12 Unique Valley Forge Facts Highlighting General George Washington's Winter Encampment

 

As the site of the Continental Army's winter encampment during 1777-1778, Valley Forge National Historical Park unfolds a key period during the Revolutionary War. Valley Forge has long been one of my favorite places to visit having explored the park about a dozen times. No matter how many times I visit, I still am learning more. After my most recent adventure to Valley Forge, I have put together a collection of interesting facts:

1. Valley Forge was named for an iron forge built along Valley Creek in the 1740s. The British destroyed the forge before the arrival of the Continental Army.
2. Soldiers suffered from food scarcity which made them more susceptible to diseases including  influenza, pneumonia, typhus, typhoid, and dysentery.
3. Oneida Chief Shenandoah helped save Washington's troops by bringing them hundreds of bushels of corn.
4. An Oneida woman named Polly Cooper stayed at the encampment and taught the soldiers how to cook white corn and use corn husks to make soup.
5. English was not the primary language for approximately 30% of the soldiers at the encampment. French, German, Dutch, Polish, Scottish, Gaelic, and more languages were spoken.
6. The winter at Valley Forge was not the coldest of the war. In fact, the next winter at Morristown was even colder.
7. Hannah and Isaac Till, an enslaved couple, worked as cooks for General Washington at Valley Forge. Both secured agreements to purchase their freedom and were able to do so in October of 1778.
8. Officers' wives at the encampment acted in a production of the play Cato during the winter at Valley Forge.
9. While lack of clothing provided hardship for some soldiers, many had full uniforms as well.
10. Approximately 12,000-14,000 soldiers were housed at Valley Forge. About 200-400 women accompanied the soldiers.
11. The encampment devastated the surrounding land with entrenchments, muddy roads, refuse pits, huts, and more. Trees were cut down for fuel and hut construction. Livestock and stores were commandeered. Farms would quickly recover after the encampment.
12. The soldiers constructed miles of trenches, five earthen forts, and a bridge crossing the Schuylkill River.

For more facts about Valley Forge, check 10 Interesting Facts About Valley Forge.

A row of soldier huts at Valley Forge

Sources: Valley Forge National Historic Park https://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm

               American Battlefield Trust: https://www.battlefields.org/