When Gen. George Washington and his Continental Army set up their winter encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia, from December 1777 to June 1778, it presented the army with a new foe – Mother Nature.
Valley Forge is remembered not for an epic battle against the British army, but rather, the effect it had on Washington and his men, and how that effect shaped the army for the rest of the war.
Ultimately, the Continental Army came out of Valley Forge with reduced numbers, but it was much stronger in terms of military discipline and a sense of mission.
By the latter part of 1777, the British army had taken Philadelphia. The colonial Americans had lost important battles at Brandywine and Germantown, which had caused some in the colonies to wonder about Washington’s ability to close the deal against the British. Factions within Congress debated whether he should be retained as commander-in-chief.
The army’s supplies were scarce and dwindling. Morale was down, and enlisted men were dying in droves.
Washington had to decide where to put the army for the winter, and he selected Valley Forge, roughly 20 miles northwest of British-occupied Philadelphia. Washington wanted to be close enough to keep pressure on the British army in that city, while remaining near enough to his own supply routes.
At the start of December, Washington marched 11,000 troops into Valley Forge. They were exhausted from the war effort to that point. They didn’t have enough coats, blankets, or shoes. When they got to Valley Forge, there were no accommodations. They had to build it all, in the cold and the snow, from the ground up.
The army built over 1,000 log shelters. They were arranged in straight order, connected by muddy roads. Each shelter could hold 12 soldiers. While the shelters were cold and dank, they were superior to tents or to sleeping on the frozen ground. That particular winter was harsh.
Food shortages were a way of life. The men lived on “firecake,” which was a mix of flour and water that was baked over a fire. Rarely did the men have access to meat. They were in a constant state of hunger.
To compensate for the lack of real clothing, the men wrapped themselves in rags or blankets. As a result of these conditions, troops started to die, not from wounds suffered in battle, but from typhus, dysentery, pneumonia, and influenza.
By June 1778, when the army decamped, it had lost roughly 2,000 men, about 20% of its total. Desertion was also an issue, one that Washington did not tolerate kindly.
During the encampment, Washington endured the hardships of that winter with his men. He did not live in a nearby house with all the comforts of home. Instead, he stayed in camp throughout the winter.
He lobbied Congress for more supplies, more clothing, more food, and he became very irritated and frustrated.
In one letter, Washington created an apt visual for Congress:
We had in Camp, on the 23rd Inst by a Field Return then taken, not less than 2898 men unfit for duty, by reason of their being barefoot and otherwise naked. Besides this number, sufficiently distressing of itself, there are many Others detained in Hospitals and crowded in Farmers Houses for the same causes.
Washington made it clear that he was growing more and more frustrated and angry over Congress's tenuous support for the army.
Even so, the general decided not to waste this time. He focused on preparing his army for future battles ahead. He also knew that by training the men, it would distract them from the miseries they faced. Historians say this is what held the army together.
Washington maintained strict discipline, structure, and order, no matter what. His worst fear wasn’t the elements or even the British, but rather, the chaos that comes with demoralization of the troops.
Those who were there described him as outwardly calm, resolute, and completely committed to the cause. He needed to project his leadership in this way because even within his own army, he had detractors.
A group called the “Conway Cabal,” which was made up of rival officers, started to plant the seeds of doubt in Washington’s leadership among the men. They openly questioned his competence and created murmurs that Washington would be replaced. The general knew this and faced it head-on by acknowledging it without actually punishing it. He did not want to feed the divisiveness in his own ranks.
A pivotal event at Valley Forge was the arrival of Baron von Steuben in February 1778. He was a former Prussian staff officer who spoke little English. But he could do one thing no one had done before: He provided professional military training.
With Washington’s endorsement, von Steuben taught the men a standardized system of drill and discipline. He trained a model company, which then trained others. The army learned to march in formation, to maneuver as units, and to use the bayonet. Related to this emphasis on discipline and detail, camp sanitation improved, reducing disease. There were now clear rules that applied to everyone throughout the camp.
It’s an understatement to say this made an impact. It was at Valley Forge where the Continental Army became a single, united force that could take on the British army head-to-head.
There is one image of Washington from Valley Forge, which could be a myth, but it’s an enduring one. Some have said they could see Washington alone with his horse in the woods, kneeling, praying in the snow for his army and his country.
Whether this is true or not, what is true is that Washington had a strong belief in God’s will, and that God’s hand shaped human events. He knew that in the end, he was not in charge, but that God is.
In June 1778, the Continental Army marched out of Valley Forge transformed.
At the Battle of Monmouth, the army fought British forces to a draw in an engagement that would have destroyed the army prior to Valley Forge. This told the Americans that they could now face British regulars on equal terms.
For Washington, victory at Valley Forge was not over the British army, but over the cold, the weather, disease, starvation, and lack of supplies. His victory was over divisiveness, cowardice, doubt, and politics. He defeated disunity and chaos. In the process, he solidified his own leadership command over the army and his place in history.
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There are lessons from Valley Forge for America in 2025, if we care to look.
The name of the desk in the Oval Office is “The Resolute.” Ironically, it was a gift from Queen Victoria to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 to symbolize the close relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom. The oak timbers of the desk are from the British Arctic exploration vessel H.M.S. Resolute.
That word comes to mind when reflecting on Valley Forge. If not for Washington’s “resolute” approach to every facet of his army and his mission during this cold winter in history, the entire revolution very well may have failed.
In 2025, those who don’t like America as founded are creating fake and real obstacles to returning America to greatness. We can learn a thing or two from Washington and his resolute commitment to victory in his effort to create this exceptional nation. We have an opportunity to make it exceptional again. We need to be resolute.
