VALLEY FORGE: 1777-78Tom Howells

Background Information• Revolutionary War well underway1. Continental Army (Americans) are losing!2. Had to abandon Philadelphia to retreat• Washington seeks location to:1. Prepare for battle in the spring2. Camp for the winter• Leads army to Valley Forge1. Easily defensible in case of attack2. Close to Philadelphia to put pressure on British

Conditions at Valley Forge• Conditions on par with routine of soldiers1. Not as bad as many make it seem• Early Months: Supplies scarce but soldiers manage• February 1778: Baron Friedrich Von Steuben arrives

1. Former member of Prussian Army2. Teaches Continental Army fighting skills3. Repositions latrines and kitchens to improve

sanitation• Arrival of warmer weather in spring brings disease1. Typhoid, dysentery and influenza run rampant

Effects of Valley Forge• Von Steuben’s training works!1. Draw in first battle, but win second• America signs alliance with France1. British abandon Philadelphia• Turning Point of Revolution1. Americans begin to win battles2. Valley Forge improves morale of soldiers3. Americans fight harder than ever before

BibliographyIndependence Hall Association. “History at Valley

Forge.” Accessed October 27, 2014. http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/history/ind ex.htmlEyeWitness To History. “The Continental Army at Valley

Forge, 1777.” Accessed October 27, 2014. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/valleyforg e.htmHickman, Kennedy. About.com Education. “American Revolution: Winter at Valley Forge.” Accessed October 27, 2014.http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswars16011800/p/valleyforge.htm