Valley Forge: A Tragedy of the American Revolution

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Facts to know:

• General Washington and his men seek shelter at Valley Forge after Battle of White Marsh

• Battle of White Marsh, last major battle of 1777

• Washington wanted to find permanent winter encampment

• He chose Valley Forge, 22 miles North West of Philadelphia

• Considered far enough from British to hinder Surprise Attacks

• The surrounding hills and river made Valley Forge easily defendable

• Twelve Thousand men in December of 1977

• The soldiers were struggling with supplies

• Soldiers were poorly fed

• Thousands of huts were built to house the soldiers

• These huts were rather primitive

• In the cold of winter, the huts barely retained heat

• Each hut required 80 logs

• These logs had to be brought from miles away

• Each hut required at least a week of construction

• Huts had difficulty keeping groundwater at bay

• The vicious cycle of snowfall and snow melt brought many diseases

• Food was very rare

• Many men relied solely on “firecake”

• Firecake ‡ a concoction of water and flour cooked primitively over fire

• Baker General Ludwig was able to provide each man with a pound of bread per day

• Many of the armies horses died due to malnutrition and exposure

• At its worst, 4000 men classified unfit for duty due to lack of garments, shoes, etc, etc

• Disease alone accounted for 2000 deaths that winter

Role in Overall War:

• Although no battle occurred, the British fled

• British fleeing occurred in June of 1778

• The Americans won by will-power

• This stand-off was similar to a staring contest

• The war continued on for many years after

• The Army was never again paralleled the lack of equipment

• Valley Forge was among the last of true hardships of humanity during the war

New York and New Jersey Campaigns

Facts to know:

• New York and New Jersey Campaign common name for a series of battles between the British and Americans in the American Revolution

• British led by General Sir William Howe

• Americans led by General George Washington

• British landed on Staten Island on July 3, 1776

• British seized New York City

• Americans pushed to New Jersey

• Ultimately pushed into Pennsylvania

• Washington staged a key counterattack in late 1776

• British withdraw from Boston

• Britain began gathering troops for the capture of NYC in July of 1776

• These British led by General Howe and brother Admiral Lord Howe

• General Washington led 19,000 troops

• Significantly smaller than that of Howe

• Washington committed sin against the fundamental rules of warfare

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