THE WINTER THAT WON THE WAR: The Winter Encampment at Valley Forge, 1777-1778

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After a campaigning season that saw the defeat at Brandywine, the loss of Philadelphia, the capital of the rebellious British North American colonies, and the reversal at Germantown, George Washington and his harried army marched into Valley Forge on December 19, 1777.

What transpired in the next six months prior to the departure from the winter cantonment on June 19, 1778 was truly remarkable. George Washington solidified his hold on the army and endured political intrigue. The quartermaster department revived under new leadership from a former Rhode Island Quaker. A German baron trained the army in the rudiments of being a soldier and military maneuvers.

Valley Forge conjures up images of cold, desperation, and starvation. Yet Valley Forge also became the winter of transformation and improvement that set the Continental Army on the path to military victory and the fledgling nation on the path to independence.