Valley Forge

My ongoing George Washington tour continued yesterday. Faced with a spectacularly unseasonable day, I took about an hour's drive into Pennsylvania to the Valley Forge National Historic Park. I had been there many, many years ago (over 40) but had very little memory of it.

The site is different than most concerning the Revolutionary War, as it does not denote a battle. In the winter and spring of 1777-78, after the British took Philadelphia, Washington looked for a place to encamp for the winter. Valley Forge, named for an iron forge on the Schuylkill River, was an ideal spot, given it's elevation. Washington's men cut down trees and made thousands of log cabins, each 14 feet by 16 feet. That's roomy until you consider that 12 men were assigned to each cabin. There are a series of them that were rebuilt by historians to those specifications, and I stepped in one. Bunk beds were stacked three deep--I doubt I could roll over on one of the lower ones.

Washington Slept Here

The winter that year was epically harsh. Men lacked basic comforts like shoes. But Washington somehow managed to keep up morale. He had it a little nicer, his headquarters, pictured at left, was a three-bedroom home (100 pounds were paid to the owner for its use), but it must have been crowded, too, as over 20 people stayed in it.

Perhaps a hundred yards away were the cabins of Washington's personal guard, which exist today in the form of the Army's Third Infantry, which are entrusted with guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The only stop left on my proposed tour is the most ambitious--a trip to Mount Vernon, which would probably require an overnight stay. Perhaps I can accomplish that this summer.