Continental+Army+Winters+at+Valley+Forge

= __Continental Army Winters at Valley Forge__ =

** __The Battle__ **:  Throughout the War, it was somewhat ritual for armies to take up winter encampments. General George Washington, whom was very intact and familiar with battle, chose to camp at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania as winter began to descend upon the state in 1777. Valley Forge was located far enough away from the enemy, the British, whom were located in Philadelphia, and the convienence of the Schuylkill River and high hills made the location extremely defensible to attacks. General George Washington had chosen the ideal place to camp at.  Despite George Washington's attempts at the forceful training, the Contintental Army was still very foreign to the idea of battle. Of all the 12,000 soldiers in the Army, a great majority of them lacked the proper supplies needed to survive in War- such as clothing, food, and endurance. To protect the camp, defense lines were built along with over one thousand huts to support some type of structure to escape from the brutal elements. Snow melting and moisture from rain kept all of the soldiers from staying dry throughout the time being. This also allowed and increased the spread of disease. On rare occasions, soldiers recieved meat and bread; for the majority of the time, they feasted upon a homemade mixture of flour and water named "Firecake." Many of the soldiers were forced to brutally endure the weather; some soldiers were exposed to the harsh winter in tatters, lacking blankets and shoes. Many wounded soldiers often died due to the over-exposure to the weather. These conditions, being extremely unsanitary and crowded, led to an outbreak of diseases now reffered to as typohoid and pneumonia. Over 2,000 soldiers died due to the spread of these sicknesses.  The men at Valley Forge spent alot of their time improving their fighting skills. On February 23, 1778, a former German General named Baron von Steuben came to Valley Forge to train the patriots all of the basic skills needed for battle; such as how to march in formation, fire guns quickly, use bayonets, and ultimately achieve the goal of being a successful and proud soldier. Despite the fact that von Steuben was born Prussian and spoke extremely broken English, he created and developed manual training spoken in French that would later be translated to English- coherent enough for all of the American soldiers to understand and comprehend. Von Steuben worked directly with the soldiers, correcting their mistakes and training them to become a strong soldier. His presence did alot to improve to stamina and determination of those brave soldiers at Valley Forge. Despite the harsh winter and brutal surroundings, von Steuben's presence lifted the glum and doom off the soldiers faces and really worked and connected with each soldier. He developed them into more tactical, efficient military men, very capable and ready to fight and defeat the British.

**Important People**: General George Washington was easily the most important person of the Revolutionary War. His brave, courageous ways of training his soldiers was greatly remembered throught the War. He was a daring leader, he used the element of surprise to conquer American victories. Throughout the War, the soldiers soon grew weary and bitter. The brutal weather didn't add to their lack of enthusiasm or desire to battle, therefore putting George Washington in a tough position. He put up and still supported his soldiers despite their unfortunate attitude towards the battle. Washington's courage and determination inspired his troops. He finally overcame and defeated General Cornwallis and his solders at Yorktown, in October 1781. This was the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, therefore proving Washington's powerful and strong hold and support over his troops.  General George Washington

Baron won Steuben played a very important part throughout the troops rough stay in Valley Forge. Originally, he was born in Magdeburg, learning from his father whom was an engineer lieutenant in the military of 1730. He became a Prussian officer in the military by the age of 17. By the age of 33, in year 1763, he was discharged as a captain from the army for particular reasons. He came to Valley Forge on February 23, 1778, after being ousted from Philadelphia for the winter. Steuben didn't speak English when he came to Valley Forge, but he was able to speak French enough to communicate with the other officers. He began training the troops with a "model company", meaning a group of 100 chosen men and trained them. Those already trained men then successively worked outward and helped train the others. His outgoing personality created instant charisma and he easily connected with the soldiers. He introduced a system of training, beginning with a head commander and progessively going downward in rank from there. Von Streuben was simply a very great and huge part of the victories the Continental Army had conquered.  Baron von Steuben

 Valley Forge, 1765 Map of Valley Forge media type="youtube" key="DgJewCR02D0" width="425" height="350" Valley Forge

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