did not get any sort of feast for the holidays. The men’s diaries already were talking about a diet of “fire cakes and cold water.” A fire cake is a batter made of flour and water that is fried on a griddle. The day after Christmas, they woke up to find 4 more inches of snow on the ground.

George Washington decided the first priority would be the building of housing for the troops. He decided that every 12 men would share a 16x14 foot log hut with walls that were 6½ feet high with a roof made out of wood board. Each hut would get a stone fireplace. The huts were very drafty, smoky and unhealthy. In fact, most of the deaths in Valley Forge were caused by disease rather than guns.

However, health was not the only problem. Another problem was the man in charge of military transportation. His name was Quartermaster General Thomas Mifflin. He hated his job. He was a wealthy, Philadelphian merchant and a born politician who wanted glory on the battlefield, not the headaches of transportation. He pretty much just ignored his job. This caused many men to die because they didn’t have the correct supplies.

However, once a more capable general, Nathanael Green, took over the quartermasters post in the spring, supplies began to move in decent quality. Also in the spring, a baking company of 70 men came to work, headed by Christopher Ludwig came to work at the camp. Everyone had more food and everything began to rapidly improve.

The troops were brave, but had very few skills in the way of 18th century warfare. This all changed with the arrival of Friedrich Wilhem Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Stuebe, known to history as Baron von Stueben. He was 47 and out of work, so he applied for several military posts. The American Envoys in France were impressed by him and gave him a great letter of recommendation. When he got to the camp, he was appalled by what he saw. His primary mission was to train the men, and he approached his task with dedication and zeal. Everyone loved him, even though he was Prussian and could not speak English. He was considered the only popular drillmaster in history. He decided the key to train the men was simplicity. He constantly taught the use of the bayonet as it was one of the most important tools in a war at the time. He started by training one-hundred men at a time, then, when they knew all the necessary skills, they went off to teach the other men. Eventually, he had them marching in ranks and they were a good army.

Many died in the Valley Forge camp, but those who survived were considerably better at fighting in a war. Without Valley Forge, the Continental Army may have not had the necessary skills to defeat the British. Valley Forge played a key role in the American Revolution.

Bibliography Dutcher, Joanne M. //The Winter at Valley Forge// Ed. Ronald W. McGranahan. Ronald W McGranahan, 2004. //Google//. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. [] // Historic Valley Forge // Ed. Ron Avery. Independence Hall Association, 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. . Hughes, Libby. //Valley Forge//. New York: Dillon Press, 1993. N. pag. Print. Web. //google//. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . Web. //google//. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. [].