Valley Forge

WED

Time to get back to some sights I bypassed on my way to the Statue of Liberty and work my way back so I can catch my plane to Denver in a week +. So I headed in somewhat what would be described in branding-iron parlance as a lazy v, which means I headed west and somewhat south and then east and somewhat south; I went from NJ to Valley Forge PA and then to Lincoln DE.

Valley Forge didn’t do a lot for me and I guess I should have known that over 200+ years things would change. I only know Valley Forge through history and the story of how the Continental Army suffered through the winter. Well today when I visited all I saw were beautifully manicured hills and several recreated huts showing how the army housed themselves during the winter.

But it was good to see this place of history and now what I studied in school and have read about is in a visual context; the last thing I read was Newt Gingrich’s book “To Try Men’s Souls” that Forrest gave me.

I checked in at the Visitors Center and ask for their recommendations and then started with an overview video where I learned that Continental Army went to Valley Forge with 12,000 men and through end of enlistments, desertions and death fell to 6,000 but in the spring and summer grew to 20,000 when they marched out of their winter camp to campaign against the British again. After the overview I did a driving tour that was well laid out. I stopped and spent some time at the house that General & Mrs. Washington used over the winter and watched an archeological dig that was going on behind the house. They believe they may be uncovering the remains of an outbuilding directly behind the house that was used for a meal hall and conference center since the rooms in the house were very small and not able to accommodate the number of officers and others in attendance with Washington.